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Critical Infrastructures (critical + infrastructure)
Selected AbstractsImperial Warfare in the Naked City,Sociality as Critical InfrastructureINTERNATIONAL POLITICAL SOCIOLOGY, Issue 3 2008Ronnie D. Lipschutz The Global War on Terror (GWOT), framed as conflict with groups and individuals determined to disrupt and destroy "critical infrastructures," is heavily dependent on technological and psychological discourses and practices to find terrorists and their plots., These methods seek to protect the material "backbone" of contemporary society and to detect those individuals whose capabilities might progress to action. Yet, the social nature of all action suggests that "critical infrastructure is people," and that surveillance cannot, by itself, determine who might act and who will not. The ultimate purpose and effect of the GWOT is better understood as involving the transformation of individual mentalities, so that "heretical" thoughts and practices become impossible. [source] Protecting the Nation's Critical Infrastructure: The Vulnerability of U.S. Water Supply SystemsJOURNAL OF CONTINGENCIES AND CRISIS MANAGEMENT, Issue 2 2000Robert M. Clark Terrorism in the United States was not considered a serious threat until the second half of the 1990s. However, recent attacks both at home and abroad have forced government planners to consider the possibility that critical elements of the U.S. infrastructure might in fact be vulnerable to terrorism. The potential for chemical or biological contamination of water supply systems exists along with the possibility that such systems might be sabotaged. This article reviews the threat of biological and chemical compounds in relation to the characteristics of water supply systems. Vulnerability of such systems to terrorist attacks is examined, as well as possible physical and chemical countermeasures that could be applied. A case study is presented of an accidental contamination event that illustrates the difficulty of tracking such events in a drinking water system. It can be concluded that municipal water supplies are vulnerable. However, appropriate physical planning of such systems, including contingency back-up with separate water lines for emergencies, coupled with proactive monitoring, will significantly increase security in the face of possible terrorist attacks. [source] Anticipating Future Vulnerability: Defining Characteristics of Increasingly Critical Infrastructure-like SystemsJOURNAL OF CONTINGENCIES AND CRISIS MANAGEMENT, Issue 1 2007Matthew Jude Egan The world's ,Critical Infrastructure' (CI) has increased in size during the three decades between 1975,2006. CIs are those systems that provide critical support services to a country, geographic area for a corporate entity; when they fail, there is potentially a large cost in human life, the environment or economic markets. This article examines the characteristics of new technologies or services that are becoming a part of the CI, but are not yet. The article attempts to systematically define the characteristics of ,criticality' in order to better anticipate the types of vulnerabilities these new technologies or services create. [source] Critical Infrastructures under Threat: Learning from the Anthrax ScareJOURNAL OF CONTINGENCIES AND CRISIS MANAGEMENT, Issue 3 2003Arjen Boin Conventional thinking in emergency and crisis management focuses on the application of codified procedures to unforeseen contingencies. Modern society's increased dependence on critical infrastructures and the emerging vulnerabilities of these large-scale networks create challenges that are hard to meet with conventional tools of crisis management. This article discusses the inherent vulnerabilities and explores the requirements of effective preparation for escalatory network breakdowns. [source] The Revenge of Distance: Vulnerability Analysis of Critical Information InfrastructureJOURNAL OF CONTINGENCIES AND CRISIS MANAGEMENT, Issue 2 2004Sean P. Gorman The events of 11 September 2001 brought an increased focus on security in the United States and specifically the protection of critical infrastructure. Critical infrastructure encompasses a wide array of physical assets such as the electric power grid, telecommunications, oil and gas pipelines, transportation networks and computer data networks. This paper will focus on computer data networks and the spatial implications of their susceptibility to targeted attacks. Utilising a database of national data carriers, simulations will be run to determine the repercussions of targeted attacks and what the relative merits of different methods of identifying critical nodes are. This analysis will include comparison of current methods employed in vulnerability analysis with spatially constructed methods incorporating regional and distance variables. In addition to vulnerability analysis a method will be proposed to analyse the fusion of physical and logical networks, and will discuss what new avenues this approach reveals. The analysis concludes that spatial information networks are vulnerable to targeted attacks and algorithms based on distance metrics do a better job of identifying critical nodes than classic accessibility indexes. The results of the analysis are placed in the context of public policy posing the question do private infrastructure owners have sufficient incentives to remedy vulnerabilities in critical networks. [source] Detection of trends in hydrological extremes for Canadian watershedsHYDROLOGICAL PROCESSES, Issue 13 2010Donald H. Burn Abstract The potential impacts of climate change can alter the risk to critical infrastructure resulting from changes to the frequency and magnitude of extreme events. As well, the natural environment is affected by the hydrologic regime, and changes in high flows or low flows can have negative impacts on ecosystems. This article examines the detection of trends in extreme hydrological events, both high and low flow events, for streamflow gauging stations in Canada. The trend analysis involves the application of the Mann,Kendall non-parametric test. A bootstrap resampling process has been used to determine the field significance of the trend results. A total of 68 gauging stations having a nominal record length of at least 50 years are analysed for two analysis periods of 50 and 40 years. The database of Canadian rivers investigated represents a diversity of hydrological conditions encompassing different extreme flow generating processes and reflects a national scale analysis of trends. The results reveal more trends than would be expected to occur by chance for most of the measures of extreme flow characteristics. Annual and spring maximum flows show decreasing trends in flow magnitude and decreasing trends in event timing (earlier events). Low flow magnitudes exhibit both decreasing and increasing trends. