Umeå University in Sweden is leading a team of researchers across Europe in the development of a coronavirus simulation framework that can support decision makers to experiment and evaluate possible interventions and their combined effects, in a simulated controlled world.
“No one can predict the future but with the ASSOCC framework you can accurately explore a wide range of possible scenarios, gain an understanding of the connections between health, economy and well-being, and therefore be better prepared to take decisions on the policies to implement,” says Frank Dignum, team leader and professor at the Department of Computing science at Umeå University in Sweden.
The coronavirus pandemic is the biggest crisis of our time. In their efforts to limit the spread of the virus, decision makers are struggling to balance their responses to the health situation with the needs of societies and economies. The interactions are complex and contextual and short-term steps can have large long-term consequences.
“We have developed a few initial scenarios based on theoretical models of epidemics, social behaviour and economics as an illustration of the framework. We invite decision makers and researchers to apply ASSOCC to their specific questions and empirical data,” says Frank Dignum.
“We have gathered a group of experienced researchers from all over Europe to work on this project. All are contributing their time and expertise voluntarily and without any funding. It is heart-warming to see the commitment and results from all team members who are working day and night since two weeks,” continues Frank Dignum.
At this moment, the team is already applying the framework to specific questions from the UK, Australia and the Netherlands. At the same time, they are working on the release