UQ Centre signs major defence computer safety contract

The University of Queensland's technology transfer company, UniQuest Limited, today signed an extension of a significant consultancy contract with the Australian Defence Department.

The twelve-month contract, valued at around $260,000, extends the DefSafe Project.

The initial contract, valued at $420,000, began in early 1999 to address the assurance of safety in Australian Defence projects that involved software intensive systems, and assist the Department's work of formulating a consistent, coordinated and managed approach to the procurement of such systems.

Director of the Defence Department's Software Acquisition Reform Program, David Marshall, said that when DefSafe began two years ago, the Department recognised the need to improve the acquisition processes for increasingly complex computer-based systems, particularly those with safety- and mission-critical aspects.

"The extension of the consultancy contract is affirmation of the professional and high-calibre assistance provided by UniQuest to the Department in this work," he said.

Researchers at the University's Software Verification Research Centre (SVRC), Professor Peter Lindsay (Deputy Director), Dr David Hemer, Dr Karl Lermer, Luke Wildman, Neil Robinson, David Tombs and Dr Graeme Smith will undertake the work. The SVRC is a Special Research Centre of the Australian Research Council (ARC), established in 1991 at The University of Queensland.

Professor Lindsay said highlights of the first two years of work included:

* a major survey of international safety standards for computer-based systems;
* technical reports on issues such as: emerging standards; use of commercial-off-the-shelf components; human-computer-interfaces and operational procedures;
* safety consultancy advice to more than 20 Defence Material Organisation (DMO) projects and Australian Defence Force (ADF) regulatory agencies;
* development of a methodology for assessing suppliers' capabilities in safety management and safety engineering; and
* education and training of DMO personnel.

"Year Three will continue to build on the successes of the project. It will see a broadening of its focus from acquisition to in-service support aspects of computer-based safety critical systems," he said.

Professor Lindsay said that plans for the third year of the project included:

* continuing safety consultancy advice to DMO projects;
* participation in trial of the safety-capability assessment methodology already developed, and its further improvement;
* technical studies in development and maintenance of safety cases, and evaluation of supporting tools;
* education and training of DMO personnel; and
* revision of the Department of Defence's standard on procurement of computer-based safety critical systems.

"The new contract covers further development of the Defence standard Def (Aust) 5679 on the procurement of computer-based safety critical systems. The work is to resolve outstanding technical issues and to improve the applicability of the standard, as well as assisting defence projects in applying it," Professor Lindsay said.

He said, "Safety-critical systems are in widespread use in defence. Such systems, which include weapons and avionics, command and control systems, mine-clearing, and missile decoy systems, are complex and often software-intensive. It is vital that the procurement of safety critical systems is carried out in a way that provides sufficient safety assurance. The SVRC will continue to assist the Department's work of formulating a consistent, co-ordinated and managed approach to the procurement of such systems."

The SVRC focuses on a systems approach to developing methods and tools for software verification and validation. It has a world-class research program in the areas of formal methods, real-time systems, object-orientation, logic programming, testing methods, and hazard and risk analysis. Its technology transfer activities are designed to enable industry to meet international standards and expectations for software and computer-system reliability, particularly in the case of critical systems. The SVRC is involved in industrial consulting and training as well as postgraduate teaching and research training.

Other SVRC clients include DSTO, Boeing Australia, BAE SYSTEMS (Australia), CSC Australia, Royal Australian Navy, Royal Australian Air Force, Honeywell Australia, Foxboro Australia, Airservices Australia, Compucat, New South Wales Road Traffic Authority and Queensland Rail.

For more information, contact Professor Peter Lindsay (telephone 07 3365 2005 or email: Peter.Lindsay@svrc.uq.edu.au), Dr Tim Flannagan, SVRC Business Manager (telephone 07 3365 1637, mobile 0404 858 943 or email timf@svrc.uq.edu.au) or Shirley Glaister at UQ Communications (telephone 07 3365 2339).