Engineering Resilient Systems

A special issue of Systems (ISSN 2079-8954).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2020) | Viewed by 9573

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR 72701, USA
Interests: systems engineering; decision analysis; risk analysis; agile systems design; project management
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR 72701, USA
Interests: risk and reliability; decision analysis; model based engineering; set based design; applied optimization
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute for Systems Engineering Research (ISER), U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC), Vicksburg, MS 39180, USA
Interests: systems engineering; control systems; resilience and reliability; space and aerospace systems; applied physics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR 72701, USA
Interests: systems engineering; decision quality; engineering and project management; engineering educationsystems engineering; decision quality; engineering and project management; engineering education
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Engineered systems are critical to the success of most private companies (e.g., oil and gas drilling, processing, and distribution systems) and public organizations (e.g., military and homeland security systems). However, these systems have become more complex, interconnected, automated, and costly to develop, operate, and support in the face of changing environments and new competition/adversaries. A resilient engineered system can be defined as “A system that is able to successfully complete its planned mission(s) in the face of a disruption (environmental or adversarial) and has capabilities to perform future missions with evolving threats.” This definition highlights the challenges of meeting planned missions and future missions with uncertain adversarial threats. Engineering managers, project managers, systems engineers, and systems analysts need new techniques to assess the potential resilience of engineered systems during system development that will enable future system operators to maintain critical system capabilities with evolving threats. This Special Issue focuses on the engineered systems resilience evaluation of design and operational options to enable future capability and extend the system life cycle.

Prof. Dr. Gregory S. Parnell
Prof. Dr. Ed Pohl
Dr. Randy Buchanan
Mr. Eric Specking
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • Engineering resilient systems
  • System resilience
  • Robust systems
  • Adaptive systems
  • Agile methods for resilience
  • Platform resilience
  • Mission resilience
  • Resilient infrastructures

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

37 pages, 12992 KiB  
Article
VERDICT: A Language and Framework for Engineering Cyber Resilient and Safe System
by Baoluo Meng, Daniel Larraz, Kit Siu, Abha Moitra, John Interrante, William Smith, Saswata Paul, Daniel Prince, Heber Herencia-Zapana, M. Fareed Arif, Moosa Yahyazadeh, Vidhya Tekken Valapil, Michael Durling, Cesare Tinelli and Omar Chowdhury
Systems 2021, 9(1), 18; https://doi.org/10.3390/systems9010018 - 3 Mar 2021
Cited by 17 | Viewed by 5297
Abstract
The ever-increasing complexity of cyber-physical systems is driving the need for assurance of critical infrastructure and embedded systems. However, traditional methods to secure cyber-physical systems—e.g., using cyber best practices, adapting mechanisms from information technology systems, and penetration testing followed by patching—are becoming ineffective. [...] Read more.
The ever-increasing complexity of cyber-physical systems is driving the need for assurance of critical infrastructure and embedded systems. However, traditional methods to secure cyber-physical systems—e.g., using cyber best practices, adapting mechanisms from information technology systems, and penetration testing followed by patching—are becoming ineffective. This paper describes, in detail, Verification Evidence and Resilient Design In anticipation of Cybersecurity Threats (VERDICT), a language and framework to address cyber resiliency. When we use the term resiliency, we mean hardening a system such that it anticipates and withstands attacks. VERDICT analyzes a system in the face of cyber threats and recommends design improvements that can be applied early in the system engineering process. This is done in two steps: (1) Analyzing at the system architectural level, with respect to cyber and safety requirements and (2) by analyzing at the component behavioral level, with respect to a set of cyber-resiliency properties. The framework consists of three parts: (1) Model-Based Architectural Analysis and Synthesis (MBAAS); (2) Assurance Case Fragments Generation (ACFG); and (3) Cyber Resiliency Verifier (CRV). The VERDICT language is an Architecture Analysis and Design Language (AADL) annex for modeling the safety and security aspects of a system’s architecture. MBAAS performs probabilistic analyses, suggests defenses to mitigate attacks, and generates attack-defense trees and fault trees as evidence of resiliency and safety. It can also synthesize optimal defense solutions—with respect to implementation costs. In addition, ACFG assembles MBAAS evidence into goal structuring notation for certification purposes. CRV analyzes behavioral aspects of the system (i.e., the design model)—modeled using the Assume-Guarantee Reasoning Environment (AGREE) annex and checked against cyber resiliency properties using the Kind 2 model checker. When a property is proved or disproved, a minimal set of vital system components responsible for the proof/disproof are identified. CRV also provides rich and localized diagnostics so the user can quickly identify problems and fix the design model. This paper describes the VERDICT language and each part of the framework in detail and includes a case study to demonstrate the effectiveness of VERDICT—in this case, a delivery drone. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Engineering Resilient Systems)
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23 pages, 2214 KiB  
Article
Will There Be Enough Water? A System Dynamics Model to Investigate the Effective Use of Limited Resources for Emergency Water Supply
by Lisa Bross and Steffen Krause
Systems 2021, 9(1), 2; https://doi.org/10.3390/systems9010002 - 8 Jan 2021
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3282
Abstract
The increased probability of occurrence of various hazards to water supply systems due to climate change requires the strengthening of their resilience through effective emergency preparedness planning. This paper introduces a method for the assessment of the resilience of water supply systems, including [...] Read more.
The increased probability of occurrence of various hazards to water supply systems due to climate change requires the strengthening of their resilience through effective emergency preparedness planning. This paper introduces a method for the assessment of the resilience of water supply systems, including emergency supply measures. With 20 uniquely defined emergency situations, the technical constellations for possible impairments of the water supply are documented. The system analysis developed for each emergency situation is then used to determine and prioritise all suitable supply measures to reduce the supply deficit. Based on the data of a water utility close to Frankfurt, Germany, the developed system dynamics model was used to examine the resource utilisation for the respective emergency situations and to estimate the amount of water provided. The model allows us to scrutinize and compare emergency water supply measures as well as to identify required resources. Furthermore, the method helps us to prioritize measures as well as to make decisions when planning and providing emergency water supply (EWS). Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Engineering Resilient Systems)
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