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Combining Bayesian Networks and Rough Sets: Further Step Towards Reasoning about Uncertainty

J. Zalewski, S.T. Wierzchon, H. Pfister

International Journal of Computing, Vol. 7, No. 3, pp. 6-14 (2008)

Abstract: This paper discusses a combination of Bayesian belief networks and rough sets for reasoning about uncertainty. The motivation for this work is the problem with assessment of properties of software used in real-time safety-critical systems. A number of authors applied Bayesian networks for this purpose, however, their approach suffers from problems related to calculating the conditional probability distributions, when there is scarcity of experimental data. The current authors propose enhancing this method by using rough sets, which do not require knowledge of probability distributions and thus are helpful in making preliminary evaluations, especially in real-time decision making. The combination of Bayesian network and rough sets tools, Netica and Rosetta, respectively, is used to demonstrate the applicability of this method in a case study of the Australian Navy exercise.

Safety Concerns for Tool Use in the Design of Complex Electronic Hardware

A.J. Kornecki, J. Zalewski, B. Butka

Proc. EDCC-7, 7th European Dependable Computing Conference, Kaunas, Lithuania, May 7-9, 2008, pp. 63-66.

Abstract: Modern electronic devices increasingly use dedicated hardware to process the growing amouns of data to control their operation. These complex programmable electronic devices are developed by writing code in a hardware description language used to create logic designs. Most of these devices, such as FPGA, can be configured to implement a particular design by downloading a sequence of bits. In that sense, a circuit implemented on a FPGA is literally software. However, treating circuits as "hardware" poses problems in system development and certification. The objective of this paper is to discuss the need for an appopriate treatment of software processes in development of complex electronic hardware, in a view of certification. We focus on software tools for hardware development in avionics and aerospace systems, and describe a method and procedures to evaluate a tool with respect to real-time constraints, for the purpose of qualification.