Small-World Epidemiological Modeling and Public Health Policy Assessment

The research proposes a novel small-world model that makes use of cellular automata with the mirror identities of daily-contact social networks to simulate epidemiological scenarios. The proposal established the mirror identity concept (a miniature representation of frequently visited places) to acknowledge human long-distance movement and geographic mobility. Specifically, the model was used to a) simulate the dynamics of influenza transmission in Taipei, Taichung, and Kaohsiung and b) discuss the effectiveness of the respective public health policies of those cities. We believe the model can be applied to SARS, enteroviruses, AIDS, and other contagious diseases according to the various needs of health authorities.

Project ID:PB9508-4045
External Project ID:NSC95-2221-E182-076