Model-based specification of embedded, critical systems (i.e., systems whose failure is deemed unacceptable) is increasingly becoming the standard of practice. However, analysis of these models can prove challenging when the models grow in size and complexity, which is common as more types and volume of data are loaded into them. One well-studied technique for grappling with complexity in models is slicing, where slices of models are highlighted according to some criterion. In this talk, I describe the goals, design, and implementation of a new software tool: the OSATE Slicer, which extends the concept of slicing to architectural models of embedded, critical systems. It does this by calculating of various notions of reachability which can be used to support both manual and automated analyses of system models. I will also discuss an evaluation of the utility of the approach based on several existing analyses and its performance based on a pre-existing corpus of architectural models and find both to be satisfactory.

Sam Procter is a Senior Researcher at the Software Engineering Institute at Carnegie Mellon University and leader of the Model Based Engineering Initiative. His research interests focus on tool support for system safety, particularly those with an architecture-centric approach. You can contact him at sprocter@sei.cmu.edu or visit https://samprocter.com/research.