Automated agent-based method for identifying infrastructure interdependencies

• US 20050234696A1
• Filed: 04/15/2004
• Published: 10/20/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/15/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: U Chicago Argonne, LLC
• Original Assignee: University of Chicago
• Inventors: Miller, Daniel J., North, Michael J., Thomas, William Howard II, DeWald, Scott D.
• Application Number:
  US10/825,572
• Publication Number:
  US 20050234696A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 703/22
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/20 Design optimisation, verification or simulation optimisation, verification or simulation of circuit designs G06F30/30

Abstract

This invention relates to a method, apparatus, and means for simulating interdependent infrastructures. This may involve selecting a subset of an interdependent infrastructure system, equivalencing the subset, creating a plurality of agents to model with the subset, and simulating multi-scale agent interactions. It may also include selecting subsets based on geographic region or selecting components for two way analysis or simulating across concurrent time, or selecting a plurality of infrastructures to simulate and connecting the infrastructures by screening candidate interconnections and assigning candidates a likelihood of connection, or identifying connections extending outside of the subset and calculating flow limit for each connection extending outside the subset, or creating agents from templates and data for a infrastructure and creating agents at equivalenced connections, or advancing agent conditions through time and re-equivalencing the infrastructure and continuing until a steady state is achieved.

Claims

1. A method for simulating interdependent infrastructures, comprising the steps of:

selecting a subset of an interdependent infrastructure system;

equivalencing the subset;

creating a plurality of agents to interact with the subset; and

simulating multi-scale agent interactions.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the subset is being selected to represent a geographic region.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

selecting components for two way analysis, and wherein the simulation occurs across concurrent time.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

selecting a plurality of infrastructures to simulate; and

connecting the infrastructures, including the steps of

screening candidate interconnections; and

assigning candidates a likelihood of connection.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the equivalencing step includes the steps of:

identifying connections extending outside of the subset; and

calculating flow limit for each connection extending outside the subset.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the creating agents step includes the steps of:

creating agents from templates and data for a infrastructure; and

creating agents at equivalenced connections.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the simulating step includes the steps of:

advancing agent conditions through time;

re-equivalencing the infrastructure; and

continuing the simulation until a steady state is achieved.

8. An apparatus for simulating interdependent infrastructures, comprising:

a selector for selecting a subset of an interdependent infrastructure system;

an equivalencer for equivalencing a subset;

a plurality of agents for modeling the subset; and

a simulator for simulating multi-scale agent interactions within the subset.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the selector comprises a candidate screener for determining the likelihood of interconnections.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the equivalencer comprises a flow limit calculator for equivalencing connections extending outside a subset.

11. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the agents comprise:

a data gatherer for creating agents; and

templates for creating agents.

12. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the simulator comprises a time advancer for advancing agent conditions through time.

13. A system for simulating interdependent infrastructures, comprising:

means for selecting infrastructures from an interdependent infrastructure system;

means for equivalencing the selected infrastructures;

means for creating agents for the intended use interacting with the infrastructures; and

means for simulation for the intended use of analyzing the infrastructures.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the means for equivalencing comprises means for calculating a flow limit.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the means for simulation comprises:

means for re-equivalencing;

means for advancing conditions through time steps; and

means for determining steady state.