PHASE: The Population Health Agent based Simulation nEtwork

仅仅几年前还看起来像科幻小说的想法现在变成了现实。现代计算机的功能强大到足以模拟一座城市，虚拟世界中有数百万市民。我们可以学习如何改善现实世界的健康，方法是像这样研究“模拟人口”，并确定虚拟世界中的个别公民或“代理人”如何相互作用，以及当模拟环境的某些方面发生变化时，他们的健康行为是如何改变的。基于人口健康代理的模拟网络(阶段)将把对改善人口健康感兴趣的科学家、计算机软件开发人员、政府工作人员、慈善部门工作人员和大学研究人员聚集在一起。通过支持不同群体的合作，英国将成为健康模拟方法的世界领导者，并将致力于解决关键的公共健康问题，如肥胖、烟酒使用、身体活动和锻炼。阶段网络旨在：1.教人们如何模拟个人和环境因素及其对人口健康的影响，以提高我们对如何预防非传染性疾病的理解。2.建立更强大的团队：将能够与科学专家一起创建人口模拟的人员和那些在社区工作的第一线人员聚集在一起，以改善公共卫生。将科幻小说变成科学事实：让英国各地的人们谈论模拟健康的方法，让研究资助者、大学、卫生工作者和公众更多地了解这种21世纪改善健康的方法。为了实现这些目标，该网络将举行会议，让人们谈论模拟方法，以及如何将这些方法应用于公共卫生问题，建立新的联系和建立新的团队。模拟方法的培训将通过网络进行，专家网络成员将撰写报告和指南，以便广泛的人可以了解使用模拟方法的最佳方式。网络工作人员将开发一个互动网站和在线注册表，人们可以在其中发现：谁在网络中，如何加入？关键的健康改善问题是什么？已经开发了哪些模拟方法，我如何使用它们？从长远来看，阶段网络将增加英国各地了解和理解模拟健康方法的人数，并利用这些方法建立一个致力于健康改善的专家社区。通过网络活动和培训，我们希望建立来自不同背景的专家团队，共同努力利用模拟来应对我们今天面临的一些重大公共卫生挑战。

Ideas that seemed like science fiction only a few years ago are now reality. Modern computers are powerful enough to simulate a city with millions of citizens inside a virtual world. We can learn how to improve health in the real world by studying "simulated populations" like this, and identifying how individual citizens, or "agents", within this virtual world interact with each other and how their health behaviours change when aspects of the simulated environment change. The Population Health Agent-based Simulation nEtwork (PHASE) will bring together scientists, computer software developers, government workers, charity sector staff, and University researchers who are interested in improving the health of the population. By supporting different groups to work together, the UK will become a world leader in simulation methods for health, and will aim to tackle key public health issues like obesity, tobacco and alcohol use, and physical activity and exercise.The PHASE network aims to:1. Teach people how simulating individual and environmental factors and their influence on population health can improve our understanding of how to prevent non-communicable diseases. 2. Build stronger teams: putting together people that can create population simulations with scientific experts and those on the front line working in communities to improve public health.3. Move science fiction to science fact: To get people around the UK talking about simulation methods for health, so that research funders, Universities, health workers and the public understand more about this 21st Century approach to improving health.To achieve these aims, the network will hold meetings to get people talking about simulation methods and how these can be applied to public health problems, make new connections and build new teams. Training in simulation methods will be delivered through the network and expert network members will write reports and guidelines so a wide range of people can learn about the best way to use the simulation methods.The network staff will develop an interactive website and online registry where people can find out:Who is in the network and how to join?What are the key health improvement issues?What simulations are already developed and how can I use them?In the long term, the PHASE network will increase the number of people across the UK who know about and understand simulation methods for health, and build a community of experts working in health improvement using these methods. Through network events and training we hope to build expert teams from a range of different backgrounds, working together to use simulations to tackle some of the major public health challenges facing us today.