An Approach to Model Complex Interdependent Infrastructures

Developed countries rely on many infrastructures as energy transportation, water supply, telecommunication, etc., which are more and more mutually dependent. This phenomenon represents a new and very dangerous vulnerability: an accidental or malicious (e.g., terroristic attack) fault could spread across, amplifying its negative consequences. This imposes to develop methodologies and tools to support decision makers and infrastructures’ stakeholders in the analysis of these new scenarios, and in defining suitable protection strategies. To this end, in this paper, we propose an approach to model interdependent infrastructures which, on the bases of mostly qualitative information, is able to set up a (rather sophisticated) simulator. Copyright c ©2005 IFAC