Safe Comp 95

Book excerpt: Safety-related computer systems are those which may lead to loss of life, injury or plant and environmental damage. Such systems therefore have to be developed and implemented so that they meet strict require and security because their applications cover ments on safety, reliability nearly all areas of daily life and range from controlling and monitoring industrial processes, through robotics and power generation, to transport systems. Highly reliable electronic systems for safety-related applications represent an area in which industry has been involved for many years and which is now gaining increasing importance in academia. Their relevance also results from an increased perception of safety by society. Therefore, not only are technicians involved in this area, but psycho logical and sociological aspects also play a major role. Dealing with safety-related systems we have to consider the whole lifecycle of these systems, starting from specification up to implementation, assessment and operation. All those issues mentioned above are covered in this book, which represents the proceedings of the 14th International Conference on Computer Safety, Reliability and Security, SAFECOMP '95, held in Belgirate, Italy, 11-13 October 1995. The conference continues the series of SAFECOMP conferences which was originated by the European Workshop on Industrial Computer Systems, Technical Committee 7 on Safety, Security and Reliability (EWICS TC7) and reflects the state of the art, experience and new trends in the area of safety-related computer systems.