SeaWind®/178 Certifiable Graphics Software

Seaweed Systems is the first vendor to offer a COTS OpenGL® SC API-compliant graphics driver for safety-critical embedded environments. The Seaweed Systems® SeaWind®/178 product family, its complement of services, and its experienced staff— including in-house DER — support the entire software lifecycle needs of its customers, from requirements and design through the certification process. When avionics manufacturers use Seaweed Systems COTS OpenGL graphics driver software, they reduce cost, minimize risk, and free themselves to focus on their core business.

Seaweed Systems SeaWind/178 Certifiable Graphics Software is built from the ground-up following the stringent DO-178B guidelines, giving it the ability to be certified up to Design Assurance Level A, the highest level possible. The SeaWind/178 family of products is based on the SeaWind/178 Core API, with optional additional modules to support specific application requirements including video, windowing, and custom APIs This modular set of components allows customers to purchase and certify only the software they actually need, minimizing the software's memory footprint and the amount of software that must be certified on the customer device.

  • SeaWind/178 Core API is the graphics subsystem that includes the OpenGL SC-compliant API and an API to manage the graphics subsystem in the embedded environment, including device, context, and buffer management.

  • SeaWind/178 Extension API provides a set of avionics-specific functions and standard OpenGL APIs beyond the OpenGL SC specification. This functionality may be required by some legacy applications and graphics-development tools.

  • SeaWind/178 Video API incorporates real-time video into the OpenGL model, integrating it as an OpenGL texture, and allowing video to be mapped onto 2D and 3D surfaces defined by the application.

  • SeaWind/178 Windowing API enables multiple applications to share the same display device, with secure separation of graphics contexts and the ability to specify when and where different windows are displayed.

  • SeaWind/178 Real-Time Performance Monitor works with the Core API to give developers the tools they need to gain insight into their graphics subsystem performance, from the application, through the software stack, and into the graphics device itself.

  • SeaWind/178 Custom APIs can be built to address unique project requirements within a certifiable OpenGL API framework. These APIs are often tied tightly to a specific graphics device because they may make use of the unique programmable features of a given device to offload the system CPU and the PCI bus.

Support to Match Your Needs

Once customers choose the SeaWind/178 Core API and the additional API products to meet their needs, they can choose the level of support that best suits their needs, with options including:

SeaWind/178 CertCode

CertCode is a software-only option that includes the SeaWind/178 Core API and any additional APIs purchased for the target platform.

SeaWind/178 CertKit

The CertKit option provides all of the documentation necessary for customers to construct the DO-178B documentation required for the certification submission. CertKit includes both the documents and test software that can be completed by the customer and integrated into their submission. The product includes DO-178B Plans and Standards, DO-178B Data Documentation, Review Evidence, Test Procedures and Harnesses, Instructions, and Lifecycle Support. Seaweed Systems maintains additional software-design assurance and configuration-management records, which are available for review and audit as required.

SeaWind/178 CertAssist

The CertAssist option includes the software, documents, and the consulting services necessary to conduct the verification program on representative target hardware. Through the included Certification Year Support program, Seaweed Systems:

  • Establishes the verification environment,

  • Executes the verification program,

  • Maintains all configuration management and design-assurance records,

  • Provides program management services for all activities,

  • Supports certification reviews and audits, and

  • Completes all of the necessary documentation for the certification submission.

CertAssist helps customers successfully complete safety-critical embedded-systems projects on their own platforms and within their market time frame. It helps to minimize the impact of the certification process on a customer's application developers, and it allows CertKit completion to proceed in parallel with application development. CertAssist customers enjoy all of the benefits of Seaweed Systems' COTS products with the confidence that their certification activities are conducted by Seaweed Systems engineers intimately familiar with the product.

Designed for Compatibility

SeaWind/178 certifiable graphics software has been specifically developed to provide optimal performance for each supported graphics system architecture. SeaWind/178 products are designed to integrate well with many graphics development tools, real-time operating systems, graphics devices, and off-the-shelf hardware platforms available through Seaweed Systems and its partners. Indeed, Seaweed Systems' strong partnerships with many vendors of such products means that using SeaWind/178 software for your embedded graphics development is like having an experienced team of experts at your disposal at all times.

Learn More...

PDF file Datasheet: SeaWind/178 Certifiable Graphics Software

PDF file Datasheet: SeaWind/178 Certifiable Core API

PDF file Datasheet: SeaWind/178 Certifiable Extension API

PDF file Datasheet: SeaWind/178 Certifiable Video API

PDF file Datasheet: SeaWind/178 Certifiable Windowing API

PDF file Datasheet: SeaWind/178 Real-Time Performance Monitor