Critical Infrastructure Resilience
Kritiska Infrastrukturers resiliens

VRSN45F, 7.5 credits

Valid from: Autumn 2019
Decided by: Senior lecturer Gudbjörg Erlingsdottir
Date of establishment: 2019-05-14

General Information

Division: Division of Risk Management and Societal Safety
Course type: Course given jointly for second and third cycle
The course is also given at second-cycle level with course code: VRSN45
Teaching language: English

Aim

- prepare the students so that they are able to work with critical infrastructures topics within for example private business, government agencies or nongovernmental organization. - provide a foundation for students interested in further studies and research on critical infrastructure topics.

Goals

Knowledge and Understanding

For a passing grade the doctoral student must

• - demonstrate an overall understanding of the form and function of various critical infrastructures, technical as well as organizational aspects.
• - demonstrate an understanding of the conditions and challenges for analysis, planning and management of critical infrastructures.
• - demonstrate an understanding of how concepts and methods in the area of critical infrastructure management relate to each other and can be applied in a practical context.

Competences and Skills

For a passing grade the doctoral student must

• - demonstrate ability to analyse critical infrastructures and their interdependencies, as well as apply methods and evaluate strategies for ensuring function in these types of systems.
• - demonstrate ability to communicate and discuss their conclusions orally and in writing, reflecting on the underlying knowledge, results and arguments.
• - demonstrate ability to plan, implement and report project tasks and project work and in connection with this also demonstrate ability for teamwork and collaboration.
• - demonstrates ability to identify, understand and reflect on scientific publications relevant to the subject area.

Judgement and Approach

For a passing grade the doctoral student must

• - demonstrate ability to analyse and reflect on infrastructural and societal aspects regarding critical infrastructure management.
• - demonstrate ability to reflect on their own needs for further development of knowledge and competence.

Course Contents

The course introduces and discusses important aspects for management of critical infrastructure, such as power systems, water supply systems, telecommunication systems and transport systems. The course should be seen as an introduction to the subject of critical infrastructure and vital societal functions. Important aspects covered are the form and function of critical infrastructures and their role in society as well as key methods and concepts for analysis and management of critical infrastructures. Methods covered in the course include: network theory as an analysis tool for complex infrastructure systems, risk management, asset management, infrastructure interdependency modelling, and impact assessments of large-scale infrastructure disruptions. Concepts that are important for the student to understand and reflect on during the course are for example: risk, reliability, uncertainty, resilience, complexity and continuity. An important part of the learning process is that students will apply concepts and methods to realistic representations of infrastructures as well as to connect to and reflect on the different concepts and methods. Throughout the course, there is a progression from abstract to more realistic representations of infrastructures, where the student will reflect on the different strengths and weaknesses of different models, methods and concepts. The course is hence divided into a number of parts that guide the student through important concepts and methods. To each central part, computer labs are used to enable students to apply the various methods introduced in the course. Teacher-led seminars for each central part of the course are also given, where students can actively discuss and reflect on the theme and the literature as well as compare approaches for problem solving. Examination of the course takes place through essays that deal with the different central parts of the course as well as a final project work in which either one or more central parts of the course are explored in more depth or a synthesis of all parts of the course is presented (i.e. each central part covered becomes input values for the final project work). The project is discussed in a teacher-led seminar so that the students also can acquire the ability to verbally present and discuss their approaches and preliminary results, as well as provide constructive feedback.

