Implementing Feferman-Landin Logic. The objective of this project is to utilise computer based verification tools (such as PVS and Rewritting Logic) to develop a software engineering environment for specifying and verifying systems written in high-level programming languages such as Java, Scheme, and ML. The project will thus subtantially advance the use of formal computer based tools to develop reliable programs and specifications for life-critical systems. The project will also develop form ....Implementing Feferman-Landin Logic. The objective of this project is to utilise computer based verification tools (such as PVS and Rewritting Logic) to develop a software engineering environment for specifying and verifying systems written in high-level programming languages such as Java, Scheme, and ML. The project will thus subtantially advance the use of formal computer based tools to develop reliable programs and specifications for life-critical systems. The project will also develop formally
based interoperability between the PVS and Maude systems, two widely
used computer tools for reasoning about complex systems.Read moreRead less
Combining modal logics for dynamic and multi-agent systems. Modern computer software systems are required to operate in complex dynamic environments and to handle functioning of highly sensitive (security and safety-critical) organizations in government and commerce. Typical applications include air-traffic control systems, telecommunication networks, and banking systems. To ensure robustness, computationally predictable behaviour and trustworthiness of these systems, their designs and implement ....Combining modal logics for dynamic and multi-agent systems. Modern computer software systems are required to operate in complex dynamic environments and to handle functioning of highly sensitive (security and safety-critical) organizations in government and commerce. Typical applications include air-traffic control systems, telecommunication networks, and banking systems. To ensure robustness, computationally predictable behaviour and trustworthiness of these systems, their designs and implementations must be formally well grounded. This is an important but difficult challenge. This project will systematically develop a framework by combining modal-logics to adequately capture and reason about temporal, epistemic and social aspects of dynamic and multi-agent systems. The combined logics would be evaluated on practical applications.
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Refinement of Temporal and Epistemic Specifications in Asynchronous Systems. Designing distributed systems is a complex activity requiring rigorous mathematical models of designs and specifications. It is desirable for the mathematical notations to be as close as possible to intuitive notions used by designers. One such notion is the idea that components in a distributed system have states of knowledge. Previous work has developed a calculus enabling derivation of systems with global clock by s ....Refinement of Temporal and Epistemic Specifications in Asynchronous Systems. Designing distributed systems is a complex activity requiring rigorous mathematical models of designs and specifications. It is desirable for the mathematical notations to be as close as possible to intuitive notions used by designers. One such notion is the idea that components in a distributed system have states of knowledge. Previous work has developed a calculus enabling derivation of systems with global clock by series of correctness-preserving transformations from a knowledge-based specification. This project will generalize this work to a calculus for systems that lack a global clock, and implement a tool providing automated support for use of the calculus.Read moreRead less
Economical and practical design and analysis of probabilistic distributed systems. Complex computing systems composed of communicating processes are
distributed over networks, and interact with embedded hardware
components. They routinely operate in probabilistic environments:
hardware components fail randomly, but at known rates; and tactical
randomisation resolves competition for resources. Effective
specification, development and analysis methods for these systems
is crucial, and probab ....Economical and practical design and analysis of probabilistic distributed systems. Complex computing systems composed of communicating processes are
distributed over networks, and interact with embedded hardware
components. They routinely operate in probabilistic environments:
hardware components fail randomly, but at known rates; and tactical
randomisation resolves competition for resources. Effective
specification, development and analysis methods for these systems
is crucial, and probability makes that particularly difficult.
The focus of this project is to develop new formal methods that are
economical and practical in use. Exploiting our recent advances in
probabilistic program semantics, we will add probability in a new
way to proven techniques in concurrency theory, including
refinement and hierarchical design.Read moreRead less
A Formal Approach to Resource Allocation in Service Oriented Marketplaces. There was a strong opinion at the 2004 World Economic Forum that interorganisational computing was a major factor in productivity improvements underpinning continuing economic growth in the developed world, and will continue to be so for the foreseeable future. The results of the proposed research are directed to advanced systems of this type, and will add momentum to Australia's Information Technology research community. ....A Formal Approach to Resource Allocation in Service Oriented Marketplaces. There was a strong opinion at the 2004 World Economic Forum that interorganisational computing was a major factor in productivity improvements underpinning continuing economic growth in the developed world, and will continue to be so for the foreseeable future. The results of the proposed research are directed to advanced systems of this type, and will add momentum to Australia's Information Technology research community. Increased international recognition will positively impact on future interactions with the service composition research groups in Europe and the USA.Read moreRead less
Combining Time Bands and Teleo-Reactive Programs for Advanced Dependable Real-Time Systems. Society is becoming increasingly reliant on sophisticated real-time computer systems in applications ranging from car stability control to critical infrastructure, such as railway signalling systems. Further, there is a demand for ever greater automation and sophistication in the software controlling these systems. The research challenge in this project is to provide robust implementations of these system ....Combining Time Bands and Teleo-Reactive Programs for Advanced Dependable Real-Time Systems. Society is becoming increasingly reliant on sophisticated real-time computer systems in applications ranging from car stability control to critical infrastructure, such as railway signalling systems. Further, there is a demand for ever greater automation and sophistication in the software controlling these systems. The research challenge in this project is to provide robust implementations of these systems in a way that allows one assess their dependability.
