Population Dynamics
Critical information about people falls into two categories: (1) static information that does not change over the course of a simulation, including age, income, communication device ownership, and home location; and (2) time-dependent information, such as an individual’s location, type of activity, and health status.
The population dynamics within any area is a key component of the changing demand on urban infrastructure. For example, through contact people form social networks that are constantly changing over time. Contagious diseases such as influenza are spread via these social networks. Depictions of population mobility reflecting realistic social networks result in interaction graphs that are markedly different from graphs of random interactions.
The built urban infrastructure is also a key component in population dynamics. The location of residential buildings, shops, work places, schools, and hospitals provide geo-coordinates. Route plans and traffic simulations provide information about time-varying movements and spatial interactions among individuals as they travel between activity locations.