Vehicle Evaluation Methods

This chapter provides the reader with an understanding of what is meant by vehicle evaluation. The vehicle evaluation generally involves some form of testing (e.g., laboratory or field testing). Testing is an activity undertaken by using well-established procedures to obtain detailed measurements and data on one or more characteristics and/or performance measures of the product, its systems, subsystems, and/or components. The collected test data are analyzed to determine if the product, its systems, subsystems, and/or components meet their stated requirements specified during the design process. This chapter also provides information on methods of data collection and analyses. The vehicle evaluations are conducted for both verification and validation purposes. Verification is the process of confirming that the product, its systems, and its components meet their respective requirements. The aim of the verification is to ensure that the tested item is built right; i.e., it meets its requirements. Validation is the process of determining whether the product functions, and it possesses the characteristics as expected by its customers when used in its intended uses and environments. The aim of the validation process is to ensure that the right product is designed, and the product will be liked by its intended customers.