Decision Technologies for Managing Critical Infrastructure Interdependencies

关键基础设施系统提供的服务对国家及其公民的经济和福祉至关重要。正如最近提交给美国国会的一份报告所述，至关重要的是，这些服务不应受到损害，无论是恐怖主义等故意行为，还是地震、设计缺陷或人为错误等自然或随机事件。然而，基础设施系统和管理它们的组织现在被认为是高度耦合系统的组成部分，它们越来越依赖于彼此，以提供关键service.The研究的目标是提高相互依赖的关键基础设施系统的管理的理解和支持。基础设施相互依存的情况是，由于地理上的邻近或共同的业务，对一个基础设施系统的影响也会对一个或多个其他基础设施系统产生影响。研究的重点是开发技术，可用于缓解或应对有能力影响相互依赖的关键基础设施系统的事件，并为决策者提供操纵这些模型的手段，以缓解或应对。研究中开发的模型将嵌入基于计算机的决策辅助工具中。这种以计算机为基础的决策支持旨在协助决策者减少因中断而预期的服务损失，并在实际发生服务损失时更快地恢复服务，研究的广泛影响将提高社会承受和应对可能中断公民健康、安全和经济福祉所需服务的事件的能力。 关键基础设施管理人员和应急官员将能够模拟不同的事件情景，并评估其对关键基础设施系统提供的服务的影响。 有了这方面的知识，就可以制定减灾和备灾战略，并评估其防止紧急情况升级为灾害的能力，如果灾害确实发生，则确保迅速恢复关键服务。

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, design flaws or human error. Yet infrastructure systems and the organizations that manage them are now recognized as components of highly-coupled systems that increasingly rely on one another in order to deliver key services.The objective of the research is to improve understanding of and support for the management of interdependent critical infrastructure systems. Infrastructure interdependence occurs when, due to either geographical proximity or shared operations, an impact on one infrastructure system is also an impact on one or more other infrastructure systems. The particular focus of the research is on developing techniques that can be used either to mitigate against or respond to events that have the capability if impacting interdependent critical infrastructure systems and to provide decision makers with means of manipulating these models for purposes of mitigation or response. The models developed in the research will be embedded in computer-based decision aids. Such computer-based decision support is intended to assist decision makers in reducing expected loss of service due to disruption and in restoring service more quickly if loss of service actually occurs.The broader impacts of the research will improve society's ability to withstand the impact of and respond to events that can disrupt the provision of services that are required for the health, safety and economic well being of the citizenry. Managers of critical infrastructures and emergency response officials will be able to model different event scenarios and assess their impact on the services provided by critical infrastructure systems. With this knowledge, mitigation and preparedness strategies can be formulated and evaluated for their ability to prevent an emergency from escalating into a disaster and, if a disaster does occur, ensure a rapid restoration of critical services.