Critical Infrastructure and Resiliency
The nation’s critical infrastructure consists of sixteen essential sectors that make daily life possible. Any threat to these sectors, whether natural or manmade, could potentially debilitate U.S. homeland security, economic security, public health or safety. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) coordinates with public and private sector partners to help strengthen the security and resilience of the nation’s critical infrastructure through technical innovation.
Advances in automated technology, such as sensors, Internet of Things and cybersecurity protections can help those responsible for protecting critical infrastructure sectors more efficiently understand potential threats, run diagnostics, predict potential changes in their systems and strengthen the security and resiliency of these critical infrastructure systems. S&T manages DHS’s Support Anti-Terrorism by Fostering Effective Technologies (SAFETY) Act, which provides liability protections for these organizations and technologies. In addition, S&T sponsors the Critical Infrastructure Resilience Institute Center of Excellence, which collaborates with industry, DHS and other federal and state agencies to understand resilient infrastructure systems, application of critical infrastructure in the real world, building the business case for resilience, and the future of resilience.
From looking at how we detect and protect against the dangers of solar flares and helping communities predict storm surge and prepare for and respond to floods to helping improve the cybersecurity of the nation’s finance and energy sectors, S&T strengthens critical infrastructure security and resilience across multiple sectors through technical expertise and targeted solutions.
Current Projects and Programs
- 2016 White Sands Missile Range (WSMR) Electronic Jamming Exercise
- 2017 First Responder Electronic Jamming Exercise
- Application for Radiological Decontamination
- Broadband Demonstration Network—Developing Tools to Measure and Assess In-Building Coverage
- Canada-U.S. Enhanced Resilience Experiment Series (CAUSE) V
- Canada-U.S. Enhanced Resiliency Experiment (CAUSE)
- Communications and Networking Engine
- Countering Violent Extremism - Actionable Indicators and Countermeasures Project
- Critical Infrastructure Design and Adaptive Resilient Systems (CIDARS)
- Cybersecurity for Oil & Gas Systems (COGS)
- Data Analytics Engine
- Datacasting—Broadcasting Real-Time Video and Critical Data over Existing Digital Television Spectrum
- DHS S&T and Central United States Earthquake Consortium (CUSEC) Partnership Promotes Community Resilience
- Distributed Denial of Service Defense (DDoSD)
- Emergency Data Exchange Language Suite of Standards
- Finding Individuals for Disaster and Emergency Response (FINDER)
- First Responder Support Tools (FiRST) Application
- Flood Apex: Automated National Structures Inventory Project
- Flood Apex: Community Hazard Assessment and Mitigation Planning System (CHAMPS) Assessed to help Mitigate Disasters
- Flood Apex: Enhanced Resiliency Experiment Framework
- Flood Apex: Program Overview Rethinking America's Costliest Disaster Fact Sheet and Infographic
- Flood Apex: Smart Alerts Pilot Project
- Flood Apex: Utilizing the Landsat Mission and Spectral Indices to Automate Flood Extent Mapping
- Global Positioning System (GPS) Vulnerabilities for Critical Infrastructure
- Imaging System for Immersive Surveillance
- Improving Model Capabilities
- International Forum to Advance First Responder Innovation
- Internet of Things (IoT): Low-Cost Flood Inundation Sensors
- Low Light Internet Protocol Camera
- Machine-to-Machine Architectures to Improve First Responder Communications
- The Mandatory (Flood Insurance) Purchase Requirement (pdf, 19 pages, 946kb)
- Mobile Ad-hoc Networking (MANET) to Improve Public Safety Situational Awareness
- National Hurricane Program Technology Modernization HURREVAC-eXtended (HV-X)
- NATO/Next Generation Incident Command System (NICS) Pilot Project
- Next Generation Cyber Infrastructure Apex and Infographic
- Next Generation First Responder (NGFR)
- Next Generation First Responder (NGFR) Communication Hub
- Next Generation First Responder (NGFR) Integration Demo
- Next Generation First Responder (NGFR) Internet of Things (IoT)
- Next Generation Incident Command System (NICS)
- Prepaid Card Reader
- Project 25 Compliance Assessment Program (P25 CAP)
- Radio Internet-Protocol Communications Module (RIC-M)
- Radiological Emergency Management System (REMS)
- Radiological/Nuclear Response and Recovery Research & Development
- Rapid DNA
- RDD Planning Guidance
- Resilient Electric Grid (REG)
- Resilient Tunnel Project
- Responder Training and Exercise Program (RTE)
- Response and Defeat Operations Support (REDOPS)
- Safeguarding Grand Central Terminal
- SAFETY Act for Liability Protection
- Situational Awareness and Decision Support Engine
- Smart Cities
- Smart City Interoperability Reference Architecture
- Standards for Drinking Water Resilience: Infrastructure Resilience Assessment Project
- S&T Standards Improving the Level of Preparedness and Resilience in the Private Sector Against All-Hazards
- S&T Standards Protecting the Nation Against White Powder Attacks
- Turbo FRMAC Expansion
- Urban Operational Experimentation (OpEx)
- Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA)
Available Technologies and Projects
The following technologies and projects are available either commercially or from S&T. Review each product for contact information.
- Cybersecurity for Energy Systems
- Distributed Denial of Service Defense Project
- Plan Integration for Resilience Scorecard
Additional Resources
The following resources will provide more information about some of our projects.
Videos
- Strengthening the Nation's Critical Infrastructure
- SAFETY Act Implementation Video
- Linking Oil and Gas Industry to Improve Cybersecurity (LOGIIC)
- Time-lapse Video of S&T's Tunnel Plug
News
Visit the Critical Infrastructure and Resilience News page for recent news products.
- Feature Article: Upcoming S&T Guidance Will Improve Critical Infrastructure Resilience
- Feature Article: New Guidebooks Help Urban Communities Install Low-Cost Sensors to Reduce Flood Risks
- Snapshot: S&T Brings Partners Together to InSPIRE Disaster Preparedness and Resilience Innovation
- News Release: DHS S&T Invites Critical Infrastructure Owners & Operators to GPS Spoofing Test Event
- Snapshot: S&T-Funded SABER Helps Communities Get Back to Business During and After Disasters
- Snapshot: High School Students Can Save Lives Too
- News Release: DHS S&T, National Pork Board Collaborate Against African Swine Fever
- News Release: DHS Awards 159K for Infrastructure to Prevent Credential Fraud
- Snapshot: In the Near Future, Synthetic Opioids will have a Tougher Time Sneaking into the U.S. via International Mail or Express Carriers
- Blog: S&T Technologies: Supporting Hurricane Dorian Response
For more information on how to work with us visit our Business Opportunities page or review our Industry Guide.