Resilient critical infrastructures are vital for the security, well-being and economic prosperity of societies. The concept of “Critical Infrastructures” is constantly evolving, since, over the last decades, the complexity and interconnectedness of society and its activities have led to an increase of the number and variety of infrastructures that can be categorized as critical. Generally, critical infrastructures are often associated with the facilities and networks for transportation, public health, telecommunication, water and sanitation management, energy production, transmission and distribution, food production and distribution, security and civil protection services.
The protection of critical infrastructures against several hazards is a high priority at the national and transnational levels. Ensuring the safety and security of critical infrastructures while enhancing their resilience against disasters is challenging, since the complexity of infrastructures has grown significantly to keep up with the development of modern societies. Furthermore, the increasing interconnectivity and interdependence of critical infrastructures have led to the significant rise of systemic risks and the likely cascading/compounding effects, thus amplifying the complexity of disaster risk management.
Critical infrastructures are exposed to a wide range of natural hazards (e.g. earthquakes, landslides, flooding, extreme weather, soil liquefaction, volcanic eruptions, etc.) and their vulnerabilities need to be comprehensively addressed given that certain infrastructures can even be affected by spatially separate hazards. Given the sudden- and slow-onset (e.g. climate change) nature of different hazards, there is a need to develop innovative solutions for assessing and mitigating risks in a wide range of infrastructures exposed to an equally wide range of natural events.
In light of this, the current article collection seeks the submission of manuscripts addressing that contribute to advancing risk assessment, monitoring and mitigation in critical infrastructures. Original contributions containing fundamental and applied research, case studies, or reviewing the state-of-the-art and emerging techniques covering the whole disaster management cycle, from prevention and preparedness to response and recovery (and learning), are welcomed. This Research Topic includes, but is not limited to, the following themes:
• methodologies for modelling and assessing risk and impacts of single hazards and multiple hazards on critical infrastructures;
• tools for assessing vulnerabilities of critical infrastructures;
• emerging techniques (e.g. Artificial Intelligence, etc.) for threat detection and damage identification in critical infrastructures;
• cross-border and cross-sectoral approaches to strengthen knowledge and resilience of critical infrastructures;
• cascading infrastructure failure;
• monitoring systems applied to critical infrastructures, including remote sensing and early warning systems;
• systems to support decision makers to protect critical infrastructures.
Resilient critical infrastructures are vital for the security, well-being and economic prosperity of societies. The concept of “Critical Infrastructures” is constantly evolving, since, over the last decades, the complexity and interconnectedness of society and its activities have led to an increase of the number and variety of infrastructures that can be categorized as critical. Generally, critical infrastructures are often associated with the facilities and networks for transportation, public health, telecommunication, water and sanitation management, energy production, transmission and distribution, food production and distribution, security and civil protection services.
The protection of critical infrastructures against several hazards is a high priority at the national and transnational levels. Ensuring the safety and security of critical infrastructures while enhancing their resilience against disasters is challenging, since the complexity of infrastructures has grown significantly to keep up with the development of modern societies. Furthermore, the increasing interconnectivity and interdependence of critical infrastructures have led to the significant rise of systemic risks and the likely cascading/compounding effects, thus amplifying the complexity of disaster risk management.
Critical infrastructures are exposed to a wide range of natural hazards (e.g. earthquakes, landslides, flooding, extreme weather, soil liquefaction, volcanic eruptions, etc.) and their vulnerabilities need to be comprehensively addressed given that certain infrastructures can even be affected by spatially separate hazards. Given the sudden- and slow-onset (e.g. climate change) nature of different hazards, there is a need to develop innovative solutions for assessing and mitigating risks in a wide range of infrastructures exposed to an equally wide range of natural events.
In light of this, the current article collection seeks the submission of manuscripts addressing that contribute to advancing risk assessment, monitoring and mitigation in critical infrastructures. Original contributions containing fundamental and applied research, case studies, or reviewing the state-of-the-art and emerging techniques covering the whole disaster management cycle, from prevention and preparedness to response and recovery (and learning), are welcomed. This Research Topic includes, but is not limited to, the following themes:
• methodologies for modelling and assessing risk and impacts of single hazards and multiple hazards on critical infrastructures;
• tools for assessing vulnerabilities of critical infrastructures;
• emerging techniques (e.g. Artificial Intelligence, etc.) for threat detection and damage identification in critical infrastructures;
• cross-border and cross-sectoral approaches to strengthen knowledge and resilience of critical infrastructures;
• cascading infrastructure failure;
• monitoring systems applied to critical infrastructures, including remote sensing and early warning systems;
• systems to support decision makers to protect critical infrastructures.