Integration of spatialization and individualization: the future of epidemic modelling for communicable diseases

Figures & data

Table 1. A summary of features of two kinds of models in spatiotemporal modelling of communicable diseases.

	Models based on the field conceptualization	Models based on the object conceptualization
Modelling Unit	Small piece of geographic area	Subpopulation with certain attributes	Individual
Data Model	Raster or vector, with each regular cell or each polygon containing a certain number of people	Vector, with a polygon or point representing a certain subpopulation	Vector, with a point representing an individual
Modelling Process	Interactions among people within a cell or polygon or interactions between cells or polygons	Activities of subpopulation and resulting interactions between subpopulations	Activities of individuals and resulting interactions between individuals
Result	Each cell’s or polygon’s health state changes along time	Re-organization (division and merge) of subpopulations along time	Infection relationships between individuals
Result Representation	Raster cells or vector polygons, with attributes representing the health state of the people at the location	Polygons or points, attached with the number of people in the subpopulation	Tree structure representing the individual-level infection relationship, as well as the local measurement of epidemic state (e.g. Rt) derived from the tree structure*.

‘*’ means that it would be explained later.

Figure 1. An integrated analytical procedure for spatiotemporally modelling communicable diseases at the individual level.