LT DJ Walton

SI 2114

16 March 2004

a. Risks to the Public in Computers and Related Systems.

b. Neumann, Peter G., & Others. (2002). Risks to the Public in Computers and Related Systems. Software Engineering Notes, 27(3), 5-19.

c. The article is a summary of several incidents where people were injured or killed due to problems with software and hardware from computer related systems. The article is a compilation of notes from the author showing several unfortunate situations. One of these involved US Special Forces and an attempted call for close in fire support. Their GPS receiver battery died, and when it was replaced it reset to its current position. When the 2,000 lb bomb was dropped it killed three S.F. personnel and injured twenty others. Another mishap involved the British National Airspace System (NAS), a system that provides air traffic control data for the Swanwick air-traffic control system. In March 2002 the system crashed due to faulty data input procedures. This left the British air-traffic controllers to cancel hundreds of flights and delay countless others. Another catastrophic failure of a system can be found with NIPSCO’s remote controlled coal train collision. The new train, less than a year old, left the station in Michigan City on the morning of 7 March 2002, and immediately hit another locomotive. It continued on to hit another train, a thaw shed and a coal rotary dumper.

d. The author Goes into detail about multiple mishaps with new technology. It is unclear as to his end purpose. It seems that he is trying to warn consumers of embracing technology too rapidly, at the expense of more time-tested systems. The author seems to be more interested in finding faults in technological advances than correcting the difficulties.