Agent-Based Modeling of COVID-19

Published research co-authored by Donnie Celestre using NetLogo to study community quarantine, face coverings, and infection trends in the Philippines.

Published research

I co-authored this 2021 ICECIE conference paper, published through IEEE. The work uses NetLogo to explore how community quarantine and face-covering measures influence COVID-19 transmission in a closed population of simulated agents.

Read the paper on IEEE Xplore · Ateneo publication record

My contributions

My responsibilities in this collaborative research covered the model logic, NetLogo simulation, and data interpretation:

  • Model logic: developing the logic behind the agent-based model.
  • NetLogo simulation: implementing the simulation used to explore the study’s scenarios.
  • Data interpretation: analyzing the simulation outputs and interpreting the patterns in the results.

Modeling approach and findings

The study compares scenarios with different levels of face-covering participation and restrictions on interactions. It reports reduced infection growth in scenarios with greater participation and fewer contacts, with trends consistent with Philippine government data for selected periods in 2020.

These are findings from the study’s modeled scenarios, rather than a current forecasting service.

Connection to my engineering interests

This collaborative research connects with my interest in mathematics and complex systems: understanding how local rules and interactions can shape broader patterns. It sits alongside my sound-source mapping thesis and signals experiment as another way of exploring systems through models.

Publication details

Paper: Agent-based Modeling of COVID-19 Infection Rate vis-à-vis the Philippine Government Community Quarantine and Face Covering Measures

Authors: Alfonso D. Agustin (A. D. Agustin), Justine C. Ferrer (J. C. Ferrer), Harold Jay M. Bolingot (H. J. M. Bolingot), John Donnie I. Celestre (J. D. I. Celestre), Carlos M. Oppus (C. M. Oppus), and Jose Claro N. Monje (J. C. N. Monje).

Conference: 2021 3rd International Conference on Electrical, Control and Instrumentation Engineering (ICECIE), pages 1–8.

DOI: 10.1109/ICECIE52348.2021.9664664