Implementation and Analysis of Environment Behavior Models as a Tool for Testing Real-Time, Reactive Systems

Abstract

We explored the effectiveness of using environment behavior models as a method for testing and analyzing real-time, reactive software systems. Through the automatic generation of test case scenarios based on attributed event grammar, environment behavior models subject the system under test (SUT) to a range of potentially hazardous states. We explored the extent to which experiments with a SUT embedded in an environment behavior model serve as a constructive method for quantitative and qualitative assessment of software system safety. This was done by implementing simulations in which an environment behavior model interacted with the safety-critical computer-assisted resuscitation algorithm (CARA), which is used with a casualty intravenous fluid infusion pump. It was found that with regard to real-time reactive systems, environment behavior models can be used as an effective tool for qualitative and quantitative safety assessment, as well as for improvement of the SUT.