title: Template-driven spatial-temporal outbreak simulation for outbreak detection evaluation.
abstract: We developed a non-disease specific template-driven spatial-temporal outbreak simulator for evaluating outbreak detection algorithms. With only a few outbreak parameter settings, our simulator can generate different patterns of outbreak cases either temporally or spatial-temporally using three different generation algorithms: deterministic, independent, Poisson process. Our simulator is flexible, easy to implement and provides case event times rather than aggregated counts. We provide examples of outbreak simulations using linear template functions. Our Template-Driven Simulator is a useful tool for evaluating of outbreak detection algorithms.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Informatics, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
authors.forename: Min
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Garrick L
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Wallstrom
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D003141:Communicable Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003198:Computer Simulation; D004196:Disease Outbreaks / Q000145:classification / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008954:Models, Biological; D011159:Population Surveillance / Q000379:methods*; D018570:Risk Assessment / Q000379:methods; D012307:Risk Factors; D013997:Time Factors