[Welcome message]

On behalf of the Organizing Committee, we would like to warmly welcome you to the modern and always pulsating city of Campinas, Brazil, home to the 2nd Brazilian Conference on Critical Embedded Systems (CBSEC2012). The Brazilian Conference on Critical Embedded Systems aims to aggregate skills and competencies necessary for the development of critical embedded systems. Its first edition occurred in May 2011, in Sao Carlos, Brazil. In this second edition, the emphasis is on aerial and terrestrial autonomous vehicles. The main objective is to boost the capabilities of the academy and industry in teaching, training, researching and development in the area through papers presentation, short courses, tutorials, a student workshop and an exhibition. A comprehensive display of relevant scientific and technological tools, applications and methodologies with social and economic impact in strategic areas such as agriculture, security and defense, automotive, aviation, satellite and environment protection will be put together and discussed from May 20th to 25th, 2012. The conference´s main track is composed of 18 papers chosen by the Program Committee from Brazilian and international submissions. The process was leaded by the PC Chairs and the acceptance rate was about 50%. The reviewing process of submissions made by members of the Program Committee was managed by the General Chair. The II Critical Embedded Systems School (CES-School) is a joint event of the CBSEC. In this edition, six short courses and one tutorial will be presented, exploring themes of interest for academics and professionals involved with the development of critical embedded systems.