Toward User Oriented Dependability Standard for Future Embedded Systems

We outline our new project User Oriented Dependability, a project within the research program "Dependable embedded operating systems for practical use (DEOS)'' in Core Research for Evolutional Science and Technology (CREST) program of Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST). Our first goal is to establish a concept of dependability in the era of extremely complex networks of evolving and open embedded systems. The next goal is to develop it into an international standard, together with guidelines for assessors, developers, and users. We intend that the standard will advance the dependability of future society where (1) users will have objective criteria for the dependability of the system they work with and (2) developers will be able to provide the dependability of their products as an objective added value backed by the standard. We aim to add new aspects of "user oriented dependability'' to the concept of dependability. One of the aspects is that users of dependable systems actually understand its services and can cope with various expected and unexpected difficulties that inevitably occur during the whole life cycle of the systems. We outline some basic ideas, current activities, and plans toward the goals.