National Infrastructures as Complex Interactive Networks

Description

The increasing complexity and interconnectedness of energy, telecommunications, transportation, and financial infrastructures pose new challenges for secure, reliable management and operation. No single entity has complete control of these multi-scale, distributed, highly interactive networks, or the ability to evaluate, monitor, and manage in real time. In addition, the conventional mathematical methodologies that underpin today's modeling, simulation, and control paradigm are unable to handle their complexity and interconnectedness. Complex interactive networks
are omnipresent and critical to economic and social well-being. Many of our nation’s critical infrastructures are complex networked systems, including:
· Electric power grid
· Oil and gas pipelines
· Telecommunication and satellite systems
· Computer networks such as the Internet
· Transportation networks
· Banking and finance
· State and local services: Water supply and emergency services.
Interactions between networks such as these increase the complexity of operations and control. The networks’
interconnected nature makes them vulnerable to cascading failures with widespread consequences. Secure and reliable operation of these systems is fundamental to our economy, security and quality of life, as was noted in the “Critical Foundations- Protecting America’s Infrastructures”, by the President’s Commission on Critical
Infrastructure Protection Report published in October 1997 and the subsequent Presidential Directive 63 on Critical Infrastructure protection, issued on May 22, 1998.

Original URL

http://160.94.126.215/amin/Amin_Chapter14.pdf

http://160.94.126.215/amin/Amin_Chapter14.pdf