Disruptions in Independent Infrastructures

本研究的目的是帮助确保资源的高效、有效和公平分配，以应对导致基础设施系统中断的事件，并帮助设计基础设施系统，使其在自然、人为或故意行为造成的中断下保持稳健。方法是为关键基础设施的相互依赖性制定一套清晰明确的定义；基础设施系统的数学表示，包含系统之间和系统之间的相互依赖关系；可用于运行脆弱性评估和应急响应模型的算法；并设计了人机界面，供用户与模型进行交互。如果成功，其好处将是提高对可能对关键基础设施系统造成大规模、潜在灾难性破坏的事件的影响和响应能力。关键的基础设施系统提供对国家及其公民的经济和福祉至关重要的服务。正如最近提交给美国国会的一份报告所记载的那样，至关重要的是，这些服务不能受到诸如恐怖主义之类的蓄意行为的破坏，也不能受到诸如地震之类的自然或随机事件的破坏。该研究将允许对不同的行为和事件场景进行建模，并评估它们对基础设施系统提供的服务的影响。其结果将是基础设施系统被设计成更能适应中断，减少预期的服务损失，并更快地恢复所需的服务水平。

The objective of the research is to help ensure an efficient, effective and equitable distribution of resources in responding to events that cause disruption in infrastructure systems and to aid in designing infrastructure systems that are robust under disruptions, due to natural, human-caused or willful acts. The approach is to develop a clear and unambiguous set of definitions of critical infrastructure interdependencies; a mathematical representation of infrastructure systems that incorporates interdependencies among and between systems; algorithms that can be used to run the model(s) for vulnerability assessment and emergency response; and a human-computer interface for user interaction with the model.If successful, the benefits will be an improved ability to both mitigate the impact of and respond to events that have the capability to cause large-scale, potentially catastrophic damage to critical infrastructure systems. Critical infrastructure systems provide services that are essential to both the economy and well-being of nations and their citizens. As documented in a recent report to the U.S. Congress, it is of vital importance that these services not be degraded, whether by willful acts such as terrorism or by natural or random events such as earthquakes. The research will permit different act and event scenarios to be modeled, and their impact on the service provided by an infrastructure system assessed. The result would be infrastructure systems that are designed to be more resilient to disruptions, with the expected loss of service reduced and the required level of service restored more quickly.