Date of Completion

2024

Document Type

Honors College Thesis

Department

Computer Science

Thesis Type

Honors College

First Advisor

Nick Cheney

Second Advisor

Scott Merrill

Keywords

agent, model, farm, network, epidemiology

Abstract

Contagious swine diseases cost billions of dollars in lost profits annually, and pose dangers to other animals, including humans. These diseases can be mitigated by biosecurity measures, but the costs for these measures have collective incentives not always reflected in individual incentive structures. We design a large scale agent-based model (ABM) of the swine industry in the United States, where agent behavior is determined by their individual economic incentives, which have collective consequences in terms of disease spread. The agents in our model include swine producers (farms), feed mills, processors, and veterinarians. By simulating various scenarios under different assumptions regarding disease characteristics and network structures, the model may serve as a valuable tool for researching the impacts of disease spread on American swine supply chains. With the global demand for pork products continuing to be ever-present, ensuring the robustness of swine production networks is of vital importance. Through the exploration of disease spread dynamics and the evaluation of potential mitigation strategies, Pigs-Model contributes to the development of more effective biosecurity measures and disease management protocols, ultimately enhancing the sustainability and security of swine farming operations.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.

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