The Benefits of a Hybrid Simulation Hub to Deal with Pandemics

Abstract

The advent of COVID-19 has shaken the whole world to its core. With many decision makers at all levels trying to tackle the spread of the disease and the economic ramification, the modeling and simulation is of paramount importance as part of this effort. Given the intricacy and interconnectedness of the problem, hybrid simulation (HS) seems to provide better support for modelers given its ability to connect multiple decision categories. However, HS models are known to take longer to build while requiring multiple expertise, which does not match the rapid impacts of COVID-19. To allow for faster means for developing such models, in this paper, we call for the establishment of a hub for rapid HS model development through global collaboration of simulation modelers. In the lack of such hubs, we demonstrate how a HS model could be built using publicly available single-method models.

FACS-CHARM: A Hybrid Agent-Based and Discrete-Event Simulation Approach for Covid-19 Management at Regional Level

“…To support this effort, it is important to have well-documented models using standard reporting methods such as the ODD protocol (Grimm et al 2020) and the STRESS guidelines (Monks et al 2019). Also, Lather and Eldabi (2020) discussed the benefits of a HS hub for pandemic situations where models can be easily found and accessed.…”