Graph-based Modeling and Simulation of Emergency Services Communication Systems

Abstract

Emergency Services Communication Systems (ESCS) are evolving intoInternet Protocol (IP)-based communication networks, promising enhancements to their function, availability, and resilience. This increase in complexity and cyber-attack surface demands a better understanding of these systems' breakdown dynamics under extreme circumstances. Existing ESCS research largely overlooks simulation and the little work that exists focuses primarily on specific cybersecurity threats and neglects critical factors such as the non-stationarity of call arrivals. This paper introduces a robust, adaptable graph-based simulation framework and essential mathematical models for ESCS simulation. The framework uses a graph representation of ESCS networks where each vertex is a communicating finite-state machine that exchanges messages along edges and whose behavior is governed by a discrete event queuing model. Call arrival burstiness and its connection to emergency incidents are modeled through a cluster point process. The model applicability is demonstrated through simulations of the Seattle Police Department ESCS. Ongoing work is developing GPU implementations of these models and exploring the use of simulations in cybersecurity tabletop exercises.