Wiley Handbook of Science and Technology for Homeland Security, 4 Volume Set

CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE PROTECTION DECISION MAKING

DENNIS R. POWELL

Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico

SHARON M. DELAND

Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, New Mexico

MICHAEL E. SAMSA

Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, Illinois

1 INTRODUCTION

The critical infrastructure protection decision support system (CIPDSS) is a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) risk assessment tool and analysis process that (i) simultaneously represents all 17 critical infrastructures and key resources [1] in a single integrated framework and (ii) includes a decision-aiding procedure that combines multiple, nationally important objectives into a single measure of merit so that alternatives can be easily compared over a range of threat or incident likelihoods. At the core of this capability is a set of computer models, supporting software, analysis processes, and decision support tools that inform decision makers who make difficult choices between alternative mitigation measures and operational tactics or who allocate limited resources to protect the United States' critical infrastructures against currently existing threats and against potential future threats. CIPDSS incorporates a fully integrated risk assessment process, explicitly accounting for uncertainties in threats, vulnerabilities, and the consequences of terrorist acts and natural disasters. Unlike most other risk assessment tools, CIPDSS goes beyond the calculation of first-order consequences in one or just a ...