Safer Data: The use of data in the context of a railway control system

An increasing number of safety-related systems are configured to the application instance through the use of data. These systems typically use a static or slowly changing description of the infrastructure, in combination with a command schedule, instantaneous status data and a set of operational conditions. This paper uses the context of a railway control system to identify safety issues in the configuration of the control system and its reliance upon data from the external information systems.