LDRA

LDRA (previously known by the expanded form of Liverpool Data Research Associates) is an independent, privately owned, provider of software analysis, test, and requirements traceability tools for the Public and Private sectors.

It is a pioneer in static and dynamic software analysis.

History
Liverpool Data Research Associates was founded in 1975 by Professor Michael Hennell to commercialize a software test-bed created to perform quality assessments on the mathematical libraries on which his Nuclear physics research at the University of Liverpool depended.

This research included the invention of the Linear Code Sequence and Jump (LCSAJ) software analysis method.

Its product range covers a range of verification and validation tools.

Industry Standards
LDRA is a contributor to several industry standards, including DO-178C, MISRA C and MISRA C++. Additionally, LDRA is an Industry Partner for the CERT C Secure Coding Standard produced by the Computer Emergency Response Team at Carnegie Mellon's Software Engineering Institute.

In February 2018, LDRA announced the hiring of Andrew Banks to boost their Standards activities. Banks is the Chairman of both the MISRA C Working Group and of the BSI Software Testing Working Group, and a contributor to a number of national and international standards in the Software Engineering and Functional Safety domains, notably ISO 26262.

In September 2012, the United States arm of LDRA joined The Open Group's Future Airborne Capability Environment (FACE) Consortium as a Verification Authority.

LDRA tool suite
LDRA tool suite is a proprietary software analysis tool providing static code analysis, and also provides code coverage analysis, code, quality, and design reviews. It is a commercial implementation of the software test-bed created by Hennell as part of his university research.

It is used primarily where software is required to be reliable, rugged, and as error free as possible, such as in safety critical aerospace electronics (or Avionics). It has also been used in the detection and removal of security vulnerabilities.

LDRA tool suite is an integrated suite of software tools from LDRA, including:
 * TBrun — an automated unit testing tool
 * TBmanager — a requirements traceability tool
 * TBevolve — supports software baseline management
 * TBsafe — supports certification objectives: DO-178C, Def Stan 00-55, IEC 61508
 * TBpublish — for publishing HTML indexes
 * TBaudit — for Microsoft Word reports
 * LDRAcover — coverage tool
 * LDRArules — standards compliance
 * TBmisra — LDRArules add-on to apply MISRA C and other related or similar safety and security rulesets
 * Tool Qualification Support Packages — for safety- and security-critical workflows, e.g., DO-178C

Services
In March 2012, LDRA announced a fully compliant FAA/EASA certification solution to provide support and guide certification applicants through a wide range of standards including:
 * DO-178C(B), DO-278A, DO-254
 * IEC 62304
 * ISO 26262
 * EN 50128
 * IEC 60880

Formula One Launch Control Controversy
The 1994 San Marino Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 1 May 1994 at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari, located in Imola, Italy.

Following the race, the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) hired LDRA to investigate allegations of cheating using driving aids that had been prohibited at the start of the year, such as traction control and launch control. The top three cars of Michael Schumacher (Benetton), Nicola Larini (Ferrari) and Mika Häkkinen (McLaren) were investigated and their teams were asked to surrender their systems' source code to the company. Ferrari complied but Benetton and McLaren refused, citing copyright reasons. After being fined $100,000 by the FIA, both teams complied eight days after the race. LDRA discovered that McLaren were running a programme that permitted automatic gearshifts but the car was declared legal.

The winning Benetton-Ford car was found to have launch control software in its engine management computer, designed to regulate engine speed and prevent wheel spin. Benetton admitted its presence but asserted that it wasn’t used during the race, asserting it was added for testing and left there due to workload pressures. LDRA concluded that the software likely wasn't used during the Grand Prix, leading the FIA to take no action against Benetton or Schumacher. The incident underscored concerns about prohibited software in Formula 1 and the challenges of enforcing regulations in the evolving landscape of engine management technology.