Sustainability of Network Infrastructure in a Geospatial Resilience Context

Abstract

Increased societal reliance on critical infrastructures, such as the internet, has fueled resilience concerns. However, important geospatial differences complicate large-scale studies of critical infrastructure. This research develops a new geospatial framework to assess spatial disparities in critical internet infrastructure resilience. The framework is demonstrated using a testbed big data analysis for Texas assembled specifically for this study. Data on contributors to internet resilience—specifically, access flexibility, disruption risk, and disruption vulnerability—were incorporated for the study. An overall resilience score was calculated at the census tract level. Important geospatial patterns in network resilience emerged, with rural and urban areas in Texas showing stark differences. The developed techniques can be implemented to assess resilience geospatially, allowing for targeted efforts that ensure the survivability of critical infrastructure and assessments of digital divides.