Simulation and anticipation of domino effects among critical infrastructures

Interdependencies among critical infrastructures (CIs) are the cause of domino effects that may have serious consequences for society. To limit the consequences of these phenomena, it is important to be able to anticipate any situation that may trigger a domino effect. To do so, it is necessary to have a good understanding of how CIs are interlinked and how they rely on each other to properly operate. Once this achieved, a system must be put in place in order to model the possible propagation of domino effects and to alert the right people at the right time in order for them to take proper action. This paper presents a prototype of an early warning system (EWS) designed to anticipate and model the propagation of failures among CIs. Called DOMINO, this system makes it possible to rapidly visualise, in time and space, the propagation of a domino effect and to promptly identify the critical infrastructures potentially impacted. Along with effective communication systems, such tool can facilitate the exchange of relevant information between infrastructures operators and managers enabling them to put in place mitigation measures and to limit the consequences of domino effects.