Model-driven design-space exploration for software-intensive embedded systems

The complexity of today’s embedded systems is increasing rapidly. Ever more functionality is realised in software, for reasons of cost and flexibility. This leads to many implementation alternatives that vary in functionality, performance, hardware, etc. To cope with this complexity, systematic development support during the early phases of design is needed. Model-driven development provides this support. It bridges the gap between ad-hoc back-of-the-envelope or spreadsheet calculations and physical prototypes. Models provide insight in system-level performance characteristics of potential implementation options and are a good means of documentation and communication. They ultimately lead to shorter, more predictable development times and better controlled product quality. This chapter presents the Octopus tool set for model-driven design-space exploration. It supports designers in modelling and analysing design alternatives for embedded software and hardware. It follows the Y-chart paradigm, which advocates a separation between application software functionality, platform implementation choices, and the mapping of software functionality onto the platform. The tool set enables fast and accurate exploration of design alternatives for software-intensive embedded systems