The Australian Computer Society

Full program details (PDF)

Presentations:

The seventh annual Workshop of the ACS National Technical Committee on Safety Critical Systems (SCS) and Software was held over one and a half days in Adelaide on 17th and 18th October 2002. The meeting featured talks on the state-of-the-art for safety critical systems by speakers from the UK and USA, including Prof John McDermid, Dr John Rushby, Mr Felix Redmill and Mr Bill Hammer.

Prof John McDermid, from the University of York, UK, is head of the High Integrity Systems Engineering Research Group, Rolls Royce University Technology Centre and BAE SYSTEMS Dependable Computing Systems Centre. John presented a keynote address on European best practice.

Dr John Rushby is Director of SRI International's Computer Science Laboratory, US and researches design and assurance of critical systems. John presented a keynote address on best practice in North America.

Mr Felix Redmill, is the co-ordinator of the UK Safety Critical Systems Club and has edited numerous books on system safety and safety-critical systems. Felix presented a keynote address on lessons learnt from the UK SCS Club.

Mr Bill Hammer is a systems safety expert at EG&G Technical Services - Dahlgren, US. Bill presented a keynote address on US certification of safety professionals through the Board of Certified Safety Professionals.

The workshop also featured invited papers on Australian industry experience with safety-critical systems. They included:

• Group Captain Ross Thomasson, the Director of Aircraft Engineering within the RAAF's Directorate General of Technical Airworthiness, gave a talk on the technical airworthiness framework for the Australian Defence Forces, with a focus on software system safety
• Mr Michael Bauer, Bytecraft Automation Pty Ltd, gave a talk on the approach they are taking to using IEC61508 for certification of their fifth generation theatre stage machinery control system. Bytecraft developed the Victorian State Theatre and Sydney Opera House control systems and market their products worldwide including France, Hong Kong, Malaysia and latterly China.
• Dr Alena Griffiths, Invensys, gave a talk on reuse of systems assurance when systems and requirements change.
• Prof Mike Hinchey, Director of the Software Verification Research Centre, University of Queensland addressed the use of Formal Methods
• Dr Clive Boughton, Australian National University (ANU) reported on development of a syllabus for proposed Australian Computer Society courses on safety-critical systems
• Dr Tony Cant, Defence Science & Technoloy Organisation (DSTO), gave a talk on the Australian standard on computer-based safety critical systems DEF(AUST) 5679.
• Mr John McMullan spoke on the law of negligence as it applies to computer systems
• Mr Benton Atchison, Invensys SCADA systems, gave a talk on how to provide a base level of assurance for software products in such a way that the assurance can be incorporated into the safety case of systems that make use of the products.
• Mr Kevin Anderson, Director of Risk & Reliability Associates, described his experience applying system safety standard IEC 61508.

For details of the schedule, the talks and the speakers, click here.