Systems and methods for a resilient infrastructure simulation environment

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11722379-B2
Application number	US-202016808139-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 3, 2020
Priority date	Mar 4, 2019
Publication date	Aug 8, 2023
Grant date	Aug 8, 2023

Abstract

Various embodiments of an infrastructure modeling system that simulates vulnerability of critical interdependent infrastructures are disclosed herein.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system, comprising:
at least one computing device including one or more processors in communication with at least one memory, the at least one memory including instructions, which, when executed, cause the one or more processors to:
implement a model that generates an infrastructure simulation environment, wherein the one or more processors:
accesses a session associated with a client computing system via a predetermined communication dispatch connection that leverages websockets;
applies hypothetical stressors to the session based on input from a user interface including a cyber-attack to a plurality of coupled infrastructure networks associated with simulated infrastructures and display via the user interface a plurality of infrastructure network responses to the hypothetical stressors;
evaluates via a governor defined by the model a plurality of individual infrastructure network responses to the hypothetical stressors selected, examine one or more interconnections between coupled infrastructure systems, and incorporate one or more individual infrastructure network responses into each coupled individual infrastructure network response to combine the simulated infrastructures into a single simulation; and
facilitates, via a server defined by the model, communication between the user interface and the governor,
wherein to evaluate the plurality of individual infrastructure network responses to the hypothetical stressors the one or more processors leverage a governor calculation architecture, wherein
a main program including a main process creates an initial websocket that acts as a calculation server, and a main thread listens for user input that kills all other sub processes,
the calculation server serves as a factor that creates governors triggered by a request from an application server, the calculation server being a subthread of the main thread,
one or more of a governor processes defining a separate process created by the main process that creates another websocket connection to facilitate all communications for a single session,
one or more of a simulator processes defining a sub thread of the one or more governor process that creates processes for various calculation frameworks and packages and submits queries to an application database, and
one or more calculation processes that handle compartmentalized calculations, pre and post-processes data to perform customized algorithms that apply stress, or define behaviors outside normal operations of the calculation network.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the processor displays one or more metric representations of infrastructure network vulnerability via the user interface.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the metric representation of infrastructure network vulnerability includes one or more technical, financial, environmental, social or health metrics.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the processor displays via the user interface the plurality of infrastructure network responses provided by the governor in a geographical format or abstract topology.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the user interface displays the plurality of infrastructure network responses provided by the governor in textual format.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the user interface displays the plurality of infrastructure network responses provided by the governor in graphical format.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the user interface indicates the plurality of infrastructure network responses provided by the governor in an audible format.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the user interface includes altered topologies representative of infrastructure networks.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the processor evaluates the plurality of individual infrastructure network responses over a simulated period of time.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein a computing system executing the server communicates the hypothetical stressors and topologies representative of the infrastructure networks from the user interface to the governor for evaluation.

11. The system of claim 1 wherein under the predetermined communication dispatch a websocket communications protocol is leveraged such that each websocket client represents a user in the session and the predetermined communication dispatch filters communication by sessions and purpose to quickly deliver information to intended targets.

12. A method for resilient infrastructure modeling and simulated response, comprising:
implementing by at least one processor a model for generating a resilient infrastructure environment, including executing operations comprising:
generating a session associated with a client computing system via a predetermined communication dispatch, wherein the session simulates interdependencies associated with a plurality of simulated infrastructure networks within a single simulation, the session including a physics-based representation of infrastructure behavior for each of the plurality of simulated infrastructure networks; and
evaluating, via a calculation performed by the at least one processor executing a governor calculation framework, effects of a stressor applied to the session to any of the plurality of simulated infrastructure networks,
wherein the at least one processor creates a governor defined by the model that controls the single simulation of the session when an initial websocket client connection is made with the client computing system, the governor configured to take outputs of a plurality of modular native applications defining individual infrastructure simulators representative of individual utility network responses to stressors and incorporate complex dynamics of each utility network response into the session, and
wherein the at least one processor implements the governor calculation architecture to evaluate the effects of the stressor applied to the session to any of the plurality of simulated infrastructure networks, the governor calculation architecture including
a main program including a main process creates an initial web socket that acts as a calculation server, and a main thread listens for user input that kills all other sub processes,

wherein the calculation server serves as a factor that creates governors triggered by a request from an application server, the calculation server being a subthread of the main thread,
one or more of a governor process defining a separate process created by the main process that creates another websocket connection to facilitate all communications for a single session,
one or more of a simulator process defining a sub thread of the one or more governor process that creates processes for various calculation frameworks and packages and submits queries to an application database, and
one or more calculation processes that handle compartmentalized calculations, pre and post-processes data to perform customized algorithms that apply stress, or define behaviors outside normal operations of the calculation network.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein under the predetermined communication dispatch a websocket communications protocol is leveraged such that each websocket client represents a user in the session and the predetermined communication dispatch filters communication by sessions and purpose to quickly deliver information to intended targets.

Assignees

• Hamel Derek
• Johnson Nathan
• Scaglione Anna
• Chester Mikhail
• Morris Gary
• Bondank Emily
• Univ Arizona State

Inventors

• Hamel Derek
• Johnson Nathan
• Scaglione Anna
• Chester Mikhail
• Morris Gary
• Bondank Emily

Classifications

• H04L41/145 Primary

  involving simulating, designing, planning or modelling of a network · CPC title

• G06F3/0482

  Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus · CPC title

• H04L41/147

  for predicting network behaviour · CPC title

• H04L41/22

  comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI] · CPC title

• H04L63/1433

  Vulnerability analysis · CPC title