An Integrated Modeling Environment to Study the Co-evolution of Networks, Individual Behavior and Epidemics

Barrett, Christopher (Network Dynamics and Sim Science Lab) | Bisset, Keith (Network Dynamics and Sim Science Lab) | Leidig, Jonathan (Network Dynamics and Sim Science Lab) | Marathe, Achla (Network Dynamics and Sim Science Lab) | Marathe, Madhav V. (Network Dynamics and Sim Science Lab)

AI Magazine 

We discuss an interaction-based approach to study the coevolution between socio-technical networks, individual behaviors, and contagion processes on these networks. Finally, models of individual behaviors are composed with disease progression models to develop a realistic representation of the complex system in which individual behaviors and the social network adapt to the contagion. These methods are embodied within Simdemics – a general purpose modeling environment to support pandemic planning and response. New advances in network science, machine learning, high performance computing, data mining and behavioral modeling were necessary to develop Simdemics.