ForTIA Charter

Definitions

By a “formal method” we mean a set of principles and procedures for analysing problems and analysing and synthesising software and systems development products (i.e. specifications, designs, programs, data sets, test scripts etc.) using a number of techniques and tools, where a significant set of those techniques and tools are based on mathematics, in particular mathematical logic. Such tools typically, but not exclusively, include formal specification and modelling languages, theorem provers, model checkers, analysers and other software packages that support the use of those languages.

Objectives

The objectives of the association are:

• to raise awareness of the possibilities of formal techniques amongst potential developers and end-users, including in European Community R&D programmes

• to raise awareness of the possibilities of formal techniques amongst standardisation and other regional and international trade and professional bodies and influence them accordingly.

• to create a climate of trust and establish the reputation and reliability of software and systems houses offering formal methods services, of higher education formal methods curricula, of individual engineers with formal methods expertise, and of software packages and services that have been developed using formal techniques.

• to address the expectations of higher education courses in formal aspects of computing and influence them to meet the needs of industry

Activities

The association is free to carry out any activities that aim to meet its ends. Some suggested activities, by no means exclusive, are as follows.

• Membership is open to software and systems developers and other service providers, who use formal techniques and tools; membership is also open to developers and researchers of such techniques and tools. Criteria and rules of membership are defined in the association’s bylaws.

• To maximise awareness raising and other objectives, activities would best be carried out as international initiatives, possibly on national bases.

• To establish relations with higher education institutions and discuss with them the contents of formal methods courses and training

• To initiate and catalyse projects which exercise the use of formal methods under appropriate current and future EC and other programmes

• To coordinate with standardisation and regional and international trade and professional bodies and ensure that formal methods are adequately represented in new standards and other publications.

• To explore and implement accreditation services for software and systems houses offering formal methods services, and for higher education formal methods curricula

• To explore and implement a certification service for software packages and systems that have been developed using formal techniques

• To explore and implement a service of assurance for second sourcing of formal methods services and software/systems.

• To exchange information on techniques, research results, and new developments and products amongst members.

• To explore and establish a mechanism for joint funding and sharing results of R&D by members

Feedback

The officers of the association will ensure that all members are regularly informed of the activities and latest news of the association, at least once a year but preferably more often, or as determined by a meeting of the membership.

Review

The officers of the association will establish and implement a mechanism whereby a review is commissioned, once every two years or as determined by a meeting of the membership, which will assess how well the association has been meeting its objectives so that corrective steps and actions leading to improvements can be planned, and report back to the membership.

-- DvO - 05 Feb 2007