Using Simulation to Understand and Respond to Real World and Cyber Crises

Abstract

Crisis situations require decisions to be made rapidly and under higher pressure than under normal circumstances. In many cases, not all of the information required to make an optimal decision will be readily available, meaning decisions will need to be made with limited information or as information is being collected. This chapter considers how simulation can be used to prepare for and respond to crisis situations, both in the real world and in the cyber realm. To this end, prior uses of simulations are reviewed. Then a paradigm for the use of simulation to prepare for and respond to real-world and cyber crises is proposed and evaluated using four case studies. From this, general conclusions are drawn, and areas for additional study are identified.