Field technical surveys: An essential tool for improving critical infrastructure and lifeline systems resiliency to disasters

Abstract

This paper explores critical infrastructure resiliency. The discussion initially introduces concepts and notions that are important for the analysis. Disasters are not seen as a single event but rather as cycles with distinct phases. These concepts and notions support the conclusion that critical infrastructures are cyber-physical-social systems that have not only interconnected physical components but also include processes as an integral constituting part. The discussion also indicates that the reliability concept of availability can be used as a metric for resiliency and for characterizing degree of dependence among infrastructures. Such metric allows a quantifiable approach for critical infrastructures planning and operation. Field technical surveys are then seen as a key tool to be able to quantify availability and, thus, assess resiliency. Finally, this paper explains approaches to conduct field technical surveys and their steps.