Definition and Selection of Critical Assets

CAMS defines a critical asset as:

“any structure, assembly or feature which, if damaged or lost, would reduce the resilience of a city or state in the face of a disaster, or in the aftermath”

Examples of what this definition might include are:

• All key infrastructure systems and components thereof – communications, energy, water, sanitation, transportation, hospitals …
• All emergency response assets – emergency response equipment, sensors, control rooms …
• Redundant or dual-purpose assets that may become critical in an emergency – schools used as shelters, backup power supplies …
• Assets or features that may be many miles from the city – dams, levees, energy grid links …
• Natural systems nearby and also perhaps many miles away – forests that reduce flash flooding, dunes or reefs that attenuate storm surges, trees that reduce urban heat…
• Assets that are important to economic recovery – business premises, data centers …
• Assets that are important to community recovery – community centers, welfare offices, churches …
• Plans affecting any of the above.
• Data about any of the above.

You could add to this list anything that may be critical to your city or country.

However, we recognize that with a definition this broad, critical assets will be in the hands of multiple owners in the public and/or private sectors.  It may not be immediately possible to have access to the necessary data for all of the systems involved.  You are encouraged to get started with what you have and make plans in discussions with other asset owners to include their data later.  There are three keys to successfully pursuing these discussions:

• Make sure that asset owners realize that they do not lose control of their data. They supply the items they choose to supply to CAMS – CAMS does not go “digging about” in their systems.
• Make sure that asset owners realize that they will get back more than they give. In return for supplying data about the assets in their systems, they will get a complete picture of who depends on them and who in turn they depend on.  This will allow discussions about improving mutual resilience.
• Make sure that asset owners realize that CAMS is very secure and has a role-based structure that designates who can see which data.  CAMS will NOT indiscriminately release sensitive data to the public.  If required, certain data can also be designated only for viewing by specific parties who may be using CAMS (consistently with enabling effective collaboration with those parties).