A Measure of Systems Self-Awareness

In order to be proactive to accidents, there is a need to limit systems’ threats and vulnerabilities by being able to perceive and comprehend them as early as possible. Under this notion, the concept of ‘risk Situation Awareness provision capability’ is introduced, indicating that the elements of a system, tangible or not, have an impact on the enhancement or degradation of the awareness, in reference to its threats and vulnerabilities. As a means of measuring this capability, a methodology, based on existing yet not combined methods, i.e. STPA hazard analysis, EWaSAP early warning sign identification approach, and dissimilarity measures, is offered. This paper looks at analogous SA measurement techniques and finally discusses some limitations and future research directions.