A layered approach to model interconnected infrastructure and its significance for asset management

Physical infrastructures facilitate much of societal and economic wellbeing of countries, regions and urban areas. In our increasingly urbanizing world, infrastructures in urban areas are densely located and interconnected. The effects of this interconnectedness are being studied increasingly, particularly in light of climate change effects. In this paper, we develop an agent-based simulation model that allows us to study interconnected infrastructure. We present a layered approach that is analogous to GIS overlay approaches, which allows us to integrate representations of different infrastructures. We explore how this approach can help asset managers to gain insights in interconnected infrastructure by estimating their total damage and repair requirements during a flood event. The results show a difference in these estimates, when compared to non-integrated models, highlighting the need for asset managers to consider interconnectedness in infrastructure

Modelling the Energy Transition: Towards an Application of Agent Based Modelling to Integrated Assessment Modelling

To attain a better understanding of the energy transition we have applied Agent Based Modelling (ABM) to Integrated Assessment Modelling (IAM) in an abstract model with which we developed a proof of concept model of society’s response to a changing climate and energy system. Although there is no doubt that large scale neoclassical IAMs have provided key insights for business decisions and policy makers, we argue that there is a need for an approach that focuses on the role of heterogeneous agents. With our abstract ABM based on agents with heterogeneously spread discount rates we were able to give a new perspective on appropriate discount rates in the discussion between mitigation and adaption to climate change. We concluded that applying ABM to IAM yields good prospects to the further development of the implementation of society’s response to a changing environment and we propose future additions of the model to include adaptive behaviour

Modelling the Energy Transition: Towards an Application of Agent Based Modelling to Integrated Assessment Modelling

To attain a better understanding of the energy transition we have applied Agent Based Modelling (ABM) to Integrated Assessment Modelling (IAM) in an abstract model with which we developed a proof of concept model of society’s response to a changing climate and energy system. Although there is no doubt that large scale neoclassical IAMs have provided key insights for business decisions and policy makers, we argue that there is a need for an approach that focuses on the role of heterogeneous agents. With our abstract ABM based on agents with heterogeneously spread discount rates we were able to give a new perspective on appropriate discount rates in the discussion between mitigation and adaption to climate change. We concluded that applying ABM to IAM yields good prospects to the further development of the implementation of society’s response to a changing environment and we propose future additions of the model to include adaptive behaviour

Fostering collaboration between practitioners and academics: managing public infrastructure

Public infrastructure management is an economic sustainability issue that can benefit from greater collaboration between practitioners and academics