In measure theory, or at least in the approach to it via the domain theory, a valuation is a map from the class of open sets of a topological space to the set of positive real numbers including infinity, with certain properties. It is a concept closely related to that of a measure, and as such, it finds applications in measure theory, probability theory, and theoretical computer science.
Let be a topological space: a valuation is any map
satisfying the following three properties
The definition immediately shows the relationship between a valuation and a measure: the properties of the two mathematical object are often very similar if not identical, the only difference being that the domain of a measure is the Borel algebra of the given topological space, while the domain of a valuation is the class of open sets. Further details and references can be found in Alvarez-Manilla et al. 2000 and Goulbault-Larrecq 2002.