A study of the use of java Pathfinder on verification and validation of spatial softwares

• Grant number: 12/16913-2
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: December 01, 2012
• End date: November 30, 2013
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Computer Science
• Principal Investigator: Ana Cristina Vieira de Melo
• Grantee: Camila Fernandez Achutti
• Host Institution: Instituto de Matemática e Estatística (IME). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Currently, there is an increasing worldwide concern about the quality of software, it is being critical or not, since the evolution of computer systems has increased exponentially and therefore the features implemented in them are increasingly comprehensive and complex, requiring that the developer and the client trust incorrectness of the project. Another reason for such concern is the large investments in improving software development processes. When dealing with critical software this concern is even greater. Thus, investment in validation and verification techniques for software is growing and they are vital. This project is then to exploit the issue of quality of software in critical systems doing the study and applying test methods on a real spatial system. In this project, a study on the formal specification of a critical system will be performed to implement the project in the Java language and apply techniques for verification of the developed system. Thus, the model checker, developed by NASA, is used as it has been widely developed by the scientific community and applied to critical problems. The real case to be developed will be an embedded spatial software, because the need for verification and validation is further intensified when it comes to spatial systems, in order to explore all appropriate steps to verification for mission-critical software. These results have direct application in the real world, especially in software projects that collect and analyze spatial data.(AU)