Developing Safety-Critical Software

1 Introduction and Overview

Acronym

DER	Designated Engineering Representative
EASA	European Aviation Safety Agency
FAA	Federal Aviation Administration
IEEE	Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers
IMA	Integrated Modular Avionics
NASA	National Aeronautics and Space Administration

1.1 Defining Safety-Critical Software

A general definition for safety is the “freedom from those conditions that can cause death, injury, illness, damage to or loss of equipment or property, or environmental harm” [1]. The definition of safety-critical software is more subjective. The Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) defines safety-critical software as: “software whose use in a system can result in unacceptable risk. Safety-critical ...