Integrating Model Checking and Knowledge Dynamics for System Verification. The task of system verification is to ensure the correctness of system design and specification in some automatic way. The aim of this project is to develop a new methodology and technology for computer software system verification by integrating traditional model checking approach and knowledge dynamics modeling. By deriving the results of this project, we will understand how model checking and knowledge dynamics modelin ....Integrating Model Checking and Knowledge Dynamics for System Verification. The task of system verification is to ensure the correctness of system design and specification in some automatic way. The aim of this project is to develop a new methodology and technology for computer software system verification by integrating traditional model checking approach and knowledge dynamics modeling. By deriving the results of this project, we will understand how model checking and knowledge dynamics modeling can be integrated for more effective software verification and modification, which will significantly improve current software design and development procedures, increase the correctness and stability of software systems, and provide high security for e-Commerce transaction systems.Read moreRead less
Intelligent Model Checking. Real-world systems are typically so complex that software engineers require specialised CAD tools to debug and verify a design. Model checking is a formal method that is used extensively for this purpose, particularly for mission-critical systems. In this work, a new kind of verifying tool, based on model checking, is developed. This new model checker is intelligent because a heuristic search is integrated into the underlying formalism. It is not exhaustive, and is mo ....Intelligent Model Checking. Real-world systems are typically so complex that software engineers require specialised CAD tools to debug and verify a design. Model checking is a formal method that is used extensively for this purpose, particularly for mission-critical systems. In this work, a new kind of verifying tool, based on model checking, is developed. This new model checker is intelligent because a heuristic search is integrated into the underlying formalism. It is not exhaustive, and is more efficient than a traditional model checker during the design phase because it does only a minimum amount of work in its search for a fault.Read moreRead less
Model Update with Localisation, Constraints and Abstraction. This project will fundamentally provide a new paradigm and a system prototype for advanced computer aided system modification. It will significantly enhance Australia's leading role in the cutting edge research in computer aided system development. By applying the new methodology and technology, Australian IT industry will significantly improve its capacity for developing highly complex hardware and software systems for various applica ....Model Update with Localisation, Constraints and Abstraction. This project will fundamentally provide a new paradigm and a system prototype for advanced computer aided system modification. It will significantly enhance Australia's leading role in the cutting edge research in computer aided system development. By applying the new methodology and technology, Australian IT industry will significantly improve its capacity for developing highly complex hardware and software systems for various applications. With a strong research program across different areas such as knowledge system update, model checking and software development, and a collaborative research training environment, this project will strengthen Australia's international reputation as a leader in computing and IT research.Read moreRead less
ARC Centre for Complex Systems. The Australian Centre for Complex Systems brings together leading researchers from several disciplines and institutions to conduct research on questions fundamental to understanding and managing complex systems. Its core research program, based on the theme of computation in and by networks of agents, has two interwoven strands. The science strand addresses questions about emergent properties, natural computation, and nonlinear dynamics. The engineering strand add ....ARC Centre for Complex Systems. The Australian Centre for Complex Systems brings together leading researchers from several disciplines and institutions to conduct research on questions fundamental to understanding and managing complex systems. Its core research program, based on the theme of computation in and by networks of agents, has two interwoven strands. The science strand addresses questions about emergent properties, natural computation, and nonlinear dynamics. The engineering strand addresses issues about methodology, modelling toolkits, and management and control. Practical applications are advanced via collaborative projects that address key issues in biology, environment, and socio-economics.Read moreRead less
Building correct-by-construction distributed systems from specifications stating how agents' knowledge evolves over time. Many distributed computer system implementations fail to comply with their original informal requirement specification. These requirements typically refer to the migration of information through the system over time, but current specification languages are not rich enough to express such requirements on a sufficiently abstract level. This results in a huge error-provoking gap ....Building correct-by-construction distributed systems from specifications stating how agents' knowledge evolves over time. Many distributed computer system implementations fail to comply with their original informal requirement specification. These requirements typically refer to the migration of information through the system over time, but current specification languages are not rich enough to express such requirements on a sufficiently abstract level. This results in a huge error-provoking gap between the informal requirements and the starting point of formally verifiable development. To minimise this gap, we develop a particularly expressive specification language, a calculus for stepwise refinement from such specifications down to distributed systems, and an automated tool for checking and supporting refinement steps in the calculus.Read moreRead less
More information for better utility; less information for better privacy. More information for better utility; less information for better privacy. The contradiction is everywhere in contemporary IT: doctors need accurate information for diagnosis, but insurance companies' access should be limited; on-line retailers use your postcode to present interesting products, but they also deduce from it how much you will pay. One way to manage this contradiction is to tolerate "small" information flows p ....More information for better utility; less information for better privacy. More information for better utility; less information for better privacy. The contradiction is everywhere in contemporary IT: doctors need accurate information for diagnosis, but insurance companies' access should be limited; on-line retailers use your postcode to present interesting products, but they also deduce from it how much you will pay. One way to manage this contradiction is to tolerate "small" information flows providing the risks involved can be accurately gauged. This project will build on recent advances in information measuring to develop new techniques for measuring the extent to which computer systems can defend against threats to privacy. Success in this project will lead to completely novel methods for security analysis of on-line applications where privacy is a critical issue.Read moreRead less
Making software more reliable using a new model for entropies of computers' internal state. A new mathematical analysis of the way computer systems exchange data between their components has led to novel design approaches for the programs implementing those systems. This reduces their cost and increases their reliability, with improvements ranging from small-scale smart devices to widely distributed internet protocols.