Digital controllers are an essential part in modern transportation systems. They are necessary provide the various state-of-the-art safety and usability functions. Since errors in these systems can easily cause serious harm for passengers and the environment, high demands are particularly placed on their correct and reliable functioning. The MBAT project (Model-Based Analysis and Testing) has set itself the goal to develop efficient and cost-saving methods and tools that guarantee that these requirements are met.

Many complex tests and analysis have to be executed to ascertain that the developed system meets all requirements. All possible sources of error have to be identified and removed. In static analysis mathematical methods and principles are adopted to analyse an abstract design specification of a system. Prototypes are built in dynamic tests and simulation is used to identify erroneous behaviour. Both methods complement each other. Static analysis can be used early in the development process allowing a complete analysis of all possible combinations of failures and system configurations. On very large and complex systems the required calculations often cannot be done in acceptable time. Test procedures based on prototypes can analyse specific situations in detail, even in very complex systems. But it is hard to test every possible situation because the amount of combinations of the internal and external states of the system is very huge. Also the effort and the costs for creating a prototype are very high.

MBAT aims to achieve better test results by combining test and analysis methods.