Standard Conformance-by-Construction with Event-B

Abstract

Checking the conformance of a system design to a standard is a central activity in the system engineering life cycle, a fortiori when the concerned system is deemed critical. Standard conformance checking entails ensuring that a system or a model of a system faithfully meets the requirements of a specification of a standard improving the robustness and trustworthiness of the system model. In this paper, we present a formal framework based on the correct-by-construction Event-B method and related theories for formally checking the conformance of a formal system model to a formalised standard specification by construction. This framework facilitates the formalization of standard concepts and rules as an ontology, as well as the formalization of an engineering domain, using an Event-B theory consisting of data types and a collection of operators and properties. Conformance checking is accomplished by annotating the system model with typing conditions. We address an industrial case study borrowed from the aircraft cockpit engineering domain to demonstrate the feasibility and strengths of our approach. The ARINC 661 standard is formalised as an Event-B theory. This theory formally models and annotates the safety-critical real-world application of a weather radar system for certification purposes.