Rapid prototyping via automatic software code generation from formal specifications: a case study

A modeling and prototyping approach for defining system and software requirements and validating them through rapid prototyping is described, and the results of a case study for generating prototype software (representing the total system hardware and software) directly and automatically from the requirements are presented. System/software definitions, which include the requirements and design (architecture), are addressed. The case study applied this approach to selected systems of Boeing 747-400 aircraft. A formal model of system specification was generated. The rapid prototyping task automatically generated thousands of lines of Ada source code from the specification model. The software was executed successfully the first time. The functions and behavior of the system were demonstrated and validated by its users. This study indicated that early execution and validation of system requirements, through the use of formal modeling and rapid prototyping with direct user involvement, can be accomplished.<
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