With the increasing introduction of embedded software and electronics in the infrastructure and with systems becoming interconnected, society as such is becoming highly dependent on the correct functioning of these systems. Besides the economic necessity, there is also a growing safety and security risk whereby single failures can be very disruptive and even catastrophic.
Current practice, mainly homologation by the manufacturers, is relatively weak in terms of providing assurance that the end-user can trust the system. The reasons can be reduced to a lack of rigorous standards, a lack of independent assessment and the lack of a process that continuously monitors the systems and seeks general remedies whenever an issue is detected. A counter-example is the aviation industry with the DO-xxx standards and a resulting very high safety record. The latter can be classified as an ARRL-7 system (ARRL = Assured Reliability and Resilience Level).
The objectives are to develop a generic and normative framework for trustworthy CPS. It must take into account the economic boundary conditions and take a long-term view towards a more competitive economic landscape based on cost-efficient quality and service assurance.
Interested in this topic? Please contact Eric(dot)Verhulst (at) Altreonic(dot)com