1.1.3 Defining operating scenarios

Assurance objective: Define the operating scenarios of the RAS.

Assurance objective: Define assumptions regarding the operating scenarios of the RAS.

Contextual description: To fully understand the hazards associated with the RAS, it is necessary to understand how the RAS is expected to operate. This can be defined as a set of scenarios for the operation of the RAS. In general, a RAS will only operate in some scenarios that would be possible given the operating environment*. The operation of the RAS must correspond to the defined scenarios throughout the operational life of the RAS to ensure that continued validity of the hazards and hazardous behaviour defined for the RAS. It will rarely, if ever, be possible to completely define all the operating scenarios for the RAS. The challenge is to identify an appropriate level of detail to understand the hazards sufficiently. Defining the operating scenarios may require assumptions to be made, and these assumptions must be included in the definition. The continued validity of the operating scenarios defined, and assumptions made, may need to be monitored through life, this is addressed as a separate consideration.

Practical guidance:

* For example, for an autonomous (self-driving) car the operating environment might be the City of York, inside the outer ring road. However, the scenarios might limit autonomous operation to certain weather conditions and particular times of day, and exclude all pedestrianised areas, even though vehicular access to such areas is permitted at certain times of day.