Modeling the resilience of critical infrastructure: the role of network dependencies

Roberto Guidotti, Hana Chmielewski, Vipin Unnikrishnan, Paolo Gardoni, Therese McAllister, John van de Lindt

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Water and wastewater network, electric power network, transportation network, communication network, and information technology network are among the critical infrastructure in our communities; their disruption during and after hazard events greatly affects communities’ well-being, economic security, social welfare, and public health. In addition, a disruption in one network may cause disruption to other networks and lead to their reduced functionality. This paper presents a unified theoretical methodology for the modeling of dependent/interdependent infrastructure networks and incorporates it in a six-step probabilistic procedure to assess their resilience. Both the methodology and the procedure are general, can be applied to any infrastructure network and hazard, and can model different types of dependencies between networks. As an illustration, the paper models the direct effects of seismic events on the functionality of a potable water distribution network and the cascading effects of the damage of the electric power network (EPN) on the potable water distribution network (WN). The results quantify the loss of functionality and delay in the recovery process due to dependency of the WN on the EPN. The results show the importance of capturing the dependency between networks in modeling the resilience of critical infrastructure.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)153-168
Number of pages16
JournalSustainable and Resilient Infrastructure
Volume1
Issue number3-4
DOIs
StatePublished - Nov 28 2016

Keywords

  • Resilience of infrastructure systems
  • network dependencies
  • network functionality metrics
  • network reliability analysis
  • system recovery time

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Civil and Structural Engineering
  • Geography, Planning and Development
  • Building and Construction
  • Safety, Risk, Reliability and Quality

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