Reliability of Critical Infrastructure Networks: Challenges

TL;DR

This paper discusses the importance of critical infrastructure networks, emphasizing the need for interdisciplinary research, reliable estimation methods, and strategies to improve their resilience against challenges like cascading failures and interdependencies.

Contribution

It highlights key challenges and calls for fundamental interdisciplinary approaches to improve the reliability and resilience of critical infrastructure networks.

Findings

Identifies cascading failures as a major challenge

Emphasizes the importance of interdisciplinary methods

Discusses strategies for enhancing infrastructure resiliency

Abstract

Critical infrastructures form a technological skeleton of our world by providing us with water, food, electricity, gas, transportation, communication, banking, and finance. Moreover, as urban population increases, the role of infrastructures become more vital. In this paper, we adopt a network perspective and discuss the ever growing need for fundamental interdisciplinary study of critical infrastructure networks, efficient methods for estimating their reliability, and cost-effective strategies for enhancing their resiliency. We also highlight some of the main challenges arising on this way, including cascading failures, feedback loops, and cross-sector interdependencies.