Project summary

The competitive advantage of European industries in embedded system design is constantly challenged by emerging as well as other industrialized economies.

The leading edge must be strengthened, as stated by the European Commission ICT 2007-2008 Work Programme by:

• An increased productivity of system development
• An improved competitiveness of European companies that rely on the design and integration of embedded systems in their products by reducing costs and time to market
• A reinforced European scientific and technological leadership in the engineering of complex systems
• The emergence of a European Research Area in embedded systems
• The emergence and growth of high tech European companies that supply design tools and associated software

The INTERESTED project has been built to exactly match the goals defined within the Objective ICT-2007-3.3b ("Suites of interoperable design tools for rapid design and prototyping"), namely creating a reference and open interoperable embedded systems tool-chain, fulfilling the needs of the industry for designing and prototyping embedded systems

This project regroups a consortium of leading edge European embedded systems Tools Vendors, all being high tech innovative SMEs, as well as European Major Tool Users representing several industries that are both integrating massively embedded systems and contributing to the overall competitiveness of Europe: Aerospace, Automotive, Railway and Transportation and Energy.

As stated in the ICT Work-program Challenge 3: “Intelligent functions embedded in components and systems will be a key factor revolutionizing many different applications in health, safety and security, transport and provision of environmentally friendly sustainable applications”

As such, the INTERESTED project planned impact is to consolidate European Tool Developer’s Joint RTD work through a long-term partnership that enjoys the commitment of Major Tool Users.

The method followed in the project is to:

• Integrate the requirements of Major Tool Users of embedded systems tools to realize a reference and open interoperable embedded systems tool-chain, having in mind a broad socio-economic benefit for the European citizens, the performance of Embedded Systems generating long term societal benefits such as increased aircraft and transportation safety, reduced fuel and energy consumption and competitiveness of key European industries.
• Cover the full scope of Embedded Systems and Software engineering disciplines, spanning:
  • System and Application Software Design Modelling, Verification and Code Generation
  • Networking and RTOS execution platforms, Hardware-Dependent Software verification and Code Generation
  • Timing analysis and code execution verification
• Validate the use of the INTERESTED tool-chain on real-life demonstrators (the “Industrial Validators”) representing key application domains for European leading industries: Aerospace, Automotive, Railway and Transportation and Energy.
• Demonstrate openness and interoperability within the INTERESTED Tool-Chain of Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) and Open Source tools to the benefit of the users and tool suppliers’ communities.

From a technical standpoint, the INTERESTED reference Tool-Chain will integrate, using standards-based integration and interoperability solutions the following tools:

• Architecture definition tools (UML/SysML tools from ARTISAN Software Tools as well as demonstrated interoperability with Open Source UML, SysML and AADL Modellers such as TOPCASED and Papyrus provided as interoperability demonstration case by Airbus and CEA (a convergence process is being initiated between these 2 tools and is funded outside of INTERESTED).
• Embedded GUI design tools (SCADE Display from Esterel Technologies),
• Application Software Design, Verification and Code Generation tools (SCADE Suite from Esterel Technologies),
• Hardware-Dependent Software Design and Code Generation tools (Processor Expert from UNIS)
• Networking Infrastructure support tools (FlexRay and TTP tools from TTTech)
• RTOS execution platforms (PikeOS from SYSGO as well as demonstrated interoperability with domain specific execution platform such as the OASIS environment from CEA)
• WCET and Stack Analysis Tools (aiT from ABSINT)
• Schedulability analysis tools (SymTA/S from Symtavision and RT-Druid from Evidence), as well as numerical precision analysis tools (Fluctuat from CEA)

Major Tool Users (AIRBUS, THALES, MAGNETI MARELLI, SIEMENS RAIL TRANSPORTATION and CEA) will bring their requirements for the Tool-Chain content, structuring, features, interoperability architecture and characteristics, as well as real-life demonstration cases for their use of relevant parts of the tool-chain and interoperability demonstration cases with in-house or open source tools. They will ensure, thru appropriate metrics defined during the progress and evaluation of the cost reduction target that the INTERESTED reference tool-chain will enable.

Tool Vendors within the INTERESTED project have established a preliminary list of Integration Technical Business Cases for the integration of their tools, will review them against the Major Tool Users requirements and will ensure that all selected Integration Technical Business Cases specifications and developments are architected in an interoperable way with 3rd party tools, such interoperability being verified within the Industrial Validators.

One Major Tool User (CEA), due to its mission, enjoying strong links with academics partners, will steer an Academic Advisory Board to make sure that innovative and proper advice from academic Networks of Excellence such as ARTIST2 are clearly taken into account.

In summary, INTERESTED aims at realizing the first European-wide tool reference development environment ever, validated by Major Tool Users through real-life Industrial Validators, ensuring an integrated, lower cost, highly dependable, safe and efficient development process to the benefit of critical European industries.

INTERESTED will be realized by leading European companies and innovative SMEs, mostly born from academic research background.

INTERESTED will thus contribute securing Europe's competitiveness and independence in the critical Embedded Systems field.