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Background: Collaborative comparisons and combinations of epidemic models are used as policy-relevant evidence during epidemic outbreaks. In the process of collecting multiple model projections, such collaborations may gain or lose relevant information. Typically, modellers contribute a probabilistic summary at each time-step. We compared this to directly collecting simulated trajectories. We aimed to explore information on key epidemic quantities; ensemble uncertainty; and performance against data, investigating potential to continuously gain information from a single cross-sectional collection of model results. Methods: We compared projections from the European COVID-19 Scenario Modelling Hub. Five teams modelled incidence in Belgium, the Netherlands, and Spain. We compared July 2022 projections by incidence, peaks, and cumulative totals. We created a probabilistic ensemble drawn from all trajectories, and compared to ensembles from a median across each model’s quantiles, or a linear opinion pool. We measured the predictive accuracy of individual trajectories against observations, using this in a weighted ensemble. We repeated this sequentially against increasing weeks of observed data. We evaluated these ensembles to reflect performance with varying observed data. Results: By collecting modelled trajectories, we showed policy-relevant epidemic characteristics. Trajectories contained a right-skewed distribution well represented by an ensemble of trajectories or a linear opinion pool, but not models’ quantile intervals. Ensembles weighted by performance typically retained the range of plausible incidence over time, and in some cases narrowed this by excluding some epidemic shapes. Conclusions: We observed several information gains from collecting modelled trajectories rather than quantile distributions, including potential for continuously updated information from a single model collection. The value of information gains and losses may vary with each collaborative effort’s aims, depending on the needs of projection users. Understanding the differing information potential of methods to collect model projections can support the accuracy, sustainability, and communication of collaborative infectious disease modelling efforts.

In this paper, we assess the effects of different shares of autonomous vehicles (AVs) on the traffic flow and, in particular, on the maximum possible capacity at signal-controlled intersections. For this purpose, all signal-controlled nodes in the traffic network of the Düsseldorf metropolitan area were systematically simulated and evaluated using the microscopic traffic simulation tool SUMO. The analysis shows that defensively parameterized AVs – as envisaged in the umbrella project of this research – may decrease the maximum possible traffic at signal-controlled intersections. Moreover, the simulation runs indicate that capacity at these intersections decreases almost linearly with a growing share of AV. In a second part of this analysis, a freeway section was simulated with the same varying shares of CV and AV to investigate free-flow traffic. In this case, the simulation results of the maximum traffic flow can be approximated by a third-order polynomial fit. The minimum capacity is found for the uniform share of both vehicle types (i.e. 50 % AV and 50 % CV). The overall intent of this project is to provide an approach to determine system-wide and long-term effects of AVs from local microscopic observations. To this end, the SUMO microscopic traffic simulation will be utilized to derive realistic flow capacities for signal-controlled intersections. In a next step, these capacities will be transferred to a mesoscopic traffic simulation. Subsequently, flow capacities can be systematically adjusted in this network-wide mobility simulation to parameterize the influence of future infrastructure and vehicle technologies.

Das digitale Theater erlebte unter Corona-Pandemiebedingungen einen enormen Schub. Aber ist das überhaupt noch Theater oder nur Videokunst? Wie lässt sich der neuen Vielfalt begegnen? Und wie gelingt es digitalen Spielformen, das Publikum miteinzubeziehen und gegen die Vereinzelungstendenz des Mediums anzugehen? Christian Rakow zeigt anhand jüngster Beispiele, wie sich Theater und Netzkunst auf völlig neue Weise miteinander verbinden.

Epidemiological simulations as a method are used to better understand and predict the spreading of infectious diseases, for example of COVID-19. This paper presents an approach that combines a well-established approach from transportation modelling that uses person-centric data-driven human mobility modelling with a mechanistic infection model and a person-centric disease progression model. The model includes the consequences of different room sizes, air exchange rates, disease import, changed activity participation rates over time (coming from mobility data), masks, indoors vs. outdoors leisure activities, and of contact tracing. It is validated against the infection dynamics in Berlin (Germany). The model can be used to understand the contributions of different activity types to the infection dynamics over time. It predicts the effects of contact reductions, school closures/vacations, masks, or the effect of moving leisure activities from outdoors to indoors in fall, and is thus able to quantitatively predict the consequences of interventions. It is shown that these effects are best given as additive changes of the reproduction number R. The model also explains why contact reductions have decreasing marginal returns, i.e. the first 50% of contact reductions have considerably more effect than the second 50%. Our work shows that is is possible to build detailed epidemiological simulations from microscopic mobility models relatively quickly. They can be used to investigate mechanical aspects of the dynamics, such as the transmission from political decisions via human behavior to infections, consequences of different lockdown measures, or consequences of wearing masks in certain situations. The results can be used to inform political decisions.