Course Literature

• Communication from the commission: on a European Programme for Critical Infrastructure Protection. Commission of the European communities, 2006.
• Concerning measures for a high common level of security of network and information systems across the Union. The European Parliament and of the council, 2016.
• Brown, K. A.: Critical path: a brief history of critical infrastructure protection in the United States. Spectrum Publishing Group, Incorporated.
• Protection of Vital Societal Functions & Critical Infrastructure: Fact sheet. Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency, Karlstad, 2016.
• Failure to Act: Closing the Infrastructure Investment Gap for America’s Economic Future. American Society of Civil Engineers, 2016.
• Newman, M.E.: The structure and function of complex networks. SIAM Review, 2003.
• Strogatz, S.: Exploring Complex Networks. Nature, 2001.
• Grubesic, T.H., Matisziw, T.C., Murray, A.T., Snediker & D.: Comparative Approaches for Assessing Network Vulnerability. International Regional Science Review, 2008.
• Johansson, J., Hassel, H. & Zio, E.: Reliability and vulnerability analyses of critical infrastructures: comparing two approaches in the context of power systems. Reliability Engineering & System Safety, 2013.
• Zio, E.: Challenges in the vulnerability and risk analysis of critical infrastructures. Reliability Engineering & System Safety, 2016.
• Johansson, J., Bjärenstam, J., R., Axelsdóttir & E.: Contrasting critical infrastructure resilience from Swedish infrastructure failure data. Safe Societies in a Changing WorldProceedings of ESREL 2018, 2018.
• Koppenjan, F., J. & Enserink, B.: Public–private partnerships in urban infrastructures: reconciling private sector participation and sustainability. Public Administration Review, 2009.
• Moteff, J.: Risk management and critical infrastructure protection: Assessing, integrating, and managing threats, vulnerabilities and consequences. Library of Congress Washington DC Congressional Research Service, 2005.
• Too, E. G.: A framework for strategic infrastructure asset management. In Definitions, concepts and scope of engineering asset management. Springer, London, 2010.
• Schneider, J., Gaul, J., A., Neumann, C., Hogräfer, Wellßow, W., Schwan, M. & Schnettler, A.: Asset management techniques. International Journal of Electrical Power & Energy Systems.
• Rinaldi, B.S.M., Peerenboom, J.P. & Kelly, T.K.: Identifying, Understanding, and Analyzing Critical Infrastructure Interdependencies.. IEEE Control Systems Magazine, 2001.
• Rinaldi, S. M.: Modeling and simulating critical infrastructures and their interdependencies. Proceedings of the 37th annual Hawaii international conference on System Sciences, IEEE, 2004.
• Buldyrev, V., S., Parshani, R., Paul, G., Stanley, E., H. & Havlin, S.: Catastrophic cascade of failures in interdependent networks. Nature, 2010.
• Johansson, J. & Hassel, H.: An approach for modelling interdependent infrastructures in the context of vulnerability analysis. Reliability Engineering & System Safety, 2010.
• Ouyang, M.: Review on modeling and simulation of interdependent critical infrastructure systems. Reliability engineering & System safety, 2014.
• Thacker, S., Pant, R. & Hall, J. W.: System-of-systems formulation and disruption analysis for multi-scale critical national infrastructures. Reliability Engineering & System Safety, 2017.
• Boin, A. & McConnell, A.: Preparing for critical infrastructure breakdowns: the limits of crisis management and the need for resilience. Journal of Contingencies and Crisis Management, 2007.
• Little, R. G.: Toward more robust infrastructure: observations on improving the resilience and reliability of critical systems. Proceedings of the 36th Annual Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences, IEEE, 2003.
• Ouyang, M. & Wang, Z.: Resilience assessment of interdependent infrastructure systems: With a focus on joint restoration modeling and analysis. Reliability Engineering & System Safety, 2015.
• Almklov, P., Antonsen, S. & Fenstad, J.: Post-disaster infrastructure restoration: A comparison of events for future planning.. In Risk and Interdependencies in Critical Infrastructures, 2012.
• Risk Management in Critical Infrastructures. Springer, London.

Instruction Details

Types of instruction: Lectures, seminars, laboratory exercises

Examination Details

Examination formats: Written report, seminars given by participants
Grading scale: Failed, pass
Examiner:

Admission Details

Admission requirements: - FMAA01 Calculus in One Variable OR FMAA05 Calculus in One Variable. - FMSF50 Mathematical Statistics, Basic Course OR FMSF20 Mathematical Statistics, Basic Course OR EXTA60 Statistics OR FMSF30 Mathematical Statistics. - A minimum of 150 credits from a five-year engineering programme or from the Fire Safety Engineering Programme at LTH or equivalent educational background and academic credits for incoming exchange students. Basic knowledge within University matemathics such as Calculus in One Dimension e.g. FMAA05 and basic knowledge in statistics e.g. FMFS20, FMFS30, FMSF50, EXTA60.
Assumed prior knowledge: Basic knowledge of programming.

Course Occasion Information

Contact and Other Information

Course coordinator: Jonas Johansson <jonas.johansson@risk.lth.se>