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		First Call for Participation and Contributions
	"Semantic Issues in VDM: a BCS-FACS and Overture Workshop"

			  13 September 2010
BCS, Davidson Building, 5 Southampton Street, London WC2E 7HA, United Kingdom
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INTRODUCTION 
VDM (The Vienna Development Method, www.vdmportal.org) is a well-established
formal method, which has seen widespread use in both academia and industry. In
recent years, extensions have been defined that introduce notions of
object-orientation and real-time control to VDM. These extensions bring with
them many interesting semantic issues that are yet to be resolved. While the
focus is on VDM, the workshop welcomes contributions reflecting on relevant
experience in other model-oriented formalisms, provided speakers relate their
findings to VDM. 

This one-day workshop, jointly organized by the VDM Community and BCS-FACS,
will address semantic issues relating to the formal specification language of
VDM and its derivatives, together referred to as "VDM-10", and to the
"Overture" open tools project for VDM-10 (www.overturetool.org).

Participation is not limited to those already involved in Overture; anyone
interested in formal modeling and semantics of formal specification languages
is most welcome!

SEMANTIC ISSUES
The workshop will be divided into three sections, each covering a different 
semantic area of VDM-10. These are:
- Object-orientation
- Real-time
- Co-simulation
Each semantic area will be discussed in a block of two hours during the day. 
Each block will be introduced by one or two speakers, followed by a plenary 
discussion of identified semantic issues for the remainder of the block. The 
speakers are encouraged to give presentations in the form of "position 
statements", taking a clear view/opinion on the semantic area to be addressed.
Emphasis, however, will be on interaction and discussion between the
participants.

LOGISTICS 
Participation in the workshop (including refreshments) is free of charge. Lunch
is not provided. Travel and accommodation costs are up to the individual.
Directions for getting to the venue can be found at
http://www.bcs.org/upload/pdf/london-office-guide.pdf

BCS-FACS EVENING SEMINAR
The workshop will be followed by a BCS-FACS Evening Seminar, starting at 6pm
and will end at 7.30pm, in which Jan Broenink will give a presentation entitled
"Embedded Control Software Design with Formal Methods and Engineering Models".
Jan Broenink is Associate Professor of Embedded Control Systems in the
Department of Electrical Engineering at the University of Twente, The
Netherlands. The talk will discuss the combination of formal methods and
engineering models for the model-driven design of embedded control software
(ECS). Since the dynamic behaviour of these systems determines the timing
behaviour of the ECS, both approaches are needed.  A design method using CSP
process algebra and bond graphs (engineering models) will be presented,
including a discussion of its application to a case study (a production cell
experimental setup), in which continuous-time and discrete-event control
decisions are combined.

PROCEEDINGS
Proceedings are foreseen, either as a Technical Report from Newcastle
University or as a workshop report as part of the Electronic Workshops in
Computer Science (eWiCS). This will be decided upon shortly. The proceedings
will contain papers prepared by the speakers (minimal one page, with a maximum
of 10 pages each). In addition, papers will be created that summarize the
outcomes of the plenary discussions (one paper per semantic area).

ORGANIZATION
The workshop is organized by:
- Nico Plat (West Consulting BV, The Netherlands)
- Sune Wolff (Aarhus School of Engineering, Denmark)
- Ken Pierce (Newcastle University, UK)

THE CALL
The call is twofold:
- We invite speakers on the subjects mentioned above to come forward.
- We invite suggestions for semantics issues to be addressed.

DEADLINES
- 1 July: deadline for offers for speakers, suggestions for semantic issues.
  All of these can be sent to [log in to unmask]
- 15 August: deadline for submission of position papers by the speakers.
- 1 September: deadline for registration. Early registration is encouraged.
  Note that registration is necessary, due to security regulations at the venue
  of BCS in London.