Computational epidemiology is a multidisciplinary field that uses techniques from

computer science Computer science is the study of computation, automation, and information. Computer science spans theoretical disciplines (such as algorithms, theory of computation, information theory, and automation) to practical disciplines (includin ...

, mathematics,

geographic information science Geographic information science or geographical information science (GIScience or GISc) is the scientific discipline that studies geographic information, including how it represents phenomena in the real world, how it represents the way humans unde ...

and

public health Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals". Analyzing the det ...

to better understand issues central to

epidemiology Epidemiology is the study and analysis of the distribution (who, when, and where), patterns and determinants of health and disease conditions in a defined population. It is a cornerstone of public health, and shapes policy decisions and evide ...

such as the spread of diseases or the effectiveness of a public health intervention. Computational epidemiology traces its origins to mathematical epidemiology, but began to experience significant growth with the rise of big data and the democratization of high-performance computing through

cloud computing Cloud computing is the on-demand availability of computer system resources, especially data storage ( cloud storage) and computing power, without direct active management by the user. Large clouds often have functions distributed over m ...

Introduction

In contrast with traditional

, computational epidemiology looks for patterns in unstructured sources of data, such as social media. It can be thought of as the hypothesis-generating antecedent to hypothesis-testing methods such as national surveys and randomized controlled trials. A mathematical model is developed which describes the observed behavior of the viruses, based on the available data. Then simulations of the model are performed to understand the possible outcomes given the model used. These simulations produce as results projections which can then be used to make predictions or verify the facts and then be used to plan interventions and meters towards the control of the disease's spread.

References

External links

Harvard Medical School Children's Hospital Boston Computational Epidemiology GroupUniversity of Iowa Computational Epidemiology Group (Compepi)The Network Dynamics and Simulation Science Laboratory at Virginia Tech
at

Tuskegee University Tuskegee University (Tuskegee or TU), formerly known as the Tuskegee Institute, is a private, historically black land-grant university in Tuskegee, Alabama. It was founded on Independence Day in 1881 by the state legislature. The campus was ...

The Institute for Disease ModelingLaboratory for the Modeling of Biological and Socio-technical SystemsComputational Epidemiology and Public Health Informatics Laboratory at University of SaskatchewanSax Institute - Decision Analytics

Computational Epidemiology Lab at The Ohio State University
Computational science Epidemiology {{med-stub