Rafael Braga Costa

Abstract
The IVY workbench is a model-based tool for the formal modelling and verification of interactive systems. The tool uses model checking to carry out the verification step. The goal is not to replace, but to complement more exploratory and iterative user-centred design approaches. However, the need for formal and rigorous modelling and reasoning raises challenges for the integration of both approaches. This paper presents a new plugin that aims to provide support for the integration of the formal methods based analysis supported by the tool, with user-centred design. The plugin is described, and an initial validation of its functionalities presented. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

Abstract
Models-at different levels of abstraction and pertaining to different engineering views-are central in the design of railway networks, in particular signalling systems. The design of such systems must follow numerous strict rules, which may vary from project to project and require information from different views. This renders manual verification of railway networks costly and error-prone. This paper presents EVEREST, a tool for automating the verification of railway network models that preserves the loosely coupled nature of the design process. To achieve this goal, EVEREST first combines two different views of a railway network model-the topology provided in signalling diagrams containing the functional infrastructure, and the precise coordinates of the elements provided in technical drawings (CAD)-in a unified model stored in the railML standard format. This railML model is then verified against a set of user-defined infrastructure rules, written in a custom modal logic that simplifies the specification of spatial constraints in the network. The violated rules can be visualized both in the signalling diagrams and technical drawings, where the element(s) responsible for the violation are highlighted. EVEREST is integrated in a long-term effort of EFACEC to implement industry-strong tools to automate and formally verify the design of railway solutions. © 2022 ACM.