Role of Spatial Data in the Protection of Critical Infrastructure and Homeland Defense

Abstract

This paper examines how the use of spatial analysis techniques and geographic information systems may assist in developing a more complete understanding of underlying solutions trends and properties in complex optimization problems. In the model, an attacker with multiple attractive targets and multiple entry points into the region attempts to find a complete network path offering the highest probability of non-detection by a defender who has allocated detection resources to reduce arc non-detection and who wishes to minimize this maximum attacker path (this problem is a direct variant of the shortest path network interdiction problem). This paper introduces spatial analysis techniques to analyze defender resource allocation and attacker path selection in two sample networks (Lancaster-Palmdale, California and Northridge, California). The resulting discussion begins to examine how network diversity and other problem parameters can impact observed defender/attacker solutions and illustrates the importance of this knowledge in the making and evaluating of governmental and public policy decisions.