From parametric trace slicing to rule systems

Parametric runtime verification is the process of verifying properties of execution traces of (data carrying) events produced by a running system. This paper continues our work exploring the relationship between specification techniques for parametric runtime verification. Here we consider the correspondence between trace-slicing automata-based approaches and rule systems. The main contribution is a translation from quantified automata to rule systems, which has been implemented in Scala. This then allows us to highlight the key differences in how the two formalisms handle data, an important step in our wider effort to understand the correspondence between different specification languages for parametric runtime verification. This paper extends a previous conference version of this paper with further examples, a proof of correctness, and an optimisation based on a notion of redundancy observed during the development of the translation.

An Empirical Evaluation about Using Models to Improve Preliminary Safety Analysis

Context: Safety analysis is an activity of fundamental importance in the development of safety-critical systems (SCS) to ensure that hazardous situations are properly found and mitigated. Such analysis is usually performed after a system requirements specification is available. Therefore, it is then worthwhile to investigate specification techniques to detect their strengths and weaknesses with respect to finding and documenting hazards early in the development process. Objective: In this paper, we investigate similarities and differences in the results of a preliminary safety analysis from requirements specified using Textual Use Cases (TUC) and Business Process Modeling Notation (BPMN). Method: We adopted a controlled experiment as research method using computer engineering students as subjects. Results: The subjects of BPMN group found more accidents, hazards as well as more causes of hazards. Moreover, they have a higher preference for the template used for safety analysis documentation. Conclusions: The use of BPMN to represent the interactions among actors in a system probably lead to the discovery of more accidents and hazards, but more experiments are necessary to test this hypothesis since the results are not statistically significant.

Jogo para apoio ao ensino-aprendizagem de especificação de requisitos

Requirements Engineering is concerned with identifying, analyzing,documenting and managing software requirements, which is an importantphase in the software development process. Research showsthat most software design failures are due to requirements engineeringissues. Thus, we propose a solution for the active learningof requirements specification techniques. Considering that the userstory technique is currently well accepted by IT companies, thispaper proposes a mobile game that supports learning and practicein writing user stories.

GOLDi – Grid of Online Lab Devices Ilmenau

Based on a grid concept of an interactive hybrid online laboratory we will describe different fields of applications in different learning scenarios. This infrastructure guaranties a reliable, flexible as well as robust usage of this online lab. By using GOLDi, students are able to design control algorithms with different specification techniques to control electro-mechanical hardware models in the online lab. Additionally, the reconfigurable rapid prototyping platform of the GOLDi system can be used to test all the taught topics of a given lectures in the field of digital system design. Finally, a special demonstration platform (a ball in a labyrinth on a balance plate) can be used to give the students a better feeling about the possibilities and limitations of remote control and observation via Internet and to evaluate these technologies critically.

Standards for Business Component Markets

The idea of component-based software systems and markets for the exchange of components dates back to the late 1960s. However, so far no large-scale components markets can be found. The purpose of this chapter is to present a more in-depth analysis of the conditions that have to be met for the successful realization of this idea. Three perspectives are presented: first, a system-theoretic perspective; second, an economic perspective; and third, a knowledge-codification perspective of standardization. As we want to argue, the problem should be considered as an empirical question that depends to a large extent on the future technological development and its outcome, like specification techniques, software verification standards, and the performance and maturity of existing systems.