Glossary
- contact layers
- Each of the layers of the population network that is a representation of all of the
pairwise connections between people in a given location, such as school, work, or households.
- node
- In network science, the discrete object being represented. In SynthPops, nodes represent
people and can have attributes like age assigned.
- edge
- In network science, the interactions or connections between discrete objects. In SynthPops,
edges represent interactions between people, with attributes like the setting in which the
interactions take place (for example, household, school, or work). The relationship between
the interaction setting and properties governing disease transmission, such as frequency of
contact and risk associated with each contact, is mapped separately by Covasim or other
agent-based model. SynthPops reports whether the edge exists or not.
- agent-based model
- A type of simulation that models the actions and interactions of autonomous agents (both
individual and collective entities such as organizations or groups).
- time step
- A discrete number of hours or days in which the “simulation states” of all “simulation
objects” (interventions, infections, immune systems, or individuals) are updated in a
simulation. Each time step will complete processing before launching the next one. For
example, a time step would process the migration data for populations moving between nodes
via rail, airline, and road. The migration of individuals between nodes is the last step of
the time step after updating states.
- household contact layer
- The layer in the population network that represents all of the pairwise connections between
people in households. All people must be part of the household contact layer, though some
households may consist of a single person.
- school contact layer
- The layer in the population network that represents all of the pairwise connections between
people in schools. This includes both students and teachers. The school and workplace contact
layers are mutually exclusive, someone cannot be both a student and a worker.
- workplace contact layer
- The layer in the population network that represents all of the pairwise connections between
people in workplaces excluding teachers in schools. The school and workplace contact
layers are mutually exclusive, someone cannot be both a student and a worker.
- location
- The location in which a set of SynthPops input data are valid. This is often geographic but
could be administrative or specific to for example a sub-population within a geographic region.
Locations are organized hierarchically. Locations are defined by a location file which contain
data for the associated population. Child locations can inherit input data values from their parent location. Supplementing the data in these files is encouraged if available.