TC: Small: Collaborative Research: Protecting Networks from Large-Scale Physical Attacks and Disasters

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Telecommunication networks play a vital role in all sectors of our society and are especially important during a crisis. Since networks rely on physical infrastructure (e.g., fibers and routers), they are vulnerable to natural disasters, such as earthquakes and floods, or physical attacks, such as an Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) attack. This project studies the impact of a disaster or attack on the telecommunications infrastructure and develops mechanisms to mitigate their effect. The project considers events that cause a large number of failures in a specific geographical region. It uses probabilistic and geometric failure models that take into account the geography of the network and the attack characteristics. Under these models, techniques to identify the most vulnerable parts of the network are developed. Moreover, tools to provide a-priori protection plan are designed. Finally, restoration algorithms that will improve the resilience of the network are developed. The project will provide a fundamental understanding of the vulnerability of networks to disasters or attacks. It will also provide network algorithms to mitigate the impact of, and recover from, such failures. Therefore, it has the potential to significantly enhance the availability and performance of networks in the event of attacks and disasters. This is crucial for disaster recovery, especially in today?s society that is increasingly reliant on the availability of a communications infrastructure. In addition, the broader impacts will include outreach activities to school children, and incorporation of the results into advanced graduate classes.