What happens if New York gets nuked? Scientists simulate 20 MILLION people in massive computer system to see how state would respond to a nuclear attack
Scientists at Virginia's George Mason University are running the 3-5-year study
Their simulation puts up to 20 million 'agents' in a simulated New York
Each one has family members, needs, jobs, and personal reactions to events
Their reactions will be modeled over 30 virtual days, in 5-15-minute 'steps'
Some may try to reach loved ones, while others will help injured strangers
Researchers are using personal testimonies of disaster survivors to make agents
By the end it should take a bank of computers two days to run the full simulation
By James Wilkinson For Dailymail.com
Published: 14:07 EDT, 18 March 2017 | Updated: 20:39 EDT, 18 March 2017
Scientists are conducting a massive computer simulation to work out how New York would respond to a nuclear attack in the heart of Manhattan.
The three-year, $450,000 project will simulate two nuclear detonations and their effects on up to 20 million virtual 'agents' each representing civilian, first responder or other official over the course of 30 days.
But first they need to input data - a lot of data, taken from disaster reports across the US - to figure out how individuals really react to catastrophe.
'Computational social science is not experimental.' Professor William Kennedy of Virginia's George Mason University told The Atlantic. 'We don’t terrorize people and see how they behave.'
more
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4327280/Scientists-simulate-nuclear-attack-New-York.html#ixzz4bjgqG6nl