Validating Modular Applications in the FACE and GCIA Architectures

Ground vehicle software continues to increase in cost and complexity, in part driven by tightly integrated systems and vendor lock-in. One method of reducing costs is reuse and portability, encouraged by the Modular Open Systems Approach and the Future Airborne Capability Environment (FACE) architecture. While FACE provides a Conformance Testing Suite to ensure portability between compliant systems, it does not verify that components correctly implement standard interfaces and desired functionality. This paper presents a layered test methodology designed to ensure that a FACE component correctly implements working communication interfaces, correctly handles the full range of data the component is expected to manage, and correctly performs all of the functionality the component is required to perform. This testing methodology includes unit testing of individual components, integration testing across multiple units, and full hardware in the loop system integration testing, offering a structured approach to validating FACE conformant components beyond formal conformance.