Tekinerdogan, B., Akşit, M., Catal, C., AlSkaif, T., Hurst, W., 'Critical Infrastructures: Key Concepts and Challenges', in Management and Engineering of Critical Infrastructures, 1st ed.; Bedir Tekinerdogan, Mehmet Akşit, Cagatay Catal, William Hurst, Tarek Alskaif, Eds.; by Academic Press: Cambridge, MA, USA, pp. 13 - 52, 2023
30.09.23
Abstract
Critical infrastructures are the backbone of modern society, providing essential services and systems that are crucial to the functioning of our economies, societies, and governments.
These infrastructures include energy systems, transportation networks, water and sanitation systems, telecommunications, financial systems, and many others. However, these systems are also vulnerable to a wide range of threats, including natural disasters, cyber-attacks, terrorism, and human error. To ensure the resilience and sustainability of critical infrastructures, it is important to understand the key concepts and challenges that are involved in their design, operation, and maintenance.
The key objective of this chapter is to provide an overview of the key concepts and challenges that are involved in critical infrastructures. The chapter will focus on identifying and defining key terms and concepts related to critical infrastructures, as well as exploring the main challenges that are involved in ensuring their resilience and sustainability. By providing this overview, the chapter provides a foundation for further research and discussion on critical infrastructures, and informs on policy and decision-making related to their design, operation, and maintenance. In order to achieve this objective, the concrete research questions are the following:
What are the key concepts and definitions related to critical infrastructures, and how are they related to each other?
What are the existing critical infrastructures?
What are the key challenges in the development of critical infrastructure, including planning, design, construction, and operation?
To answer these research questions, a domain analysis approach will be adopted. Domain analysis is a systematic approach to understanding a particular field or domain of knowledge and involves identifying and analyzing the key concepts, relationships, and dependencies within the domain. By applying domain analysis to the field of critical infrastructure, we can identify the key components of the domain, such as the sectors and stakeholders involved, their relationships, the terminology and definitions used, and the challenges and risks associated with critical infrastructures. We will analyze the key components of the domain and identify patterns and themes related to the research questions. The insights and findings generated through the domain analysis process have been used to provide a comprehensive overview of critical infrastructures and their associated concepts and challenges.