VIRIS - An indoor epidemic simulator
A scientific tool for policymakers and architects to mitigate the spread of infectious disease
During the COVID-19 pandemic, policymakers and managers of indoor spaces were tasked to take fast decisions to mitigate its transmission, often without any scientific input available. At Cardiff University, we have been developing an indoor epidemic simulator to inform and mitigate future epidemic outbreaks. Unlike existing solutions, our simulator integrates detailed indoor geometry, architectural design and movement of individuals, along with novel mathematical models of virus spread and flow. The architectural design is undertaken through topologicpy, a well-established architectural digital design software developed at the Welsh School of Architecture. The simulator can provide the infection risk of an infectious disease for a group of people in an indoor space with a given schedule.