Interactive Tool for Iterative Test Suite Construction

We can only test software effectively if we understand how it is intended to behave. For some categories of programs, such as scientific models, it is not obvious what the output of the software should be. New techniques are needed to help domain experts, such as scientists, gather the knowledge they need to construct suitable tests and oracles. This paper introduces a new interactive tool for iterative test suite construction that is based upon the scientific method paradigm that scientists are familiar with. We apply our technique to a deterministic mathematical model, used to predict the spread of disease, and show how it helps scientists uncover situations they had not yet considered. Of the 15 hypotheses originally created by modellers, our technique found discrepancies in all but one, allowing us to refine them into a more rigorous test suite.