SUNRISE CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE SERIES
Detecting Compromised Structural Integrity – An AI tool for Critical Infrastructure Operators working towards Climate
Resilience
Critical infrastructure operators across Europe must prepare their facilities, equipment, and
personnel to operate under more strenuous conditions in a warming climate. The
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has reported on the projected temperature
increases and its impact on more frequent and intense extremes [1]. Soaring temperatures, for
example, will have a direct and profound impact on the day-to-day operations of critical
infrastructure.
In the case of ports and railways, the risk exposure to thermal stress extends beyond facilities and
rail networks, but also includes storage containers. Thermal stress due to changes in sunlight,
wind, humidity, and temperature conditions along the route can accelerate the degradation of
materials within storage containers [2]. Damage to storage containers can compromise the safety
of facilities or networks and have cascading effects on operations [3, 4].
In the SUNRISE project, we are building tools that can support critical infrastructure operators to
improve maritime and railway resilience. By harnessing developments in Visual Large Language
Models, which understand both text and images, they can be combined to answer questions
regarding a vast number of videos and images. The zero-shot UAV remote infrastructure
inspection tool, described in detail here, allows critical infrastructure operators to use language to
identify structural weaknesses in an intuitive manner. In the following example, images of storage
containers can be assessed by the SUNRISE machine learning tool (orange text) following a User
text prompt (blue text).
Image Credit:
Mario Triviño (Eviden)
Please Note: The image of the damaged storage container was generated by Dall-E for the
purpose of this blog post publication. We have also achieved good results using real images of
storage containers.
Ensuring critical infrastructures take pro-active measures rather than reactive measures to protect
their operations is one small component in complying with the new European Commission’s Critical
Entities Resilience Directive (CER) [5]. To fulfil the CER Directive, in terms of climate risk
management, close collaboration between critical entities and climate service providers, such as
the Climate Service Center Germany (GERICS) at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon, help identify
relevant climate change information tailored to an entity’s needs. This information can be used, for
example, to determine whether to invest in more costly cold storage facilities or refrigerated
shipping container (reefer). These strategic choices determined today will help create policies and
maintain a critical entity’s ability to operate smoothly in a changing climate, ultimately accelerating
the path to climate adaptation [6].
Written by: Dr. Christine Nam (Hereon /GERICS) & Mario Triviño (Eviden)
[1] https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/syr/downloads/report/IPCC_AR6_SYR_SPM.pdf
[2] Act Now or Pay Later: The Costs of Climate Inaction for Ports and Shipping, March 2022, Van
Houtven, G., Gallaher, M., Woollacott, J., and Decker E.
{“Does the container have any dents or bulges that cause significant damage to
the structure?”:
“The container in the image appears to have significant damage. There are
multiple dents and bulges visible on the side of the container, which could
compromise its structural integrity. These dents and bulges could potentially
affect the container’s ability to hold its contents securely and safely, and
may also indicate that the container has been involved in an accident or has
been subjected to a forceful impact.”
“If you want to make a technical inspection of the condition of the container
to transport goods, what is your conclusion looking at the picture?”:
“Based on the image provided, it appears that the container is in a state of
disrepair. The visible damage includes:
1. Dents and scratches on the side panels, which could indicate impacts or rough
handling.
2. Rust on the metal parts, which suggests exposure to moisture and corrosive
elements.
3. The door is damaged, with visible cracks and possibly a broken hinge, which
would make it difficult to open or close.
4. The paint is peeling off in some areas, which could be a sign of wear and
tear or exposure to harsh weather conditions.
Overall, the container would likely fail a technical inspection for transporting
goods due to the structural damage and the risk of further deterioration during
transit. It would need to be repaired or replaced to ensure the safety and
integrity of the goods being transported.”}
[3] Tavares da Costa, R. and Krausmann, E., Impacts of Natural Hazards and Climate Change on
EU Security and Defence, EUR 30839 EN, Publications Office of the European Union,
Luxembourg, 2021, ISBN 978-92-76-41947-1, doi:10.2760/244397, JRC126315.
[4] Christodoulou A., Demirel H., Impacts of climate change on transport – A focus on airports,
seaports and inland waterways, EUR 28896 EN, Publications Office of the European Union,
Luxembourg, 2018, ISBN 978-92-79-97039-9, doi:10.2760/378464, JRC108865.
[5] https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_23_3992
[6] https://www.genevaassociation.org/sites/default/files/climate_risk_web_final_250221.pdf
