The ASM ground model method as a foundation of requirements engineering

Abstract

Building ground models is one of the three constituents of the engineering method for computer-based systems which is known as Abstract State Machine (ASM) method [16]. In this note we characterize ground models, whose epistemological role for a foundation of system design resembles the one Aristotle assigned to axioms to ground science in reality, avoiding infinite regress. We explain how ASM ground models help to resolve two major problems of requirements engineering, providing means a) to obtain for complex computer-based systems an adequate understanding by humans, and b) to cope with ever-changing requirements by faithfully capturing and tracing them via well-documented modeling-for-change. We point out that via an appropriate refinement method one can relate ground models to executable code. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2003.