CALL  FOR  PAPERS

           Software Engineering for High Assurance Systems:  
    Synergies between Process, Product, and Profiling (SEHAS 2003)
           http://www.sei.cmu.edu/community/sehas-workshop/

	International Conference on Software Engineering 2003
		 http://cs.oregonstate.edu/icse2003/
       
			   May 9-10, 2003
			Portland, Oregon, USA

One of the most important challenges in software engineering is to
develop well-founded, user-friendly methods for constructing high
assurance software systems -- software systems where compelling evidence
is required that the system delivers its services in a manner
satisfying certain critical properties, such as security, safety,
survivability, and fault-tolerance.  Examples of high assurance
software systems include safety-critical medical systems, control
systems for nuclear plants, and aerospace systems.  The SEHAS 2003
workshop will provide a forum for researchers and practitioners to
exchange ideas and experiences relevant to the development of high
assurance software systems.
 
Participants of the SEHAS 2003 workshop will explore the opportunities
for, and benefits of, synergies between three important themes, each
reflecting an important aspect of high assurance software development.
The themes are

1) Process: This theme views software as an artifact that is
manufactured, and hence the manufacturing process itself is the focus.
Processes such as inspections, peer reviews, and tests are used to
improve the quality of software as it progresses through the process. A
particularly important challenge is deciding how to best invest limited
resources so as to emerge with a high assurance software product.

2) Product:  This theme uses the requirements and the structure of the
software artifacts to develop high confidence in the quality of the
system as a whole from the quality of its individual parts and how they
are combined (e.g., Software Fault Tree Analysis, measurements of
software structure as fault predictors).

3) Profiling: This theme derives metrics from the development-time
activities and artifacts to yield insight into the progress of the
development effort. For example, error detection and repair rates
during testing may be used to predict the software's reliability or the
number of remaining errors.

Each theme has a strong computer science community underpinning it,
with various workshops and conferences in which ideas are advanced.

The goal of the SEHAS 2003 workshop is 1) to find synergies between the
themes and where crossover work can lead to advances that might
otherwise go unexplored and 2) to identify opportunities and needs for
such synergistic work.  The opportunities will emerge from
understanding different research areas relevant to high assurance
systems and how collaborative research can provide methods and
techniques for constructing high assurance software.  The needs will
emerge from an understanding of the practical aspects of limited
resources, the need for prediction (e.g., of costs and required
effort), etc.

How to Submit: 

SEHAS 2003 solicits previously unpublished, currently unsubmitted
technical papers, position papers, and experience papers addressing
problems in developing high assurance software systems.  Papers should
be original and are limited to eight proceedings pages and 5000 words,
including all text, references, appendices, and figures.

Specific topics include, but are not limited to, the three themes above
as well as the following:

. specification, validation, verification, testing, and certification of
  high assurance systems

. the role of tools in support of high assurance system development

. the role of abstraction, refinement, and composition in developing
  high assurance systems

. approaches to constructing high assurance systems that must satisfy
  two or more classes of critical properties (e.g., security and 
  fault-tolerance, security and survivability)

. convincing case studies that apply systematic methods to the construction
  of high assurance systems

. interdisciplinary research in high assurance systems development

Papers should be in Adobe PDF format (see instructions for submitting
PDF files) via electronic submission. Instructions regarding submission
formats and templates are available on the ICSE 2003 Submission Format
page.  Additional and updated details are available at:
 
     http://www.sei.cmu.edu/community/sehas-workshop/

Submission Due Dates:

* Submission Date:         February 1, 2003
* Accceptance/rejection:   March 1, 2003
* Camera-ready Copy:       April 1, 2003

Review Process: 

Participants will be selected on the basis of a submitted paper.   Of
special interest are papers proposing collaborative, interdisciplinary
research on high assurance systems and papers describing practical
experience and lessons learned in developing high assurance systems.

Publication: 

The Software Engineering Institute will publish the SEHAS 2003 workshop
proceedings as an SEI report. All accepted papers will be included in
the workshop proceedings.  Authors of accepted papers are expected to
attend and participate in SEHAS 2003 in Portland.

Organizing Committee:

Martin Feather		Jet Propulsion Lab
Constance Heitmeyer	Naval Research Lab
Allen Nikora		Jet Propulsion Lab
Nancy Mead		Software Engineering Institute



Program Committee:

TBD