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Imperial Warfare in the Naked City,Sociality as Critical InfrastructureINTERNATIONAL POLITICAL SOCIOLOGY, Issue 3 2008Ronnie D. Lipschutz The Global War on Terror (GWOT), framed as conflict with groups and individuals determined to disrupt and destroy "critical infrastructures," is heavily dependent on technological and psychological discourses and practices to find terrorists and their plots., These methods seek to protect the material "backbone" of contemporary society and to detect those individuals whose capabilities might progress to action. Yet, the social nature of all action suggests that "critical infrastructure is people," and that surveillance cannot, by itself, determine who might act and who will not. The ultimate purpose and effect of the GWOT is better understood as involving the transformation of individual mentalities, so that "heretical" thoughts and practices become impossible. [source] The Revenge of Distance: Vulnerability Analysis of Critical Information InfrastructureJOURNAL OF CONTINGENCIES AND CRISIS MANAGEMENT, Issue 2 2004Sean P. Gorman The events of 11 September 2001 brought an increased focus on security in the United States and specifically the protection of critical infrastructure. Critical infrastructure encompasses a wide array of physical assets such as the electric power grid, telecommunications, oil and gas pipelines, transportation networks and computer data networks. This paper will focus on computer data networks and the spatial implications of their susceptibility to targeted attacks. Utilising a database of national data carriers, simulations will be run to determine the repercussions of targeted attacks and what the relative merits of different methods of identifying critical nodes are. This analysis will include comparison of current methods employed in vulnerability analysis with spatially constructed methods incorporating regional and distance variables. In addition to vulnerability analysis a method will be proposed to analyse the fusion of physical and logical networks, and will discuss what new avenues this approach reveals. The analysis concludes that spatial information networks are vulnerable to targeted attacks and algorithms based on distance metrics do a better job of identifying critical nodes than classic accessibility indexes. The results of the analysis are placed in the context of public policy posing the question do private infrastructure owners have sufficient incentives to remedy vulnerabilities in critical networks. [source] Long lead time flood warnings: reality or fantasy?METEOROLOGICAL APPLICATIONS, Issue 1 2009B. W. Golding Abstract This paper reviews recent advances in weather forecasting capability in the United Kingdom and their implications for increasing the lead time with which flood warnings can be issued. The events of summer 2007 have highlighted the vulnerability of parts of the United Kingdom to flooding and the need for long lead time flood warnings to enable the protection of people and critical infrastructure. Historically, computer weather forecasting models have been unable to forecast at the scales of importance for flood warning, and so the warning processes have been forced to rely on measurements on the ground. Examples are presented to demonstrate that new forecasting technologies, currently being implemented, enable warnings to be produced much earlier, provided they are couched in probabilistic terms and interpreted appropriately. Crown Copyright © 2009. Reproduced with the permission of the Controller of HMSO. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd [source] Realising a resilient and sustainable built environment: towards a strategic agenda for the United KingdomDISASTERS, Issue 3 2007Lee Bosher Recent natural and human-induced emergencies have highlighted the vulnerability of the built environment. Although most emergency events are not entirely unexpected, and the effects can be mitigated, emergency managers in the United Kingdom have not played a sufficiently proactive role in the mitigation of such events. If a resilient and sustainable built environment is to be achieved, emergency management should be more proactive and receive greater input from the stakeholders responsible for the planning, design, construction and operation of the built environment. This paper highlights the need for emergency management to take a more systematic approach to hazard mitigation by integrating more with professions from the construction sector. In particular, design changes may have to be considered, critical infrastructures must be protected, planning policies should be reviewed, and resilient and sustainable agendas adopted by all stakeholders. [source] The Commoditization of Societal SafetyJOURNAL OF CONTINGENCIES AND CRISIS MANAGEMENT, Issue 3 2010Petter G. Almklov New public management has led to major institutional changes in the sectors operating critical infrastructures. The previously integrated utility companies have been dismantled and are now run, regulated and organized more like private entities. This paper proposes two concepts that may aid the analysis of these organizational changes and the consequences they may have on societal safety. Commoditization refers to the process where work is sought transformed into atomistic standardized products to be ordered on a market. Modularization