Computing Systems for Railways - A Role for Domain Engineering. Relations to Requirements Engineering and Software for Control Applications}

Railways are usually considered to be very large scale, infrastructure supporting systems. They are distributed. They exhibit thousands of concurrent, but highly related (interwoven) activities. And, even without any computing or communication support, railway systems function as a result of critical interplays between railway staff, users and railway (and other, technological) equipment. To develop computing systems support for railway activities requires, it is emphasised in this paper, first that the developers understand those parts of the railways which are to be supported, we call it the domain (D); secondly that the developers understand what support is desired, we call it the requirements (R); and, thirdly, that the developers correctly implement these requirements as some computing system (S). Correctness is needed in order to deliver expected railway services, to avoid failures that may lead to injury to people or loss of property or human life. Correctness can be expresse...