Call for papers: "Complex Systems Dependencies/Interdependencies"

For a special issue of the International Journal of Risk Assessment and Management.

When considering the protection of a facility, it is vital to consider all its dependencies (e.g., physical, cybernetic, geographic, and logical). Such an all-encompassing view accounts for potential vulnerabilities that may exist outside the traditional facility “boundaries”. The degradation of an asset that supplies resources to an organisation can cause direct and potentially severe impacts. However, it is also important to consider the fact that bidirectional relationships between facilities may exist. A situation, in which two infrastructures are dependent upon each other, is called interdependency.

Infrastructure dependencies and interdependencies are complex, and their identification and protection should be predominant in a facility’s risk management, and business continuity procedures. Although it may be obvious that there exists a need to identify and mitigate potential interdependencies, they tend to be extremely difficult to capture and understand in totality due to their complex nature.

Dependencies and interdependencies are complex elements to consider in risk assessments and risk management because they are dynamic and multidimensional. The presence of multiple interconnected sets of infrastructure across multiple jurisdictions adds a system of systems dimension to the interdependency discussion. Vulnerabilities resulting from infrastructure interdependencies are generally not as well understood as other vulnerabilities because of this complexity. A single-point failure can lead to multiple infrastructure disruptions in multiple geographic locations. Though there exists no single solution on how to analyse interdependencies, it is clear that enhancing capabilities and innovations in that field is critical.

The main purpose of this special issue is to present recent advancements related to the assessment of infrastructure dependencies/interdependencies, the modelling of complex critical infrastructure systems, and the consideration of these elements in risk assessment and management methodologies to support decision-making.

Suitable topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Dependencies and interdependencies assessment
• Dependencies and interdependencies modelling
• Complex systems modelling
• Supply chain management
• Supply chain modelling
• Cascading and escalating failures simulation
• Mathematical and simulation models of systems of systems
• Critical infrastructure interdependencies
• Regional infrastructure interdependencies
• Cross border effects

  

Important Dates

Submission of manuscripts: 12 September, 2014
Notification to authors: 14 November, 2014
Final versions due: 19 December, 2014