Course content

The course discusses the construction of efficient and dependable software solutions for distributed cyber-physical systems (CPS), with the use of formal specifications expressed in the language UML. It consists of six major units:

1. State Machines: The syntax, semantics, and realizability of executable state machines are discussed.
2. Implementation Design: Here, one learns how given specifications can be mapped to physical components. Further, one should understand how state machines can be used to support certain hardware needs.
3. Software Design: Patterns and methods necessary to create event-driven software will be taught including internal organization and interface issues of software components.
4. Cyber-Physical Systems: The basics of cyber-physical systems will be introduced. This includes ways supporting the management of these systems that often produce a vast amount of data. In particular, interesting communication architectures and protocols are discussed.
5. Development of IoT and ITS Systems: The "Internet of Things" and "Intelligent Transportation Systems" are two important application domains for CPS. The students will learn technologies to create such systems that often have to guarantee stringent real time and safety properties. The learned knowledge will be deepened by the design of a larger example system.
6. Testing: The students should learn about the main ideas and techniques for testing systems.

Learning outcome

A. Knowledge:

1. The general nature of distributed cyber-physical systems, how they can be modeled and the role of modeling to ensure system quality and timeliness in development processes.
2. Selected modeling languages, methods and tools, in particular, the mainstream industry languages UML and TTCN.
3. General principles for meeting real-time, dependability and performance constraints.
4. Validation of systems by testing.
5. Implementation design: the principal differences between specification and design models and physical realization in hardware and software including principal design trade-offs and solutions.
6. Tools for specification, design, implementation and analysis: model-driven development from abstract system models, through design synthesis to code generation and execution.

B. Skills:

1. Analyzing existing cyber-physical systems.
2. Specifying, design and implementation of new cyber-physical systems according to the defined requirements.
3. Practical developing, executing and using selected services such as distributed, mobile services using Java based platforms and the ability to use state of the art tools for model driven development.

C. General competence:

1. Application of the principles for software design of distributed cyber-physical systems.
2. Basic understanding of the mechanisms in support systems and platforms, as well as concrete experience in realizing a cyber-physical system by using a UML-based engineering method and a Java framework.

The learning outcomes of this course are related to the construction of cyber-physical systems that can be the backbone of digital infrastructures. For this reason, such systems are critical to society and therefore must implement relevant functions in a robust, safe, secure, and efficient manner. Thus, they are directly related to UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure). The systems also contribute indirectly to other SDGs as enablers in various domains, in particular to goal 2 (Zero Hunger), 3 (Good Health and Well-Being), 7 (Affordable Clean Energy), and 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities).

Learning methods and activities

The course is taught according to the principle of team-based learning. It consists of individual work, group work and immediate feedback. The objective is to foster active student participation in the course. The principle is explained at www.teambasedlearning.org. Throughout the semester, students receive feedback on the learning process by several readiness assurance tests, which also contribute to the final grade. To qualify for the final exam, a student has to reach at least 40% of the possible points in the readiness assurance tests.

Recommended previous knowledge

TTM4115 Design of Reactive Systems 1 or equivalent.

Course materials

To be announced at the beginning of the term.

Credit reductions