Abstract
Infrastructure systems, such as power, transportation, telecommunication, and water systems, are composed of multiple components which are interconnected and interdependent to produce and distribute essential goods and services. So, the robustness of infrastructure systems to resist disturbances is crucial for the durable performance of modern societies. Multilayer networks have been used to model the multiplicity and interrelation of infrastructure systems and percolation theory is the most common approach to quantify the robustness of such networks. This survey systematically reviews literature published between 2010 and 2021, on applying percolation theory to assess the robustness of infrastructure systems modeled as multilayer networks. We discussed all network properties applied to build infrastructure models. Among all properties, interdependency strength and communities were the most common network property whilst very few studies considered realistic attributes of infrastructure systems such as directed links and feedback conditions. The review highlights that the properties produced approximately similar model outcomes, in terms of detecting improvement or deterioration in the robustness of multilayer infrastructure networks, with few exceptions. Most of the studies focused on highly simpliffied synthetic models rather than models built by real datasets. Thus, this review suggests analyzing multiple properties in a single model to assess whether they boost or weaken the impact of each other. In addition, the effect size of different properties on the robustness of infrastructure systems should be quantiffied. It can support the design and planning of robust infrastructure systems by arranging and prioritizing the most effective properties.
Highlights
Near zero disruption in the operation of infrastructure systems is vital for the delivery and integrity of the essential goods and services [1]
The focus is on answering the following questions: (i) what are the network properties used to model infrastructure systems as multilayer networks, in percolation-based studies? (ii) how these defined properties affect the robustness of the created models? (iii) do these properties lead to distinct outcomes under different percolation mechanisms? (iiii) which percolation mechanism has a more destructive effect? Since the focus is on network properties that are applicable for different types of infrastructure systems, we excluded papers containing models which were specialized and dedicated to a specific type of infrastructure
Percolation theory is the most common approach to quantify the robustness of networked systems
Summary
Near zero disruption in the operation of infrastructure systems is vital for the delivery and integrity of the essential goods and services [1]. Any interruption in the performance of critical infrastructure systems, such as water distribution, electric power, natural gas, communication, and transportation systems can cause economic loss and affect societal wellbeing [2]. As robustness is referred to as the ability of a system to withstand disturbances [3], robust infrastructure systems are essential for continued societal function and averted economic loss. Infrastructure systems have evolved into complex systems with increasing interdependency [4,5] mostly as the cyber-physical systems where communication function of telecommunication systems integrated into cyber interdependence of other infrastructure sectors like the power grid, water supply, and transportation systems [6,7,8]. Thereby, a failure in one sector may cause damages to other interdependent sectors, leading to cascading failures spreading back-and-forth through
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