A Dependability Modeling and Analysis Approach for an IoP-Based Service System

摘要

The increasing use of the internet of people (IoP) based service systems has the potential to bring about substantial benefits to individuals. An IoP-based service system includes components such as cell phones, wearable devices, smart homes, cars etc., together with information processing sub-systems that are able to provide personalised services, such as medical diagnosis and assistance to disabled individuals. Such systems are safety-critical since even minor faults in devices could cause harm or even loss of life. Therefore, it is imperative to analyse the dependability of IoP-based service systems. The dependability analysis of an IoP-based service system is, however, difficult. The IoP-based service system typically consists of a large number of devices, processes and tasks, connected together to form a large and complex system architecture. The analysis to determine which components or processes can cause the system to fail is difficult and error-prone if undertaken manually. For this reason, some automation is required. This paper describes a model-based dependability analysis method that can be applied to IoP-based service systems. The proposed method is illustrated by using an IoP-based living support system. We conclude that the proposed approach can be used to improve the dependability of IoP-based service systems.