APPLICATION TYPES - VERIFICATION/VALIDATION

Testing phases for complex systems can involve formal and benchmark verification methods. Exclusively formal testing methods are available in few areas, such as program and circuit development. Most other engineering areas require the verification of the behaviour of the system in benchmark environments. While small systems can be monitored by dedicated recording and testing devices, this approach is often not suitable for large multi-component systems. Apart from the effect of external factors, the interference of otherwise 'correct' behaviours of individual components can result in unacceptable overall behaviours.

The EFAR technology approach offers a powerful tool in benchmark testing tasks, by supporting model-based verification and validation in data. EFAR allows domain experts to specify collections of safety requirements, and then apply them on recorded benchmark data. The approach is complementary to diagnosis tasks, by verifying that overall satisfaction of conditions rather than their occurrence. However, should anomalies be detected, EFAR can serve as a analysis and diagnosis tool. Typical examples include the aircrfat industry where parameter behaviours generated by systems that are remote can nevertheless interfere and generate safety-relevant behaviours.

EFAR also offer the advantage of supporting the creation and configuration of an ad-hoc analysis tool in situations where monitoring devices are limited to individual sub-components. As in all other application areas, the power of EFAR resides in the ability of the analyst to specify domain-based conditions which guide the data search and analysis process, and increase efficiency as well as effectiveness.