Formal concept analysis with many-sorted attributes

This paper unites two problem-solving traditions in computer science: (1) constraint-based reasoning; and (2) formal concept analysis. For basic definitions and properties of networks of constraints, we follow the foundational approach of U. Montanari and P. Rossi (1988). This paper advocates distributed relations as a more semantic version of networks of constraints. The theory developed here uses the theory of formal concept analysis pioneered by R. Wille and his colleagues (1992), as a key for unlocking the hidden semantic structure within distributed relations. Conversely, this paper offers distributed relations as a seamless many-sorted extension to the formal contexts of formal concept analysis