The modern era has brought about new and advanced technologies that assist in bettering public goods and infrastructure. That infrastructure maintains towns, cities, counties, and the country at large. Engineers are the backbone by which that infrastructure is maintained and continues to benefit the public at large. Take for example the Hoover Dam. One of the many wonders of the world, the Hoover Dam is responsible for providing power to California, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, and the Southwest. It provides not only sustainable power through the hydroelectric dam but clean energy and water for cities like Boulder City and Las Vegas. However, these systems can be cumbersome and require a lot of maintenance.

Engineers have developed many great systems in effort to monitor and manage key infrastructure like the Hoover Dam, one of which being the SCADA or Site Control and Data Acquisition system; as well as the Distributed Control System DCS (not to be confused with Damage Control System). The SCADA system allows for the kind of widespread monitoring and management needed to regulate and maintain a system the size of the Hoover Dam. Without it, engineers may have a harder time checking each individual system within the Dam every time they need to begin the process of generating power or cutting off water flow respectively. The SCADA system is not limited to hydroelectric dams however, they also provide management to key infrastructural facilities such as airports, water processing plants, oil refineries, gas lines, wind farms, etc.

These systems are maintained by engineers and protected physically from government personnel from organizations like the US National Park Service, US Department of Homeland Security, and the US Department of the Interior. Alongside cutting-edge security protocols and procedures, the systems that run vital infrastructure within the United States are protected both physically and within the realm of cyber space.