Australia industry is actively working in these areas through companies like Ansaldo Australia, in automated railway systems, and Boeing Australia, in the defence sector.Read moreRead less
Foundations of Executable Temporal Logic. In many computer applications, including those of temporal reasoning, distributed computations and knowledge representations, the concept of time is of central importance. Multiple granularity of time also plays a critical role as not all events are necessarily defined over a uniform model of time. This project will develop the foundations of executable logical representations, supporting multiple granularity of time. This will allow system developers a ....Foundations of Executable Temporal Logic. In many computer applications, including those of temporal reasoning, distributed computations and knowledge representations, the concept of time is of central importance. Multiple granularity of time also plays a critical role as not all events are necessarily defined over a uniform model of time. This project will develop the foundations of executable logical representations, supporting multiple granularity of time. This will allow system developers access to powerful logical techniques in those applications. In the process, fundamental problems in modelling multiple granularity of time will be identified, and application-independent solutions to those problems will be provided.Read moreRead less
Expressive power and complexity of temporal logics for model-checking. Hardware verification based upon mathematical logic is now routinely
used in industry to verify the correctness of large digital circuits
using a technique called model-checking. Such discrete systems move
from one state to another according to the regular ticks of a clock.
The challenge now is to find tractable methods for reasoning about
real-time systems and hybrid systems that move in a continuous manner
with respec ....Expressive power and complexity of temporal logics for model-checking. Hardware verification based upon mathematical logic is now routinely
used in industry to verify the correctness of large digital circuits
using a technique called model-checking. Such discrete systems move
from one state to another according to the regular ticks of a clock.
The challenge now is to find tractable methods for reasoning about
real-time systems and hybrid systems that move in a continuous manner
with respect to time: examples include aeroplanes flying according to
the laws of physics and a moving robot arm. We shall invent new logics
which are specifically tailored for tractable reasoning about
real-time and hybrid systems.Read moreRead less
Model checking Multi-Agent System and its applications. This research project directly addresses two of the Australian Government's four National Research Priorities: National Research Priorities 3 and 4. It will develop an enabling technology that is applicable to the development of safety-intensive and highly dependable software systems like medical equipment and airport controlling systems. The security protocol analysis technologies developed by this project can be useful for providing impro ....Model checking Multi-Agent System and its applications. This research project directly addresses two of the Australian Government's four National Research Priorities: National Research Priorities 3 and 4. It will develop an enabling technology that is applicable to the development of safety-intensive and highly dependable software systems like medical equipment and airport controlling systems. The security protocol analysis technologies developed by this project can be useful for providing improved ways of military operation flows, and for making Australian security communication systems more dependable.Read moreRead less
The architecture of networks: Characterisation and visualisation of complex systems as fluctuating networks. Complex systems comprise many mutually interacting components, characterised by a range of different interactions over time and space. They are dynamical systems, whose features are reminiscent of a web, with fluctuating links of varying strengths. The natural paradigm for such systems is a generic network, or a graph. A suite of novel measures from statistical physics, graph theory, top ....The architecture of networks: Characterisation and visualisation of complex systems as fluctuating networks. Complex systems comprise many mutually interacting components, characterised by a range of different interactions over time and space. They are dynamical systems, whose features are reminiscent of a web, with fluctuating links of varying strengths. The natural paradigm for such systems is a generic network, or a graph. A suite of novel measures from statistical physics, graph theory, topology, geometry, and computer graphics will be developed to characterise system/graph growth and stability. The aim is two-fold: first to reduce real complex systems (mainly financial systems) to computationally manageable structures (including direct visualisation) and second to construct realistic models of the evolution of such systems.Read moreRead less