GOAliE: Goal-Seeking Obstacle and Collision Evasion for Resilient Multicast Routing in Smart Grid

We present goal-seeking obstacle and collision evasion, an approach to resilient multicast routing for smart grid applications based on principles from robust flocking theory. We assert that analogies exist between the flocking principles of goal seeking, obstacle evasion, collision avoidance and behavioral transitions, and the routing goals of low latency, buffer overflow management, and adaptability in the presence of changing network conditions. Our multicast routing framework employs an underlying dynamical systems model convenient for integration with representations of power system dynamics to produce an overall cyber-physical smart grid description. Through simulations and comparisons with prior art we demonstrate how our approach provides insight on effective multicast routing principles to promote resilience in faulted power systems in the presence of congestion and denial-of-service attacks on communications infrastructure.