Projects

1. designing a multicast algorithm for delay- and partition-tolerant networks,
2. constructing abstract models of connectivity to systematically study trade-offs in such networks, and
3. studying the use of resource-utility functions in routing algorithms for optimisation of resources.

• Methodology and process for development of systems with components
• Component specification and composition, providing a component model which includes the basic characteristics of safety-critical components and infrastructure supporting component collaboration
• Techniques for analysis and verification of functional correctness, real-time behaviour, safety
• Run-time and configuration support, including support for assembling components into systems, run-time monitoring, and evaluation of alternative configurations.

The goal of this project is to develop platforms for real-time data services that involve techniques for managing unpredictability of the environment, handling imprecise or incomplete knowledge of the workload, reacting to overloads and unexpected failures (i.e., those not expressed by design-time failure assumptions), to achieve the performance requirements and temporal behavior necessary for accomplishing the specified tasks.

This research project focuses on the data management in software of real-time and embedded systems. This is an important class of systems since they are used in different areas. Distinguishing features of such systems are that the amount of data items in such applications can be high with freshness requirements on the data items and at the same time have deadlines on calculations.

By using a central repository for data management, one can avoid unnecessary storing of data at different processes, which enhances software maintainability and fosters better software evolution due to the simpler structure and the removal of data subscription models. This also simplifies the programmers' tasks since large parts of data synchronization can be performed by the database, and that time constraints, such as data validity, can be enforced by the database.

Current focus of this research project is on maintaining data freshness such that transactions in a database system use fresh data and the required load imposed by making data fresh are state dependent. This means that resources can be better utilized instead of designing the data management for the worst-case scenario. Freed CPU resources can for instance be used for enhanced diagnosis of the system.

• Systems engineering support: Tool integration and standardisation
• Methodologies for industrial-strength formal methods
• Simulation databases(96-99)

• support the designer in the composition and tailoring of an embedded database for a specific system using the developed components, and where the application requirements are given as an input;
• support the designer when analyzing the total system resource demand of the compositioned embedded database system; and
• elp the designer by recommending components and methods if multiple components can be used, based on the application requirements.

• Barn Yard and Headless Chickens for RoboCup,
• RoboCup homepage
• RoboCup Rescue homepage
• EASE agent development environment homepage
• CSIRO RoboCup Applications World-wide

• Analysing of the structure and dynamics of LCCIs and their underlying Networked Information Intensive Systems, to identify their vulnerable processes and components, and to model and validate adequate critical indicators of its functionality and integrity, which directly influence survivability and dependability of the whole system.
• To investigate and develop an organisation of SAFEGUARDs, modelled as a cognitive agent-based structure, and validate middleware component solutions, with the role of an integral supervisory system including an auto-defence against different intrusions, accidental or deliberate. All methods should be error tolerant themselves, such as can be achieved by a step by step bottom up approach.

This project is directed at the development of a data exchange standard which will allow the complete set of tools used in analysis and design of complex heterogeneous systems such as air- and spacecrafts and their avionics systems (hardware, software, mechanical design, and implementation, project management, etc.) to communicate in such a way that an integrated project support environment can be implemented from commercial tools.

The proposed interface standard is developed within the STEP (ISO 10303) framework and is assigned the identifier AP-233. The aim of the project is to drive the standardisation within STEP and to validate the proposed standard through tool interface development and real data exchanges.

The role of RTSLAB in this project is to co-ordinate and harmonize the development of the standard. The SEDRES-2 project is funded by the CEC in the IST programme and is a successor to the highly successful SEDRES project (see SEDRES homepage).