Lecture Agent based modelling of (infectious) diseases

Lecturer: Dr. Gertjan Geerling

Duration: 8.30 to 10.15 (Lecture), Practical 10.30 until max 15.30u (see this link for practical)

Summary

To be able to manage complex problems such as prevention and control of infectious diseases (see definition below), the public health managers need information on the spread of the disease. For example, the disease manager (often the public authorities) has to estimate how many people will get ill and in which time period to estimate how much medicine is needed, when it is needed and where it is needed.

One of the instruments to get insight in the spread (in time as well in space) of the disease are computer models. Especially the group of agent based models are suitable to model infectious diseases. In agent based models behavioral rules are defined for individual agents, such as a person or mosquito. Subsequently in the model any number of these agents is allowed to interact. The nature of the models is especially useful for modelling the spread of infectious diseases as they contaminate through infectious agents.

The lecture will give an introduction to agent based modelling with examples of disease modelling.

Student learning goals

• The student can explain the principles of agent based modelling.
• The student understands in which cases modelling and in particular agent based modelling is useful.
• The student can devise a simple agent based model on paper (in theory).
• The student understands the purpose of the NETLOGO modelling environment.

Contributions to course goals

The lecture contributes to the following goal:

An introduction to computer modelling in problem analysis and in testing management approaches of socio-ecological problems.

Literature

Obligatory:

Tutorial on agent-based modelling and simulation, CM Macal and MJ North, Journal of Simulation (2010) 4, 151-162. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1057/jos.2010.3