International Journal of Critical Infrastructures 

About: International Journal of Critical Infrastructures is an academic journal published by Inderscience Publishers. The journal publishes majorly in the area(s): Poison control & Computer science. It has an ISSN identifier of 1475-3219. Over the lifetime, 337 publications have been published receiving 4802 citations. The journal is also known as: IJCIS.

Modelling interdependent infrastructures using interacting dynamical models

Abstract: We investigate the consequence of failures, occurring on the electrical grid, on a telecommunication network We have focused on the Italian electrical transmission network and the backbone of the internet network for research (GARR) Electrical network has been simulated using the DC power flow method; data traffic on GARR by a model of the TCP/IP basic features The status of GARR nodes has been related to the power level of the (geographically) neighbouring electrical nodes (if the power level of a node is lower than a threshold, all communication nodes depending on it are switched off) The electrical network has been perturbed by lines removal: the consequent re-dispatching reduces the power level in all nodes This reduces the number of active GARR nodes and, thus, its Quality of Service (QoS) Averaging over many configurations of perturbed electrical network, we have correlated the degradation of the electrical network with that of the communication network Results point to a sizeable amplification of the effects of faults on the electrical network on the communication network, also in the case of a moderate coupling between the two networks

Assessing infrastructure interdependencies: the challenge of risk analysis for complex adaptive systems

Abstract: Infrastructures are a complex set of interconnected, interdependent, adaptive systems on which the nation, manufacturing systems and individuals depend. Understanding the potential consequences of infrastructure interdependencies, as the infrastructures evolve and the regulations governing their operation change, is at the heart of our infrastructure interdependencies research program. This program includes development of analysis methods and simulation tools for evaluating the potential effects of disruptions and for prioritising risks. Fundamental infrastructures simulated using these tools include; transportation, telecommunications, electric power, banking and finance, water, agriculture, emergency services, fossil fuels, and government. The complexity of the infrastructures and their interactions prevent us from knowing a priori how these interactions will influence individuals, states or the nation; the consequences of policy decisions; vulnerabilities due to interdependencies, natural disasters, malevolent threats and aging; or vulnerabilities that need to be eliminated in order to assure individual, state or national economic security. The goal of the interdependency analyses is to identify significant risks to critical systems, arising from interconnection, and effective mechanisms for mitigating those risks. This article presents the infrastructure interdependency assessment process, modelling tools developed to support that process and examples of assessment results.

Modelling infrastructures as socio-technical systems

Abstract: The conceptualisation of the notion of a system in systems engineering, as exemplified in, for instance, the engineering standard IEEE Std 1220–1998 (1999), is problematic when applied to the design of socio-technical systems. This is argued using Intelligent Transportation Systems as an example. A preliminary conceptualisation of socio-technical systems is introduced which includes technical and social elements and actors, as well as four kinds of relations. Current systems engineering practice incorporates technical elements and actors in the system but sees social elements exclusively as contextual. When designing socio-technical systems, however, social elements and the corresponding relations must also be considered as belonging to the system.

The next step: quantifying infrastructure interdependencies to improve security

Abstract: Understanding cascading effects among interdependent infrastructure systems can have an important effect on public policies that aim to address vulnerabilities in critical infrastructures, especially those policies pertaining to infrastructure security. Efforts to quantify these cascading effects and illustrative examples of such metrics are presented. The first set of examples is based upon various impacts that the 14th August, 2003 blackout in the USA had on other sectors. A second set of examples is based on various electric power outages and their impact on other infrastructure systems collected from the authors' research. Although efforts to quantify cascading effects are challenging, given the nature of the data and its limited availability, research in this area can provide useful metrics.

Optimal recovery sequencing for enhanced resilience and service restoration in transportation networks

Abstract: Critical infrastructure resilience has become a national priority for the US Department of Homeland Security. Rapid and efficient restoration of service in damaged transportation networks is a key area of focus. The intent of this paper is to formulate a bi-level optimisation model for network recovery and to demonstrate a solution approach for that optimisation model. The lower-level problem involves solving for network flows, while the upper-level problem identifies the optimal recovery modes and sequences, using tools from the literature on multi-mode project scheduling problems. Application and advantages of this method are demonstrated through two examples.