INFRARISK is a three-year EU funded FP7 project to develop a stress test framework to tackle cascading impacts of natural hazards on interdependent infrastructure networks through: ââ¬Â¢Identifying rare low-frequency natural hazard events, which have the potential to have extreme impacts on critical infrastructure. ââ¬Â¢Developing a stress test structure for specific natural hazards on CI networks and a framework for linear infrastructure systems with wider extents and many nodal points (roads, highways and railroads), though it is anticipated the outputs can be applied across a variety of networks (e.g telecom and energy)/ ââ¬Â¢An integrated approach to hazard assessment considering the interdependencies of infrastructure networks, the correlated nature of natural hazards, cascading hazards and cascading effects, and spatial and temporal vulnerability. ââ¬Â¢Facilitate implementation through the development of GIS based and web based stress test algorithms for complex infrastructure networks. ââ¬Â¢Testing the framework developed through simulation of complex case studies. ââ¬Â¢Exploitation strategies aimed at disseminating the 'knowledge' and not just the results (e.g training courses to industry, academic and media parties).
The methodological core of the project is based on the establishment of an 'overarching methodology' to evaluate the risks associated with multiple infrastructure networks for various hazards with spatial and temporal correlation. Interdependency will be formalised and damage will be defined in terms of capacity decrements. This will be the basis for the development of stress tests for multi-risk scenarios and will define the general framework, providing a tool for decision making based on the outcome of the stress test. Our research team at IT innovation Centre has a leading role in the implementation strategy of the project. The main objective goal is to design and develop a strategic INFRARISK Decision Support Tool (IDST) to ensure that the INFRARISK stress tests and the harmonised risks management methodologies and analytics modules are integrated and driven by an intelligent process workflow engine. The IDST platform is currently well advanced to provide risk management of natural hazards on critical infrastructure and access to critically harmonized data and information. The ability to predict the vulnerability and state of damage of large infrastructure from the element and rare events can now be assessed. The IDST is being validated in Italy and Spain.