Are YOU building the right system?
Validation is the process by which the fitness-for-purpose of a new system or
operational concept being developed is established. In practice, validation can be
defined as the process of answering a question like ‘Are we building the right system?’.
The answer is then provided to stakeholders to support their decision-making activity.
Therefore the validation process is structured in order to satisfy the information needs
of relevant stakeholders about performances of systems/concepts.
Deep Blue offers support in the definition of these validation processes and
in carrying out the validation activities. To structure them we refer to the framework
defined by the European Operational Concept Validation Methodology (E-OCVM)
developed by EUROCONTROL.
DEEP BLUE, A SUPPORT FOR YOUR VALIDATION ACTIVITIES
Deep Blue is a research and consultancy company located in Rome, and created
by a group of senior researchers from major Italian Universities and Research Centres.
It is a multidisciplinary team of specialists in human factors, validation, interaction
design, dissemination, and safety.
The main area of activity of the company is the analysis and evaluation of interactive
complex systems, with particular focus on the interactions, integration and allocation
of functions between the human, procedural and equipment components of the systems.
Currently the company is working on a number of related issues including:
- Evaluation of dependability of interactive systems,
- Evaluation and Validation of air traffic concepts and systems,
- Human Factors training,
- Dissemination of research results in the aviation and air traffic
control domains.
OUR EXPERIENCE WITH VALIDATION AND E-OCVM
We have a significant experience in working with the E-OCVM, both at the theoretical
level and in its practical application to R&D projects.
Within CAATS I and CAATS II, Deep Blue studied how the different cases
(e.g. safety, human factor, environment, business)should interact and how their
results should be integrated in the framework of an overall EOCVM based validation.
Some of the experiences from the integration of safety validation results from multiple R&D projects
are reported in [Leo, 07].
The experience of Deep Blue in supporting R&D projects in their validation activity
date back to the beginning of the E-OCVM. Deep Blue was consultant of ENAV for the
Mediterranean Free Flight project, where it defined the validation strategy and plan
of the project, supported the execution of the validation exercises, integrated their
results, and provided the final output of the project validation work.
A comprehensive description of the validation work and of the main lessons learnt is available in [Pas, 07].
In ASAS Validation and Human Factor and in NUP II and NUP II +, Deep Blue was
consultant of EUROCONTROL Bretigny, and in charge of the work related to Validation,
that concerned: the production of an E-OCVM based Validation Strategy and Plan for the
EUROCONTROL ASAS validation activity; the production of a preliminary Validation
summary report for ASAS R&D projects, with a roadmap for the future ASAS validation
activities. The work included also the support to the validation teams of NUP II and
NUP II+,through a set of workshops and integration activities for the production of the
final validation report.
OUR VALIDATION SERVICES
- Surveys
- Activity and Work Analysis
- Stakeholder Analysis
- Validation Strategy and Plan
- Simulation and Trials
- Scientific Dissemination
[Leo, 07]Projects
Leone M., Pasqui
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ns H. Validation Management in an ATM Research Project Air Traffic Control Quarterly, Vol.15/2, Air Traffic Control Institute,
More recently Deep Blue was subcontracted by ENAV for the definition of a Validation
Strategy and Plan based on the E-OCVM for the BLUE MED Feasibility Study.
Deep Blue is also leading Validation in several, large scale, international R&D projects
in the aeronautic domain. In most of these projects Deep Blue is using a modified version
of the E-OCVM adapted to the specific characteristic of the aeronautic context.
At the moment, Deep Blue is responsible for the planning and management of the
validation activities, in the following EU projects (IP):
- Airborne integrated systems for safety improvement, flight hazard protection and all
weather operation (Flysafe). IP of the VI EU Framework Programme leaded by
Thales, to develop and integrate new on-board systems for improving the safety of
flight.
- System Engineering for Security and Dependability (Serenity). IP of the VI EU
Framework Programme leaded by Engineering, to identify and collect patterns for
security and dependability of systems.
- All Condition Operations and Innovative Cockpit Infrastructure (ALICIA).
IP of the VII EU Framework Programme leaded by Westland Helicopters, to
develop an All Conditions Operations capability to reduce weather-related
delays and hazards.
- Security Engineering for lifelong Evolvable Systems (SEES). IP of the
VII EU Framework Programme leaded by University of Trento, for identifying
new design paradigms for evolving systems.
TROL Annual Safety R&D Seminar, Oct. 2007.
.Abstracts at: www.dblue.it/public/main/publications/en
HOW WE CAN SUPPORT YOUR VALIDATION RELATED
ACTIVITY
There is a wide range of validation related activities that are required
by the SESAR Joint Undertaking in which Deep Blue could provide
support to your R&D projects.These include:
- definition of validation plans, that fit with the overall validation view
of SESAR at the programme level;
- specification of these plans with the identification of the validation
exercises that are needed to collect the required information;
- support to the validation activities and facilitation of the interactions
between the different validation team;
- evaluation of a concept maturity level using the SESAR suggested
evaluation methodology (developed within EUROCONTROL and
integrated by CAATS II);
- definition of transition criteria (across different levels of maturity) for
the concept you are investigating in your project;
- definition of safety and human factor cases, and their integration
in the framework of an overall, E-OCVM based, validation activity.
OUR CONTACTS AND WEB SITE
We will be happy to discuss with you to investigate the opportunity of a support in
these and other Validation related activities for your R&D projects.
For any information you can contact Linda Napoletano at the address:
[email protected].
For more information about our past and current projects on the subject and to
browse the related publications you can visit:
www.dblue.it