1,291,253 research outputs found
Performance Evaluation of Software using Formal Methods
Formal Methods (FMs) can be used in varied areas of applications and to solve critical and fundamental problems of Performance Evaluation (PE). Modelling and analysis techniques can be used for both system and software performance evaluation. The functional features and performance properties of modern software used for performance evaluation has become so intertwined. Traditional models and methods for performance evaluation has been studied widely which culminated into the modern models and methods for system and software engineering evaluation such as formal methods. Techniques have transcended from functionality to performance modeling and analysis. Formal models help in identifying faulty reasoning far earlier than in traditional design; and formal specification has proved useful even on already existing software and systems. Formal approach eliminates ambiguity. The basic and final goal of the performance evaluation technique is to come to a conclusion, whether the software and system are working in a good condition or satisfactorily
QuantUM: Quantitative Safety Analysis of UML Models
When developing a safety-critical system it is essential to obtain an
assessment of different design alternatives. In particular, an early safety
assessment of the architectural design of a system is desirable. In spite of
the plethora of available formal quantitative analysis methods it is still
difficult for software and system architects to integrate these techniques into
their every day work. This is mainly due to the lack of methods that can be
directly applied to architecture level models, for instance given as UML
diagrams. Also, it is necessary that the description methods used do not
require a profound knowledge of formal methods. Our approach bridges this gap
and improves the integration of quantitative safety analysis methods into the
development process. All inputs of the analysis are specified at the level of a
UML model. This model is then automatically translated into the analysis model,
and the results of the analysis are consequently represented on the level of
the UML model. Thus the analysis model and the formal methods used during the
analysis are hidden from the user. We illustrate the usefulness of our approach
using an industrial strength case study.Comment: In Proceedings QAPL 2011, arXiv:1107.074
A Unified View of Piecewise Linear Neural Network Verification
The success of Deep Learning and its potential use in many safety-critical
applications has motivated research on formal verification of Neural Network
(NN) models. Despite the reputation of learned NN models to behave as black
boxes and the theoretical hardness of proving their properties, researchers
have been successful in verifying some classes of models by exploiting their
piecewise linear structure and taking insights from formal methods such as
Satisifiability Modulo Theory. These methods are however still far from scaling
to realistic neural networks. To facilitate progress on this crucial area, we
make two key contributions. First, we present a unified framework that
encompasses previous methods. This analysis results in the identification of
new methods that combine the strengths of multiple existing approaches,
accomplishing a speedup of two orders of magnitude compared to the previous
state of the art. Second, we propose a new data set of benchmarks which
includes a collection of previously released testcases. We use the benchmark to
provide the first experimental comparison of existing algorithms and identify
the factors impacting the hardness of verification problems.Comment: Updated version of "Piecewise Linear Neural Network verification: A
comparative study
Distributed Real-Time Emulation of Formally-Defined Patterns for Safe Medical Device Control
Safety of medical devices and of their interoperation is an unresolved issue
causing severe and sometimes deadly accidents for patients with shocking
frequency. Formal methods, particularly in support of highly reusable and
provably safe patterns which can be instantiated to many device instances can
help in this regard. However, this still leaves open the issue of how to pass
from their formal specifications in logical time to executable emulations that
can interoperate in physical time with other devices and with simulations of
patient and/or doctor behaviors. This work presents a specification-based
methodology in which virtual emulation environments can be easily developed
from formal specifications in Real-Time Maude, and can support interactions
with other real devices and with simulation models. This general methodology is
explained in detail and is illustrated with two concrete scenarios which are
both instances of a common safe formal pattern: one scenario involves the
interaction of a provably safe pacemaker with a simulated heart; the other
involves the interaction of a safe controller for patient-induced analgesia
with a real syringe pump.Comment: In Proceedings RTRTS 2010, arXiv:1009.398
Formal Methods for Autonomous Systems
Formal methods refer to rigorous, mathematical approaches to system
development and have played a key role in establishing the correctness of
safety-critical systems. The main building blocks of formal methods are models
and specifications, which are analogous to behaviors and requirements in system
design and give us the means to verify and synthesize system behaviors with
formal guarantees.
This monograph provides a survey of the current state of the art on
applications of formal methods in the autonomous systems domain. We consider
correct-by-construction synthesis under various formulations, including closed
systems, reactive, and probabilistic settings. Beyond synthesizing systems in
known environments, we address the concept of uncertainty and bound the
behavior of systems that employ learning using formal methods. Further, we
examine the synthesis of systems with monitoring, a mitigation technique for
ensuring that once a system deviates from expected behavior, it knows a way of
returning to normalcy. We also show how to overcome some limitations of formal
methods themselves with learning. We conclude with future directions for formal
methods in reinforcement learning, uncertainty, privacy, explainability of
formal methods, and regulation and certification
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