1 00:00:09,300 --> 00:00:14,000 Hi everybody, welcome back to the course. 2 00:00:14,000 --> 00:00:17,770 In the previous weeks, you have learned to define infrastructure 3 00:00:17,770 --> 00:00:24,130 systems as complex socio-technical systems - and you have seen how today's large scale 4 00:00:24,130 --> 00:00:28,880 infrastructure networks evolved over decades and even centuries, 5 00:00:28,880 --> 00:00:32,730 driven by emerging needs and technologies. 6 00:00:32,730 --> 00:00:38,200 Conceptually we can separate the physical network and the multi-actor network, 7 00:00:38,200 --> 00:00:42,530 but in practice they are inseparable. 8 00:00:42,530 --> 00:00:49,530 Like two sides of a coin, they are both part of one and the same infra-system. 9 00:00:49,840 --> 00:00:56,680 Now, if we diagnose a problem in one of our infrastructures, 10 00:00:56,680 --> 00:01:00,350 it is clearly impossible, or very impractical, 11 00:01:00,350 --> 00:01:04,750 to include the entire system in our problem definition. 12 00:01:04,750 --> 00:01:10,100 We have to come up with a meaningful system delineation for the problem at hand. 13 00:01:10,100 --> 00:01:15,600 That is quite a challenge as infra-systems are characterized by fuzzy borders, 14 00:01:15,600 --> 00:01:18,909 as you will see in this weeks course modules. 15 00:01:18,909 --> 00:01:25,909 A meaningful system delineation for a given problem entails that you focus on the relevant 16 00:01:26,060 --> 00:01:32,070 geographical scale level, that you focus on the relevant time constant, 17 00:01:32,070 --> 00:01:37,350 on the relevant actors and on the relevant institutions. 18 00:01:37,350 --> 00:01:43,020 For instance: Are you dealing with a problem that requires intervention by a supranational 19 00:01:43,020 --> 00:01:48,900 authority - or is it something that can be solved at the local level? 20 00:01:48,979 --> 00:01:52,910 Are you dealing with a problem in infrastructure operation, 21 00:01:52,910 --> 00:02:01,800 or is it concerned with securing future infrastructure performance over a longer time scale of several decades? 22 00:02:02,470 --> 00:02:06,280 And are you dealing with a problem that originates within the same infra-system 23 00:02:06,280 --> 00:02:13,280 - or is its root cause originating from another infra-system? 24 00:02:14,400 --> 00:02:21,400 It may be disconcerting to realize how interdependent our infrastructure systems are: 25 00:02:21,500 --> 00:02:27,069 without electricity, mobile telecommunications will break down. 26 00:02:27,069 --> 00:02:31,390 Without telecommunications, the electricity infrastructure itself will 27 00:02:31,390 --> 00:02:34,430 stop functioning properly. 28 00:02:34,430 --> 00:02:40,540 The interdependencies and interactions between different infrastructures explain why it is 29 00:02:40,540 --> 00:02:45,050 so difficult to restore basic services after natural disasters, 30 00:02:45,050 --> 00:02:48,510 such as hurricanes, floods and earthquakes. 31 00:02:48,510 --> 00:02:54,420 We are, in fact, dealing with a system-of-systems in which 32 00:02:54,420 --> 00:02:58,050 a local fault, if it cannot be contained, 33 00:02:58,050 --> 00:03:05,050 may propagate across national borders and across different infrastructure sectors. 34 00:03:05,900 --> 00:03:12,900 This week we will see why interconnected infrastructure systems were brought into being. 35 00:03:14,540 --> 00:03:19,180 Once you understand the mechanisms and driving forces, 36 00:03:19,180 --> 00:03:24,900 you may be able to judge for yourself whether or not the benefits of network expansion and 37 00:03:24,900 --> 00:03:31,900 interconnection outweigh the risks and vulnerabilities of interconnection. 38 00:03:31,950 --> 00:03:39,600 You will also see that the borders between different infra-systems are becoming only fuzzier, 39 00:03:39,600 --> 00:03:44,300 as infra-systems are acquiring new functionalities. 40 00:03:44,300 --> 00:03:48,040 You can now access the internet through your tv cable, 41 00:03:48,040 --> 00:03:51,819 through your mobile phone, through your laptop and through your PC, 42 00:03:51,819 --> 00:03:56,959 with a choice of fixed and wireless networks to hook on to. 43 00:03:56,959 --> 00:04:02,340 This is only possible because the operators of all these different multi-functional communication 44 00:04:02,340 --> 00:04:08,890 networks agreed on interoperability standards. 45 00:04:08,890 --> 00:04:12,930 Also within mono-functional infrastructure systems, 46 00:04:12,930 --> 00:04:21,200 such as railway systems and electricity infrastructure, interconnectivity and interoperability standards 47 00:04:21,270 --> 00:04:28,900 are key to ensuring the smooth functioning of interconnected multi-national infrastructure systems. 48 00:04:29,720 --> 00:04:34,520 In other words, this week's course material will show you 49 00:04:34,520 --> 00:04:37,990 the increasing complexity of infrastructure systems, 50 00:04:37,990 --> 00:04:42,979 caused by expansion and interconnection of infrastructure systems, 51 00:04:42,979 --> 00:04:49,900 across national borders and across the borders between infrastructure sectors. 52 00:04:49,900 --> 00:04:51,900 Thank you for your attention.