RESILIENCE-ENV
Resilience Envelopes is a sociotechnical framework that integrates Agile DSRM with resilience engineering principles to maintain AI system validity across physical, cyber, and human domains. The framework introduces dynamic operational boundaries maintained through A-DSRM iterations for critical infrastructure protection.
Nature Communications Engineering
Impact Factor: Multidisciplinary • Timeline: 6-8 months
DSRM Lifecycle Coverage
Artifact Overview
Critical infrastructure systems increasingly deploy AI for operational efficiency but face fundamental resilience challenges under coordinated cyber-physical attacks. Traditional security approaches treat AI as a static component rather than an evolving research artifact whose safety properties must be continuously re-established.
Engineers, policymakers, critical infrastructure operators, and organizations responsible for AI systems in electric grids, water treatment, and transportation.
Deployment4 metrics
Key Contributions
First resilience envelope concept for AI in critical infrastructure
Cross-standard compliance demonstration (NIST, ISA, SAE, EU)
18-month longitudinal validation with real operator data
Paper Structure
Section 1
AI in Critical Infrastructure Crisis
Section 2
Resilience Engineering Foundations
Section 3
Resilience Envelope Framework
Section 4
Case Studies: Grid, Water, Transportation
Section 5
Standards Compliance Mapping
Section 6
Policy Recommendations
1. Problem Statement & Operational Motivation
Critical infrastructure systems increasingly deploy AI for operational efficiency but face fundamental resilience challenges under coordinated cyber-physical attacks. Traditional security approaches treat AI as a static component rather than an evolving research artifact whose safety properties must be continuously re-established.
This problem arises in the context of engineers, policymakers, critical infrastructure operators, and organizations responsible for ai systems in electric grids, water treatment, and transportation. and reflects constraints commonly encountered in production systems, including scale, adversarial behavior, regulatory requirements, and operational continuity.
2. Artifact Description
Resilience Envelopes is a sociotechnical framework that integrates Agile DSRM with resilience engineering principles to maintain AI system validity across physical, cyber, and human domains. The framework introduces dynamic operational boundaries maintained through A-DSRM iterations for critical infrastructure protection.
The artifact is designed to be identity-first, treating authentication, authorization, federation, and policy enforcement as the primary control plane. It is intended to function under real operational conditions rather than idealized assumptions.
3. Design Science Research Methodology (DSRM) Mapping
RESILIENCE-ENV follows DSRM with research contributions expressed as an operational artifact.
• Problem Identification & Motivation
The operational problem was defined based on observed risks and limitations in existing systems.
• Design & Development
RESILIENCE-ENV is built on the following design principles:
- AI systems as evolving research artifacts requiring continuous validation
- Resilience envelopes as dynamic operational boundaries
- A-DSRM cycles for safety property re-establishment
- Cross-domain validity across physical, cyber, and human factors
• Build
The framework defines resilience envelope specifications, A-DSRM integration patterns for sociotechnical systems, compliance mapping to NIST CSF, CISA Performance Goals, and EU AI Act requirements, and practical implementation guidelines.
• Demonstration
Longitudinal analysis of 18-month deployments across electric grids (IEEE 1547-2018), water treatment (ISA/IEC 62443), and transportation (SAE J3061) with real operator data.
• Evaluation
A-DSRM-managed systems maintained 99.95% availability during sustained adversarial campaigns, compared to 76.2% for conventionally managed systems across 18 months of longitudinal deployment.
• Communication
The artifact is documented as a citable protocol object and connected to research notes, simulation plans, and deployment guidance.
4. Evaluation & Evidence
Evaluation Method: Deployment
Evaluation Metrics:
- System availability under sustained adversarial campaigns (99.95% vs 76.2% baseline)
- Standards compliance coverage (NIST, ISA, SAE, EU)
- Operator adoption and usability
- Mean time to resilience restoration
Evaluation Contexts:
- 18-month longitudinal deployment across three national-scale infrastructures
- Electric grid compliance (IEEE 1547-2018)
- Water treatment security (ISA/IEC 62443)
- Transportation safety (SAE J3061)
The evaluation approach treats the environment as adversarial and constrained. RESILIENCE-ENV is not assessed on theoretical correctness alone; it is assessed on whether it can deliver trustworthy behavior under realistic deployment assumptions.
5. Key Citations & Foundations
- •Hollnagel (2011) - Resilience engineering foundations
- •Leveson (2011) - STAMP/STPA safety engineering
- •Woods (2018) - Resilience in complex systems
6. Applicability & Use Cases
RESILIENCE-ENV applies to:
Use cases include:
- Architecture design and review
- Security control implementation
- Research extension and replication
- Teaching and laboratory exercises
- Policy and governance analysis
7. Limitations & Scope
Requires organizational commitment to continuous validation culture. Initial deployment complexity higher than static approaches. Regulatory compliance mapping requires jurisdiction-specific adaptation.
8. Iteration & Evolution
Framework continuously updated based on operational feedback, emerging threat intelligence, and regulatory evolution (particularly EU AI Act implementation).
9. How to Cite This Artifact
J. Nsoh, "Resilient Cyber-Physical AI: A-DSRM Framework for Adaptive Critical Infrastructure Protection," Nature Communications Engineering, 2025. Available: https://jovita.io/artifacts/resilience-envelopes
10. Related Research & Teaching
11. License & Availability
License: CC BY 4.0
Last Updated: 2025-12-05
Where applicable, reference implementations and simulation configurations will be published as linked materials under this artifact record.
RESILIENCE-ENV represents an applied research contribution produced through Design Science Research Methodology. Its value lies not only in correctness, but in whether it can be implemented, evaluated, and trusted in real operational environments.