Joint optimization of structure and protection of interdependent infrastructure networks

Abstract

Nowadays, critical infrastructures are essential for the normal operation of economics and social life. Because of the increasing number of terrorist attacks and other accidents, research on strengthening infrastructure protection has become essential. Meanwhile, the operation of many types of infrastructures mainly relies on the configuration of networks. The interdependent infrastructure network (IIN), which is a network comprising multiple infrastructure networks with different functions under supporting relationships, is highly influenced by the interdependency structure of these networks and the protection strategy. To better understand the relation between the interdependency structure and protection in two phases on infrastructure resilience and analyze their influence on IIN performance, this study investigates the IIN in a community and proposes a joint optimization method for the two phases based on an incomplete-information game under the situation of intentional attacks. Employing the maximal-flow index (MFI) as the performance metric, a multi-objective planning approach is proposed for the joint optimization of interdependency structure and protection. Furthermore, an improved probabilistic solution discovery algorithm (PSDA) is developed to solve the planning model, and the joint optimization is analyzed using extensive experimentation, including three real-world infrastructure examples.