Editing Infrastructure

== Definition ==

=== Geospatial data ===

'''Infrastructure''' is

{{Quote|[a] reliable, supporting environment, analogous to a road or [[telecommunications network]], that facilitates the [[access]] to geographically-related [[information]] using a minimum set of standard practices, [[protocol]]s and [[specification]]s.<ref>[http://www.geoconnections.ca/en/resourcetool/glossary GeoConnections, Glossary & Acronyms].</ref>}}

=== Information technology ===

'''Infrastructure''' means the [[computer]] and communication [[hardware]], [[software]], [[database]]s, people, and policies supporting an [[enterprise]]'s [[information management]] functions.

=== Internet ===

'''Infrastructure''' is

{{Quote|the basic physical structures and facilities (e.g., buildings and [[cable]]s) needed for the operation of the [[Internet]]. In order to build a worldwide [[network]] of [[network]]s, the so-called [[Internet]], the supporting [[infrastructure]] is crucial.<ref>[[Threat Landscape and Good Practice Guide for Internet Infrastructure]], at 6.</ref>}}

=== Security ===

'''Infrastructure''' is 

{{Quote|the framework of interdependent [[network]]s and [[system]]s comprising identifiable industries, institutions (including people and procedures), and distribution capabilities that provide a reliable flow of products and services essential to the defense and economic security of the United States, the smooth functioning of government at all levels, and society as a whole.<ref>[[President's Commission on Critical Infrastructure Protection]], [[Critical Foundations: Protecting America’s Infrastructures]], Glossary (Oct. 1997) ([http://cip.gmu.edu/archive/5_PCCIPCriticalFoundations_1097_full_report.pdf full-text]).</ref>}}

Consistent with the definition in the [[Homeland Security Act of 2002]], infrastructure includes [[physical infrastructure|physical]], [[cyber]], and/or human elements.

== Overview ==

One characteristic of infrastructure is that it is deeply ''[[embed]]ded'' in the way we do our work. When it works efficiently, it is ''invisible:'' we use it without really thinking about it. When we drive a car, we rely on an infrastructure that includes physical systems of minor and major roads; societal and governmental systems for licensing drivers, setting speed limits, and codifying driver conduct; and economic systems of license fees and gasoline taxes to maintain and expand the roads.

Infrastructure becomes an ''installed'' base on which other things are built. Because it is extensive and expensive, infrastructure tends to be ''built incrementally,'' not all at once nor everywhere at once.

== Vulnerabilities ==

Real [[vulnerabilities]] also exist. Infrastructures have always been subject to local or regional outages resulting from earthquakes, storms, and floods. Their owners and operators, in cooperation with local, state, and federal [[emergency service]]s, have demonstrated their capacity to restore services efficiently. [[Physical vulnerabilities]] to man-made threats, such as arson and bombs, are likewise not new. But [[physical vulnerabilities]] take on added significance as new capabilities to exploit them emerge, including chemical, biological, and even nuclear weapons. As weapons of mass destruction proliferate, the likelihood of their use by [[terrorist]]s increases.

== References ==
<references />

== Source ==

* "Overview" section: [[Our Cultural Commonwealth]], at 6 (emphasis in original).
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-== Definitions ==
+== Definition ==
-=== General ===
-The term '''infrastructure'''
-{{Quote|has been used since the 1920s to refer collectively to the roads, [[power grid]]s, [[telephone system]]s, bridges, rail lines, and similar public works that are required for an [[industrial economy]] to function. Although good infrastructure is often taken for granted and noticed only when it stops functioning, it is among the most complex and expensive thing that society creates.<ref>[[Revolutionizing Science and Engineering through Cyberinfrastructure]], at 5.</ref>}}
 === Geospatial data ===