Abstract for: Working with "living" models: Emergent methodological contributions from modeling for critical infrastructure protection

Critical infrastructures are increasingly automated and interdependent, subject to possibly cascading vulnerabilities due to equipment failures, natural disasters, and terrorist attacks. The government seeks to ensure that disruptions are infrequent, brief, manageable, and cause the least harm possible. The system dynamics (SD) approach is particularly promising in understanding these complex systems, interactions, and issues. Problems in critical infrastructure protection are being investigated with a collection of SD models developed expressly for these concerns, including agriculture models. This paper discusses the technical and social modeling context that makes this SD modeling effort seem uncommon. It involves a modular approach, a model reassembling technology, a formal process for testing and evaluation, and a social process to manage the development and use of "living" models.