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A Framework for Vulnerability Assessment of Electric Power Systems

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Book cover Critical Infrastructure

Part of the book series: Advances in Spatial Science ((ADVSPATIAL))

Abstract

The infrastructure of a society consists of facilities such as communications, power supplies, transportation, water supplies, and the stock of buildings. In a broad definition of infrastructure, it is also possible to include basic societal functions like education, national defense, and financial and judicial systems. Here, the notion critical infrastructure will refer to the collection of large technical systems, for example electric power grids, which form the basis for most activities in a modern society, and are of great importance for the economic prosperity. Today, critical infrastructure protection is also considered to be a matter of national security.1

American security policy makes a distinction between “homeland security” and “national security”. Critical infrastructure protection is identified as a “critical mission area” in the National Strategy for Homeland Security from 2002. However, protection of the infrastructures has traditionally been an integral part of the defense in countries such as Sweden and Norway (embraced by concepts such as “total defense” and “societal security”).

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Safety Research, Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), Sweden

    Åke J. Holmgren

  2. Swedish Defence Research Agency (FOI), Sweden

    Åke J. Holmgren

Authors
  1. Åke J. Holmgren
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geography, The Ohio State University, 1036 Derby Hall 154 North Oval Mall, Columbus, Ohio, 43210, USA

    Alan T. Murray

  2. Department of Geography, Indiana University, 701 Kirkwood Ave Student Building 120, Bloomington, Indiana, 47405-7100, USA

    Tony H. Grubesic

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© 2007 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Holmgren, Å.J. (2007). A Framework for Vulnerability Assessment of Electric Power Systems. In: Murray, A.T., Grubesic, T.H. (eds) Critical Infrastructure. Advances in Spatial Science. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-68056-7_3

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