On the use of a formal RE language-the generalized railroad crossing problem

In this paper we report on the use of the AlbertII specification language through the handling of the Generalized Railroad Crossing case study. This formal language is based on an ontology of concepts used for capturing requirements inherent to real-time, distributed systems. Its essential feature comes from its naturalness, i.e. the possibility of a direct mapping of customers' informal needs onto formal statements, without having to introduce artificial elements. The language relies upon formal grounds (real-time temporal logic) which support the reasoning of the analyst during the elaboration of the specification. These reasoning capabilities are illustrated in the context of a goal-oriented approach adopted for the elaboration of the case study.