On the Role of Protocol-Driven Resilience in Coupled Infrastructure and Natural System Resilience

Lifeline infrastructure systems have always been crucial to the social, economic, and military security of societies. Because lifeline systems are critical to societal coherence and economic operations, assessing and mitigating risks to lifeline system operations is crucial. However, attention has shifted from risk assessment to resilience assessment due to the exceptionally large adaptation and mitigation needs implied by the geographic and temporal scope of natural and man-made hazards. The goal of this commentary is to introduce the concept of protocol-driven resilience. Protocol-driven resilience refers to the way in which the network of human relationships, operating protocols, evolving objectives, and information sharing processes produces resilient system behavior. Protocols are the formal and informal rules, and formal and informal processes that govern the nature, quality, and quantity of connectivity and interaction between the coupled system's physical and human components. Protocols are crucial to resilience of coupled infrastructure and natural systems because although the physical components of the infrastructure are relatively static, the protocols are dynamic and decomposable. We assert that the resilience of a system should be assessed by studying the range or diversity of conditions under which a protocol set preserves relationships. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2018;14:578-580. © 2018 SETAC.