Data-Driven Robust Safety Verification for Markov Decision Processes

Fuente: arXiv
Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Mazumdar, Abhijit, Bujorianu, Manuela L., Wisniewski, Rafal
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
Subjects:
Online Access:
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1866915661101400064
author Mazumdar, Abhijit
Bujorianu, Manuela L.
Wisniewski, Rafal
author_facet Mazumdar, Abhijit
Bujorianu, Manuela L.
Wisniewski, Rafal
contents In this paper, we propose a data-driven robust safety verification framework for stochastic dynamical systems modeled as Markov decision processes with time-varying and uncertain transition probabilities. Rather than assuming access to the exact nominal transition kernel, we consider the realistic setting where only samples from multiple system executions are available. These samples may correspond to different transition models inside an ambiguity set around the nominal transition kernel. Using these observations, we construct a unified ambiguity set that captures both inherent run-to-run variability in the transition dynamics and finite-sample statistical uncertainty. This ambiguity set is formalized through a Wasserstein-distance ball around a nominal empirical distribution and naturally induces an interval Markov decision process representation of the underlying system. Within this representation, we introduce a robust safety function that characterizes reach-avoid type probabilistic safety under all transition kernels consistent with the interval Markov decision process. We further derive high-confidence safety guarantees for the true, unknown time-varying system. A numerical example illustrates the applicability and effectiveness of the proposed approach.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2512_07550
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Data-Driven Robust Safety Verification for Markov Decision Processes
Mazumdar, Abhijit
Bujorianu, Manuela L.
Wisniewski, Rafal
Systems and Control
In this paper, we propose a data-driven robust safety verification framework for stochastic dynamical systems modeled as Markov decision processes with time-varying and uncertain transition probabilities. Rather than assuming access to the exact nominal transition kernel, we consider the realistic setting where only samples from multiple system executions are available. These samples may correspond to different transition models inside an ambiguity set around the nominal transition kernel. Using these observations, we construct a unified ambiguity set that captures both inherent run-to-run variability in the transition dynamics and finite-sample statistical uncertainty. This ambiguity set is formalized through a Wasserstein-distance ball around a nominal empirical distribution and naturally induces an interval Markov decision process representation of the underlying system. Within this representation, we introduce a robust safety function that characterizes reach-avoid type probabilistic safety under all transition kernels consistent with the interval Markov decision process. We further derive high-confidence safety guarantees for the true, unknown time-varying system. A numerical example illustrates the applicability and effectiveness of the proposed approach.
title Data-Driven Robust Safety Verification for Markov Decision Processes
topic Systems and Control
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2512.07550