The aim of the INTERVAL project is to take into account real-time requirements such as timing constraints, during the whole development process of real-time systems. The project will focus on defining timed extensions to existing standardised languages (SDL, MSC and TTCN). These timed extensions will be formalised and submitted to the standardisation bodies at ITU-T and ETSI.

The tools necessary to support these extensions will be adapted, prototyped or extended by the technology developers. New functions will be provided for the specification, simulation, validation and testing of real-time systems. The technology will be validated and the impact of the timed extensions on quality and productivity will be evaluated on two telecom applications, provided by the end-user partners: an embedded MTP2 application and a Multicast Transfer Protocol.

Dissemination of project results will be mainly through the submission of the extension proposals to standard bodies. An Interest Group will be set-up to support the project towards standardisation. Marketing of project technology will be undertaken by the tool vendors through providing extended or new functionalities in their commercial tools.

• SDL'Forum 01 and Interval workshop on "Time in Modelling Languages" (Copenhaguen, June 2001): some presentations are available here!