Communication Network Reliability under geographically correlated
failures using Probabilistic Seismic Hazard Analysis
Abstract
The reliability of networks exposed to large disasters has grasped the
research community’s attention and has become a critical concern in
network studies during the last decade. Looking at the damages caused by
recent disasters, with earthquakes top the list of those showing more
significant impacts on communication networks, and simultaneously, the
least predictable events. This study uses the Probabilistic Seismic
Hazard Analysis method to estimate the network element state after an
earthquake. The approach considers a seismic source model and ground
prediction equations to assess the intensity measure for each element
according to its location. In the simulation, nodes fail according to
the building’s fragility curves. Similarly, links fail according to a
failure rate estimated based on the intensity measure and the cable’s
characteristics. We use the source-terminal, and the diameter
constrained reliability metrics. The approach goes beyond the graph
representation of the network accounting for the seismic risk in the
geographical region where the network is embedded. Incorporating the
terrain characteristics and the component’s robustness into the network
performance analysis at an a ordable computational cost.