scope:

Scope & Outline

The Undersea Cable Infrastructure (UCI) has become a critical component of the global telecommunications infrastructure. No metrics currently exist to assess and track the robustness (resiliency, reliability, vulnerability, and growth) of the UCI. This Technical Report (TR) provides background information, a set of factors that influence the robustness, metrics associated with these factors, and a method of visualizing (based on an international standard) the metrics in a single diagram. The visualization methodology could be used by assorted interested parties.

This TR is organized as follows:

• Clause 1 - Scope & Outline.

• Clause 2 - Normative References.

• Clause 3 - Definitions, Acronyms, & Abbreviations.

• Clause 4 - Introduction to Undersea

Cables: A description of the UCI and commonly used configurations, with comments on the advantages of each. Additionally, a description of general risks to the UCI is included.

• Clause 5 - Factors & Considerations: Discusses how select portions of the total UCI could be grouped and then describes factors that contribute to the resiliency, reliability, vulnerability, and growth of the portions of the network.

• Clause 6 - Selection of Parameters for Robustness: Describes possible metrics associated with the factors described in Clause 5.

• Clause 7 - One-view Visualization Methodology: describes and demonstrates a method for viewing the metrics described in Clause 6. Additionally, Clause 7 provides some insight into how the plots might be used by interested parties.

• Clause 8 - Further Considerations.