ReSiLo – Incident Analyses in Infrastructure and Logistics Networks

Fraunhofer EMI is developing a software tool for analyzing the resilience and sustainability of transportation networks.

Transport networks are frequently vulnerable to disruptions that can trigger cascading effects throughout the entire system. For example, water levels in major rivers such as the Rhine repeatedly drop due to drought. As a result, cargo ships can only operate with significantly reduced loads, which drives up transportation costs and exacerbates supply chain problems.

Short-term measures to address these disruptions are often costly and harmful to the environment. To build a resilient and sustainable transportation network, therefore, a precise analysis is needed of both the disruptions and the possible countermeasures—such as how much is lost by shifting cargo to road or rail when waterways fail, and whether alternative routes are effective and sustainable.

Strategic Decisions with »ASTROIT«

The Fraunhofer EMI is responding to these challenges by developing a new software tool called »ASTROIT«. The goal is to offer medium-sized companies in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, a comprehensive resilience and sustainability analysis of their transportation networks.

ASTROIT helps companies simulate various disruption and future scenarios in their transportation networks and identify appropriate measures to increase resilience. The added value for users lies in the ability to make strategic decisions based on sound data, which reduces costs in the long term and strengthens their market position.

The ASTROIT tool uses an innovative combination of graph-based and agent-based approaches. This methodology enables detailed simulation and analysis of transportation networks. In particular, it can model the cascading effects of disruptions and test potential measures to mitigate their impact. Using the multi-criteria routing algorithm, companies can optimize their network in terms of cost, transit time, and/or sustainability.

The Beginnings of »ASTROIT« in the SARIL Project

The initial development of ASTROIT began in June 2023 as part of the EU SARIL project. Currently, the “ReSiLo” project is funding the tool’s further development.

“ReSiLo” is funded under the call for proposals “Transfer Projects and Collaborations with Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises” issued by the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Economic Affairs, Labor, and Tourism. The project has a duration of 36 months, beginning on October 1, 2025, and ending on September 30, 2028.