Dynamic Islanding of Critical Infrastructures, a Suitable Strategy to Survive and Mitigate Critical Events Joint Infrastructure Interdependencies Research.

Dynamic Islanding of Critical Infrastructures, a Suitable Strategy to Survive and Mitigate Critical Events

Joint Infrastructure Interdependencies Research Program – UBC TeamJ.A. Hollman, J.R. Martí, J. Jatskevich, K.D. Srivastava

THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA

Presentation Outline

• Introduction of JIIRP Project

• Motivation

• Event & Infrastructure Interdependencies

• Dynamic Islanding of CIs Strategy

• Challenges

• Conclusions

JIIRP Project characteristics

• Six Canadian Universities involved

– The University of British ColumbiaDecision making for critical linkages in infrastructure networks

– York UniversityModel interdependencies for emergency management using geographic

decision support systems– University of Saskatchewan

Develop models that simulate critical infrastructure networks – École Polytechnique de Montréal

Study interdependencies and domino effects in life-supporting networks– University of Toronto

Model of infrastructure interdependencies through an analysis of stakeholder needs, risks, and competencies

– University of GuelphWays to improve resilience of water infrastructure and health response

systems against waterborne diseases

JIIRP Project characteristics (Cont.)

• UBC Multidisciplinary research group

– Department of Electrical & Computer EngineeringModelling & Simulation Physical & Human Layers

– Department of Civil EngineeringEarthquake Risk Assessment

– Department of Computer ScienceData Integration & Visualization

– Sauder School of BusinessBusiness continuation

– Department of GeographyGIS

– Centre for Teaching and Academic Growth Society Response

• Funded by Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Canada (PSEPC) with contribution from Industry partners– Telus, BCTC, GVRD, YVR, BCHydro

Motivation

Modernization of the Emergency Preparedness Act – Government of Canada

Focused on:

• Modern Emergency Management• Ensuring Government of Canada Readiness• Seamless Emergency Management• Effective Partnerships• Information Sharing• Reliable and Resilient Critical Infrastructures

Emergency Management Stages

Normal Alert Emergency Recovery

Months to years Days to weeks Hours to days Days to months

Mitigation

Preparedness

Response

Recovery

Physiological

Safety

Love/Belonging

Esteem

Being

Emergency Management Stages (cont.)

• Efforts traditionally target Preparedness and Response

• Deep knowledge of CIs and its interdependencies is needed to successfully improve Mitigation

• Mitigation provides best cost-benefit ratio• Interdependencies dynamics make almost

impossible to increase Global resiliency

Emergency Management Stages (cont.)

Mitigation Key areas:– Leadership and Coordination– Hazard Identification– Education and Information Dissemination– Partnerships among Gov-CIs operators– Incentives

We need to know not only the weaknesses of CIs but also their critical interdependencies. The goal is to identify boundaries imposed by weak links among CIs.

Dynamic Critical Infrastructures Interdependencies

Electric

Power PlantSubstation

Transmission

FoodDistribution center

Production centerLocal store

Water

PurificationPlant

Pump Station

Pipe

Oil & Gas

Refinery

Oil Field Compressor Station

Communications

PhoneInternet

Mobile

Transportation

Local roadBridge Regional Highway

Emergency Responders

FirefighterParamedic

Hospital

911 E-Comm

Critical EventLocal road

Dynamic Islanding of CIs Strategy

• The network is segmented into “self- sufficient islands” to prevent cascading effects.

• An island must be able to survive on its own for a limited time period. Beyond this period help needs to be coordinated and delivered from the external world

• Restoration of vital links to the islands constitutes the recovery process

• Panic control and prevention of cascading effects requires immediate response

• Islanding is much less expensive than the redundancy approach

Advantages of Dynamic Islanding of CIs

• Increases survivability of the network.

• Minimizes the restoration time.

• Decreases impact of Cascading events by identifying high-load nodes.

• Dynamic definition of islands for different levels of quality service or catastrophe scenarios.

• Optimization of network upgrades.

Dynamic interdependencies flow analysis of CIs for Decision Makers

Surveyinfrastructure

operators

Identification ofInterdependencies

betweeninfrastructures

Modeling andSimulation of

Networkinterdepencies

Selection offundamental

NCIs

Identification ofcritical

interdependenciesand

risk analysis

Analysis of decision chartsand Emergency

Contingency plans

Re-definition of Islands in Networkinfrastructures, considering critical

interdependencies, to increasesurvival rate

• Different Islanding schemes will be appropriate for different Emergency scenarios

Dynamic interdependencies flow analysis of CIs for Decision Makers (cont.)

Threat Risk Matrix

EmergencyScenarios

CriticalInfrastructures

Structure

InterdependenciesAnalysis

SimulationInitialization

Individual CisEmergency

contingency plans

CisDecision Makers

Simulation

Optimal TokenFlow

Island andWellnessMapping

Dynamic Islanding of CIs Strategy, How to implement it?

1. Identification of NCIs for most Critical Emergency Scenarios

2.Partnerships among NCIs operators and Government

3. Identification of Cells, Nodes and Islands

4.Pre-established Decision Hierarchy depending on Emergency Scenario

5. Incentives (e.g. sleeping contracts)

6.Long term Mitigation oriented plans

Ontology

• Tokens: goods needed by cells• Cells: entity that performs a function• Nodes: group of cells separated from other

groups by transportation channels• Islands: geographically close set of nodes that

can satisfy a given survivability index for a certain period of time. Its boundaries are defined by “design/operational CIs weaknesses”

• Transportation Channels: tokens are moved from one node to another through channels

Challenges

• Identification of Interdependencies (Implies disclosure of sensitive information)

• Cooperation among NCIs operators and Gov.

• Management of sensitive information (central vs. distributed)

• Panic control

Conclusions

• Mitigation as a long term policy based on Dynamic Islanding can increase the global resiliency by avoiding CIs collapse due to cascade failure

• Collaboration among CIs operators and Gov. agencies is key to success

Thank you!