NeTS: CIF: Small: Robust and Optimal Design of Interdependent Networks

相互依赖的系统，如智能电网，正在迅速成为21世纪主要行业的基础技术。这样的系统在面对节点故障、攻击和自然灾害时，往往比孤立的系统更脆弱。这是因为一个网络中的故障可能会传播到其他网络，反之亦然，从而导致可能导致整个基础设施崩溃的一连串故障。减轻这些风险对于包括智能电网在内的许多现代系统的成功开发和演变至关重要。传统的网络科学侧重于单个网络，因此缺乏必要的方法和工具来解决即使是简单的相互依赖的网络的漏洞。本项目旨在通过探索几个新的研究方向，推进相互依赖网络的建模、控制和鲁棒性优化方面的最新进展。第一阶段的目标是研究各种拓扑下相互依赖网络的鲁棒性，当一个网络中的节点可能依赖于另一个网络的多个节点，反之亦然，旨在表征节点的临界分数，其故障将导致整个系统的崩溃。这也暴露了网络健壮性与分配的互连（或资源）数量之间的权衡。然后，研究推进到支持依赖链接的最佳分配，以最大化智能电网的鲁棒性，寻求表征将导致最大鲁棒性的分布。结果旨在阐明具体的设计指南，说明如何分配可用的备份资源，以便最好地维持1)随机节点故障；ii)针对性攻击。该项目的成功完成将需要在网络科学、离散优化和随机图理论领域开发新技术和方法，以及从现有智能电网获取和分析现实世界数据。鉴于其输配电市场的庞大规模，美国很可能在不久的将来成为智能电网技术的主要消费国，特别是在可再生能源和电动汽车的整合下。所有这些都表明，未来智能电网的可靠性将变得至关重要。这项研究计划是专门为对智能电网的成功发展和演变产生积极影响而设计的，并可能对其他国家基础设施的可靠性产生积极影响。研究材料将通过一门新课程纳入教学课程，并将分发给广泛的学术和专业人士。该项目将邀请博士生和硕士生在一个具有国家重要性的领域进行研究，并将包括向高中的推广工作。

Interdependent systems, such as the smart-grid, are rapidly emerging as the underpinning technology for major industries in the 21st century. Such systems are often more fragile in the face of node failures, attacks, and natural hazards than their isolated counterparts. This is because failures in one network may propagate to other networks and vice versa, leading to a cascade of failures that can potentially collapse the entire infrastructure. Mitigating these risks is critical for the successful development and evolution of many modern systems including the smart-grid. Traditional network science focuses on single networks, and thus lacks the methods and tools necessary to address vulnerabilities of even simple interdependent networks. This project aims to advance the state-of-the-art in modelling, controlling, and optimizing the robustness of interdependent networks by exploring several novel research directions. The first phase targets a study of robustness of interdependent networks under various topologies when nodes in one network may depend on more than one node of another network, and vice versa, aiming to characterize the critical fraction of nodes whose failure will lead to the collapse of the entire system. This also exposes the trade-off between network robustness and the number of inter-connections (or resources) allocated. The study then advances to optimal allocation of support-dependency links to maximize the robustness of the smart-grid, seeking to characterize the distribution that will lead to maximal robustness. The results aim to articulate concrete design guidelines on how available back-up resources should be allocated in order to best sustain i) random node failures; and ii) targeted attacks. Successful completion of the project will require the development of new techniques and approaches in the fields of network science, discrete optimization, and random graph theory, together with acquisition and analysis of real-world data from existing smart-grid networks.Given the sheer size of its market for power transmission and distribution, the US is likely to become a major consumer of smart-grid technology in the near future, especially with the integration of renewable sources and electric vehicles. All of these point to a future where the reliability of the smart grid will become paramount. This research program is specifically designed to have a positive impact on the successful development and the evolution of smart-grids, and is likely to have a positive impact on the reliability of other national infrastructures as well. Research materials will be incorporated into the teaching curricula via a new course, and will be disseminated to broad academic and professional audiences. The project will engage PhD and Masters students in research in an area of national importance, and will include outreach efforts to high schools.