Automated V&V for high integrity systems, a targeted formal methods approach

This paper describes the intermediate results of a project to develop automated, high integrity, software verification and validation techniques for aerospace applications. Automated specification validation and test case generation are made possible by the targeted use of formal methods. Specifically, the restricted domain of use is exploited to reduce the set of mathematical problems to those that can be solved using constraint solvers, model checkers and automated proof tactics. The practicality of the techniques is enhanced by the tight integration of the formal methods to intuitive specification notations, existing specification modelling tools and a traditional software development process. This paper presents evidence to support an emerging appreciation amongst the software engineering community that, for the benefits of formal methods to be widely exploited in industry, an approach must be taken that integrates formal analysis with intuitive engineering notations, traditional engineering approaches and powerful