Evaluation of a Dependability Mechanism for Cyber Physical Systems

Cyber-Physical-Systems (CPS) are systems of collaborating computational entities. Concepts such as autonomous cars, smart electric grid, implanted medical devices and smart manufacturing are some practical examples of CPS. However, the open and cooperative nature of CPS poses a significant new challenge in assuring dependability. The DEIS project addresses this important and unsolved challenge by developing technologies that facilitate the efficient synthesis of components and systems based on their dependability information. The key innovation that is the aim of DEIS is the corresponding concept of a Digital Dependability Identity (DDI). A DDI contains all the information that uniquely describes the dependability characteristics of a CPS or CPS component. DDIs are synthesised at development time and are the basis for the (semi-)automated integration of components into systems during development, as well as for the fully automated dynamic integration of systems into systems of systems in the field. In this paper we present an overview of the DDI. Additionally, we provide metrics for evaluating the DDI’s impact on CPS dependability, and the results of an evaluation of the DDI’s impact on dependability in four CPS industrial systems. These results demonstrate the positive impact of the DDI on the dependability of CPS.