what-when-how
In Depth Tutorials and Information
Chapter 9
RiskAnalysisin
SociotechnicalSystem
Jonathan Scott Corley and Fei Hu
Contents
9.1 Introduction.............................................................................................229
9.2 Bayesian Belief Network Approach for Risk Analysis [5]..........................230
9.3 Interagency Antiterrorism Information-Sharing Systems [14]...................235
9.4 Risk Analysis of Complex Sociotechnical Systems [15].............................237
9.5 Dynamic Networks: Modeling Change in Risky Environments [16] .......242
9.6 Conclusions..............................................................................................245
References ........................................................................................................ 246
9.1 Introduction
Risk analysis of sociotechnical systems is an important means of defining and ana-
lyzing possible threats to individuals, businesses, or the environments or systems
in which they function or participate. Risk analysis is performed in a multitude
of occupations ranging from engineering, computer science, social scientists, etc.
Civil engineers, for instance, will examine the performance of various structures,
possibly a building or bridge, by examining their ability to handle different condi-
tions of threat. Increasingly heavy loads could be applied to a small-scale bridge
in order to identify points of failure in regards to the structural integrity of the
bridge. Once identified, these points of failure allow the engineers to determine
what degrees of improvement need to be implemented in order to construct a safe
and dependable bridge. In general, the characteristics of a given system can only be
229
