Browsing by Author "Amaratunga D"

Now showing 1 - 5 of 5
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    A unified framework for evaluating the resilience of critical infrastructure: Delphi survey approach
    (Elsevier B.V., 2024-06-26) Rathnayaka B; Robert D; Adikariwattage V; Siriwardana C; Meegahapola L; Setunge S; Amaratunga D
    This study advocates establishing an indicator system for Critical Infrastructure (CI) resilience assessment to ensure consistency and comparability in future endeavors. Resilience has emerged as a fundamental framework for effectively managing the performance of CIs in response to the challenges posed by disaster events. However, it is evident that a lack of uniformity exists in the choice and standardization of resilience assessment across the identified frameworks. This paper proposes key attributes for facilitating resilience assessment of CIs using an in-depth literature survey for identification and two rounds of Delphi survey in the Sri Lankan context for their verification. The literature survey has analyzed the resilience assessment attributes under four types of capacities: planning (anticipative), absorptive, restorative, and adaptive. Twenty-seven resilience attributes (Planning: 6; Absorptive: 12; Restorative: 6; Adaptive: 3) under different capacities were identified, including sub-indicators for evaluating each resilience attribute. Outcomes of the Delphi survey were analyzed through descriptive statistics. The proposed attributes received high levels of agreement from the experts, indicating their suitability and applicability for assessing the resilience of the CIs. The mean ratings of the attributes varied from 4.0 to 5.0, with the majority exceeding 4.5 out of 5. The evaluation of these attributes will be useful for assessing the resilience capacity of the CIs and thereby to model the overall resilience of the CIs. The results of this study will provide a solid basis for formulating hypotheses in future research aimed at assessing CI resilience.
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    Evaluating the network of stakeholders in Multi-Hazard Early Warning Systems for multiple hazards amidst biological outbreaks: Sri Lanka as a case in point.
    (Elsevier B.V., 2022-04-18) Jayasekara R; Siriwardana C; Amaratunga D; Haigh R
    Synergized impacts of simultaneous hazards amidst COVID-19 have called for the need for highly collaborative multi-sectoral approaches for disaster preparedness planning. In such a context, this study aims at evaluating the network of stakeholders in the National Early Warning System of Sri Lanka during preparedness planning. Social Network Analysis was used to visualise the network of stakeholders for selected hazard scenarios. Furthermore, a series of key informant interviews were conducted focusing on disaster preparedness planning during the recent multiple hazard scenarios. The findings highlight the need for a framework to guide the stakeholder coordination in preparedness planning for multiple hazards.
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    Identifying and prioritizing climate change adaptation measures in the context of electricity, transportation and water infrastructure: A case study
    (Elsevier B.V., 2023-11-17) Rathnayaka B; Robert D; Siriwardana C; Adikariwattage VV; Pasindu HR; Setunge S; Amaratunga D
    Climate Change Adaptation (CCA) has become a vital measure within every nation due to the significant impacts posed by climate change on Critical Infrastructures (CIs) and human lives. Despite scholars' identification of possible impacts on CIs, a lack of consideration for CCA measures to mitigate these impacts can be observed. This study aims to identify and prioritize CCA measures in the assets and infrastructure of critical sectors; electricity, transportation, and water supply considering Sri Lanka as a case study. The present study employed an Analytical Hierarchical Process (AHP) to prioritize CCA measures of these three infrastructure sectors as a system considering their interconnected and systematic nature. The prioritization process was informed by 42 open-ended expert interviews, and these interviews were also instrumental in validating the criteria used to evaluate the CCA measures. The study identified and discussed several CCA measures for different stages of the infrastructure life cycle, including planning, design and construction, and maintenance and retrofitting. The CCA measures were prioritized based on eight criteria obtained from a detailed review analysis. The results revealed that an asset management system at the planning stage is the most significant CCA measure for CIs. Furthermore, the study emphasizes that proper planning of evacuation routes, consideration of operational loads imposed by climate change, and nature-based solutions are significant CCA measures that need to be incorporated during infrastructure development. The outcome from this study provides insights for built environment professionals to adapt infrastructures to climate change. Additionally, the results of the study can be integrated into the rules and regulations of the developing countries to enhance climate resilience within the built environment.
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    Need for strong university-industry partnerships: A case study in Sri Lanka
    (EDP Sciences, 2018-11-14) Randil C; Jayasiri G; Perera C; Siriwardana C; Liyanage C; Hettiarachchi SSL; Haigh R; Hakam A; Shin EC; Haigh R; Comfort L; Amaratunga D; Ismail IFA; Ophiyandri T; Haris S; Fauzan F; Hidayat B; Yosritzal Y; Istijono B; Herdianto R; Saravanan S
    University-Industry Partnerships (UIPs) in the field of DRR have produced several innovative tools, services, and advancements in industrial applications globally. However, from the Sri Lankan perspective, the level of UIPs appear to be significantly lower compared to the global context. In Sri Lanka, a country that has suffered a lot from natural disasters such as landslides and floods especially over the past few years, DRR activities are undertaken by the governmental and private sector organizations and volunteers, mostly as separate entities. This could lead to inefficiencies, overlapping of efforts, and also to the reinvention of the wheel. The Universities as Higher Education Institutions have a key role to play in bringing the aforementioned stakeholders together not only to strengthen the work they do by effective partnerships but also to come up with innovative solutions through research and development. The purpose of this paper is to explore how effective UIPs can be created in Sri Lanka to achieve the above by exploring; 1) current status of UIPs in Sri Lanka; 2) barriers to creating UIPs; 3) needs and opportunities for creating UIPs; 4) identifying best practices in creating strong and sustainable UIPs. The purpose will be fulfilled with the use of a literature review and by gathering stakeholder opinions. The research findings revealed that there is a need to develop a policy that addresses the aspects of knowledge diffusion, production, engagement, increasing the exposure of the academia for the industry and capacity building in universities. This is in order to tackle key barriers to creating UIPs. There is also a need for strong and effective leadership initiatives from universities to ensure sustainability of UIPs in Sri Lanka.
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    Novel methodology for resilience assessment of critical infrastructure considering the interdependencies: A case study in water, transportation and electricity sector
    (Elsevier Ltd, 2025-03) Rathnayaka B; Robert D; Adikariwattage V; Siriwardana C; Kuligowski E; Setunge S; Amaratunga D
    Critical Infrastructures (CI) are vital for societal and economic stability, yet their resilience against disasters remains inadequately understood with the increasing interdependencies among the CIs. A better understanding of these interdependencies and the dynamic nature of CI functionalities is crucial for advancing disaster resilience assessment within engineering systems. This paper introduces a novel approach using a Dynamic Bayesian Network (DBN) to assess resilience in interdependent CI systems. The DBN method enables a probabilistic evaluation of system resilience by incorporating interdependencies and capturing the temporal dynamics of system capacities. This approach offers a more detailed perspective on resilience by modelling system functionality using expected values of different functionality states over time. Using a case study in Sri Lankan electricity, water distribution, and road infrastructure sectors and 34 experts, this study examines the complex network of CIs. It demonstrates the applicability of the proposed methodology. P-values of the Chi-Square test performed between the variation of model-predicted resilience and expert assessments are significantly less than 0.05, confirming the model's validity. Additionally, this study explores the expansion of the methodology for resilience assessment under multiple hazards, emphasizing its real-world effectiveness. The findings highlight the efficacy of the proposed methodology and its potential to assist asset managers, owners, and decision-makers in informed resilience planning and optimization strategies. This comprehensive approach fills critical gaps in existing methodologies, offering a robust framework for assessing CI resilience in a dynamic and systematic nature.