Collaborative Research: CNS Core: Medium: On the Criticality of the Submarine Cable Network

99%的国际数据是通过海底的光缆网络传输的。这一海底光缆网络（SCN）由数百条电缆组成，延伸超过100万公里，连接世界上几乎每个地区，是全球服务的运营骨干，并填补了世界上服务不足地区的连接缺口。然而，尽管SCN的规模令人印象深刻，但人们对SCN更广泛的特征及其在全球互联网中的作用知之甚少。这个合作项目汇集了来自西北大学和威斯康星州大学麦迪逊的研究人员，以深入了解海底电缆网络的关键性。这项研究工作将：（1）定义跨区域、应用和用途的SCN关键性分析方法，（2）设计和构建体现该方法的SCN观测站，以及（3）在特定国家、第三方服务依赖性和环境威胁等一系列背景下进行关键性分析。这项工作的目标是促进对SCN的基本理解，并创建数据集，指标，方法和工具，以提高性能，鲁棒性和可扩展性。提高对SCN及其在公共互联网中的关键作用的理解具有广泛的兴趣，从依赖这些系统进行社会，政治，经济和媒体交流的数百万用户到政策制定者，决定新基础设施部署的监管机构、运营商和实体。我们在这个项目过程中开发的工具和收集的数据将提供给社区。本项目中开发的研究结果、技术和工具，包括相关课程材料，将在https://www.cs.aqualab.edu/projects/Critical-SCN上提供。这个奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Ninety-nine percent of all international data is carried by a fiber cable network at the bottom of the world’s oceans. This submarine cable network (SCN) consists of hundreds of cables stretching over 1 million kilometers, connects nearly every region in the world, serves as the operational backbone of global services, and closes connectivity gaps in the world’s underserved areas. Yet, despite its impressive scale, very little is known about the SCN’s broader characteristics and its role in the global Internet. This collaborative project brings together researchers from Northwestern University and the University of Wisconsin, Madison to develop a thorough understanding of the criticality of the submarine cable network in context. This research effort will: (1) define a methodology for the analysis of the SCN criticality across regions, applications, and uses, (2) design and build a SCN observatory that embodies this methodology, and (3) conduct analyses of criticality in a range of contexts from country-specific to third-party service dependencies to environmental threats. The goals of this work are to advance the foundational understanding of the SCN and to create data sets, metrics, methods, and tools that will enhance performance, robustness, and manageability.An improved understanding of the SCN and its critical role in the public Internet has a broad interest, from the millions of users that rely on these systems for their social, political, economic, and media exchanges, to the policymakers, regulators, operators, and entities that decide on new infrastructure deployment. The tools developed and the data we collect over the course of this project will be made available to the community. The findings, techniques, and tools developed in this project, including related course materials, will be made available at https://www.cs.aqualab.edu/projects/Critical-SCN. The site will be maintained for at least one year past the ending of the project.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.