refers to the creation of discrete entities coordinated by market mechanisms and standardized interfaces. We argue that commoditization of work and modularization of organizational entities pose challenges to some of the informal characteristics of high-reliability organization's, with recognized importance especially for crisis management. This is illustrated by examples from Norwegian electricity network operators. [source] Systems that Should Have Failed: Critical Infrastructure Protection in an Institutionally Fragmented EnvironmentJOURNAL OF CONTINGENCIES AND CRISIS MANAGEMENT, Issue 1 2007Mark De Bruijne Recent years have witnessed major governmental initiatives regarding critical infrastructure protection (CIP). During that same time, critical infrastructures (CIs) have undergone massive institutional restructuring under the headings of privatization, deregulation and liberalization. Little research has gone into understanding the interactions between these two developments. In this article, we outline the consequences of institutional restructuring for the changing ways in which CIs ensure the reliability and security of their networks and services. Neither Normal Accident Theory nor High-Reliability Theory can account for reliability under these conditions. We then investigate the implications of these findings for CIP. [source] Critical Infrastructures under Threat: Learning from the Anthrax ScareJOURNAL OF CONTINGENCIES AND CRISIS MANAGEMENT, Issue 3 2003Arjen Boin Conventional thinking in emergency and crisis management focuses on the application of codified procedures to unforeseen contingencies. Modern society's increased dependence on critical infrastructures and the emerging vulnerabilities of these large-scale networks create challenges that are hard to meet with conventional tools of crisis management. This article discusses the inherent vulnerabilities and explores the requirements of effective preparation for escalatory network breakdowns. [source] Crisis Management in France: Trends, Shifts and PerspectivesJOURNAL OF CONTINGENCIES AND CRISIS MANAGEMENT, Issue 4 2002Patrick Lagadec The object of this article is to give an idea of crisis management in France. I will look at two principal axes: firstly, a simplified outline of the system as it has evolved over the years and with regard to the major changes it is undergoing today; secondly, an overview of the efforts recently made by the most progressive actors in the field. Traditionally, all analyses of this type have concentrated on the French exception, that is, a centralised country answering to a strong state, largely influenced by past references, doctrines, hierarchical rules, and technical dispositions. Although this image is still very accurate in many respects, France has been progressively losing its ,classicism'. This has come about as a result, first and foremost, of the growing number of crises which contradict the logic of long,standing references. Uncertainties, multiplicity of actors, masses of information, major surprises, cross,over events and abrupt changes are but some of the elements which are increasingly difficult to absorb within pre,established historical models. With the profusion of new actors and networks of people unaware of former royal or Napoleonic regulations, the cards are largely being dealt between the public and the private, the central and the local, the national and the international, and so on. Transformation is continuously occurring by the accumulation of new laws (e.g. decentralisation) or specific adjustments (e.g. critical infrastructures). International markets and new information technologies also play a key role in this transformation. But perhaps the most powerful motor for change are crises. More often than not, crises lead to a loss of faith in yet unquestioned references, with regard to legitimacy, credibility and responsibility. France offers a highly contrasted scene as a country still resisting inevitable change. Although there is growing disorder, new opportunities are arising. Wishing to take a dynamic approach to these questions rather than a descriptive one, I have sought to distinguish the main themes and their interactions. I will particularly look at: problems raised by new crises in complex societies; the means necessary for ensuring progress (Boin; Lagadec 2000); resistance to these measures; and, finally, some of the most promising initiatives. The vocation of the European Crisis Management Academy is to share past experience as well as questions and answers in an area of great instability and critical stakes. [source] PREPARE: seeking systemic solutions for technological crisis managementKNOWLEDGE AND PROCESS MANAGEMENT: THE JOURNAL OF CORPORATE TRANSFORMATION, Issue 2 2005Beverly J. DavisArticle first published online: 2 JUN 200 America's private sector faces an unprecedented challenge in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. For the first time in the nation's history, its business assets, workers, and critical infrastructures are on the front lines of the battlefield,key targets, and possibly pathways, for future attacks. With terrorism, unconventional declaration of war can be waged, chaos created, and borders crossed by attacking our information highways. Although the catastrophic 9/11 attacks shifted our attention to the United States, the fact remains that Internet attacks against private and public organizations around the world leapt 28% in the 6 months after 9/11. These attacks targeted technology, financial services, and power companies. In order to ,seek to understand our enemies', the PREPARE Model of Technological Crisis Management (TCM) along with the application of the Johari Window psychology model will offer business leaders techniques to increase awareness of potential threats to their businesses. The best practice TCM model, a model of continuous process and analysis, takes business cyber-security to a new level, not only identifying the risks and threats to businesses, but also assessing and creating systemic plans to respond to those risks. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] | |||||||||||||