Our research is on large-scale data analytics and machine learning for networks. Our research seeks real-world applications important to our society. These problems motivate new methodologies on data analytics and learning in a networked setting. Recent work includes
- Resilient energy networks and impact on people,
- Spatial temporal models for learning from micro data at scale.
In collaboration with colleagues, service providers and policy makers, our research uses field data from large geographical regions in the United States. We welcome collaboration.
Recent publication and news
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S.C. Ganz, C. Duan and C. Ji, “Socioeconomic vulnerability and differential impact of severe weather-induced power outages,” PNAS Nexus, Volume 2, Issue 10, October 2023, pgad295, https://doi.org/10.1093/pnasnexus/pgad295
Abstract: In response to concerns about increasingly intense Atlantic hurricanes, new federal climate and environmental justice policies aim to mitigate the unequal impact of environmental disasters on economically and socially vulnerable communities. Recent research emphasizes that standard procedures for restoring power following extreme weather could be one significant contributor to these divergent outcomes. Our paper evaluates the hypothesis that more economically and socially vulnerable communities experience longer-duration power outages following hurricanes than less vulnerable communities do, conditional on the severity of the impact of the storm itself. Using data from eight major Atlantic hurricanes that made landfall between January 2017 and October 2020 and induced power outages for over 15 million customers in 588 counties in the Southeast, we demonstrate a significant relationship between socioeconomic vulnerability and the duration of time that elapses before power is restored for 95% of customers in a county. Specifically, a one-decile change in the socioeconomic status theme in the Social Vulnerability Index, a measure of vulnerability produced by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, produces a 6.1% change in expected outage duration in a focal county. This is equivalent to a 170-min average change in the period of time prior to power restoration.
- IEEE PES Task Force, AM Stanković, KL Tomsovic, F De Caro, M Braun, JH Chow, N Äukalevski, I Dobson, J Eto, B Fink, C Hachmann, D Hill, C Ji, JA Kavicky, V Levi, CC Liu, L Mili, R Moreno, M Panteli, FD Petit, G Sansavini, C Singh, AK Srivastava, K Strunz, H Sun, Y Xu, S Zhao, “Methods for Analysis and Quantification of Power System Resilience,” IEEE Transactions on Power Systems, Early Access, P1-14, Oct. 2022 [PDF]
Abstract: This paper summarizes the report prepared by an IEEE PES Task Force. Resilience is a fairly new technical concept for power systems, and it is important to precisely delineate this concept for actual applications. As a critical infrastructure, power systems have to be prepared to survive rare but extreme incidents (natural catastrophes, extreme weather events, physical/cyber-attacks, equipment failure cascades, etc.) to guarantee power supply to the electricity-dependent economy and society…
News:
- Warmest and belated congrats to Amir for becoming Dr. Amir Afsharinejad in Dec. 2021.
- A recent feature article by the editors at Nature Energy 2021 selects our paper 2016 as one of the favorites published at Nature Energy in the past five years. (ECE Gatech News.)