SAFETY CASE TECHNOLOGY FOR LARGE AVIATION SYSTEMS
John Knight, Professor of Computer Science, University of Virginia and President, Dependable Computing LLC and Kimberly Wasson, Dependable Computing LLC
September 9, 2015, 10:00 am, NIA, Rm 137
Abstract:
The use of safety cases in the development and certification of safety-critical systems is becoming more common, especially in Europe. Substantial progress is also underway in a variety of related areas in academic research.
Dependable Computing has been leading the development of the airspace integration (AI) safety case for the US Navy’s MQ-4C Triton Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS). The Triton UAS is a large UAS designed to support US Navy maritime reconnaissance missions. Triton operates at a variety of altitudes and in a variety of airspace conditions.
Development of the Triton AI safety case has revealed a number of significant challenges in the technology needed to build and certify a large production safety case. In this presentation, we will review these challenges and discuss the technical solutions developed by Dependable Computing.
Bios:
John Knight is a professor of computer science at the University of Virginia. He holds a B.Sc. (Hons) in Mathematics from the Imperial College of Science and Technology (London) and a Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne. Prior to joining the University of Virginia in 1981, he was with NASA’s Langley Research Center.
Dr. Knight’s primary research interests are the practical application of mathematical proof in the assurance of safety- and security-critical systems, and the development of rigorous safety- and security-cases that document rationale for belief in safety and security claims.
Dependable Computing LLC is an applied research and technology transfer company that Dr. Knight founded in 2009. Research at Dependable Computing focuses on practical development of large safety cases and proofs of safety properties in model-based development. Customers include the US Navy, the US Air Force, NASA, DARPA, and Toyota Motors.
Kimberly Wasson is a Principal Scientist at Dependable Computing, LLC. She holds a B.A. in Russian from Syracuse University, an M.A. in Slavic Linguistics from the University of Virginia, and a Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of Virginia. Dr. Wasson’s primary research and practice interests are in the application of structured argument bases to the engineering and certification of complex, safety-critical systems. In particular, she develops and deploys strategies and infrastructure to enable the maturation of large safety cases at scale, to meet the challenges imposed by organizational dynamics and stakeholder communication, and to integrate these supports with existing and future certification requirements.