Towards Two-Level Formal Modeling of Computer-Based Systems

Embedded Computer-based Systems are becoming highly complex and hard to implement because of the large number of concerns the designers have to address. These systems are tightly coupled to their environments and this requires an integrated view that encompasses both the information system and its physical surroundings. Therefore, mathematical analysis of these systems necessitates formal modeling of both sides and their interaction. There exist a number of suitable modeling techniques for describing the information system component and the physical environment, but the best choice changes from domain to domain. In this paper, we propose a two-level approach to modeling that introduces a meta-level representation. Meta-level models define modeling languages, but they can also be used to capture subtle interactions between domain level models. We will show how the two-level approach can be supported with computational tools, and what kind of novel capabilities are offered.