Review of the use of formal specification techniques in safety critical systems

Abstract

In today’s world, computers permeate control systems on which most human lives depend. Thus, the need for software safety is vital. One best approach to ensure the correctness of such systems is to apply formal specification techniques. The use of these techniques helps in the increase of human confidence in safety critical systems. This paper focuses on the review of the use of formal specification techniques in the fields of aviation, and railways. The first section gives a brief description about safety critical systems and formal specification techniques. The second section provides background of the use of formal specification techniques in different areas. The application of formal specification techniques in the railway industry, its advantages and disadvantages will be discussed in third section. The next section provides an insight of application of formal specification techniques in the field of aviation, its pros and cons. The concluding section addresses future need of formal specification techniques usage in safety critical systems that can put human life at stake.