Assessing the performance of interdependent infrastructures and optimising investments

Linda K. Nozick, Mark A. Turnquist, Dean A. Jones, Jennifer R. Davis and Craig R. Lawton

International Journal of Critical Infrastructures, 2005, vol. 1, issue 2/3, 144-154

Abstract: Our nation's security as well as the quality of life of its citizenry depends on the continuous reliable operation of a collection of complicated interdependent infrastructures including transportation, electric power, oil, gas, telecommunications and emergency services. A disruption in one infrastructure can quickly and significantly impact another, causing ripples across the nation. Our infrastructures are increasingly reliant on new information technologies and the internet to operate, often being connected to one another via electronic, informational links. Whilst these technologies allow for enormous gains in efficiency, they also create new vulnerabilities. The focus of this paper is the development of a unifying mathematical framework to represent these "mega infrastructures" and algorithms to estimate performance and optimise investment. We include a small computational example that focuses on the delivery of gas and electric services, including the underlying SCADA system that supports the gas network, to illustrate the operation of the algorithms.

Keywords: risk assessment; investment optimisation; interdependent infrastructures; critical infrastructures; mathematical framework; gas services; electric services; performance evaluation. (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2005
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (6)

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