FORMAL VALIDATION OF VIEWPOINT SPECIFICATIONS

How can we be sure that a set of viewpoints is valid, in the sense tha t it is possible to build a system consistent with each and every one of them? Our approach is based on the idea of amalgamating the individ ual viewpoints into a single coherent whole. A formal study of this pr ocess leads to a proposed approach for combining viewpoints that ident ifies conditions under which the resulting specification reflects all the propel-ties of the constituent viewpoints. These ideas are applied to the development of Z specifications, and it is shown how they migh t be used in other contexts.