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the homepage for the webpage
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ongoing simulation
Inspiration
The inspiration for this project is unmistakably the global pandemic we still find ourselves in (surprise surprise, it's not over yet). Even though the entire world is aware of the virus, we're getting to a point where we may find it easier to just forget about it. That's where this website steps up to the plate - this website is here to remind that infection spread is still happening and that we should be mindful of how vulnerable certain age groups are. In a gamified format with more appeal than a boring science lesson, Ian's Pandemic Simulator sure packs a punch!
What it does
Ian's Pandemic Simulator simulates a pandemic by modelling humans as infected and uninfected dots. Of course, it would be unfair to model all humans with the same dots, since different humans fare differently in a pandemic. Accounting this, we decided to segment our model based on age group. Further details about the different types of dots are available on the website linked below in the section labeled 'Key'.
Whenever an infected dot comes in contact (collision occurs) with an uninfected dot, there's a chance of virus transmission. Of course, not all collisions occur in infections and many times, a collision between an infected and uninfected dot will just result in both harmlessly bouncing off each other. The probability for being infected upon a collision is dealt with in the back end and is set to 1/3 for children, 1/2 for adults, and 2/3 for seniors. Note however, that this number is just an estimate and these numbers can be skewed either way based on how many dots of each age group appear in the simulation based on user input.
After everyone becomes infected the simulation ends and we can see various statistics of how the virus spread. Data associated with the project is then available for download for the user's purposes!
How we built it
The website was built with HTML and Vanilla JavaScript. Although we were certainly interested in using some cool JS frameworks, we decided to opt for a more nuanced approach as we realized we could accomplish what we wanted with just Vanilla JavaScript!
On top of this, there is lots of cool collision math behind the scenes.
Challenges we ran into
During this project some of the challenges we ran into was everyone of us in our team being available at the same time, or not exactly knowing how we can help each other.
Despite all of the uncertainty, we're happy to show what made in the last 48 hours!But in the end I think we made something pretty cool.
Accomplishments that we're proud of
Our main accomplishment is the fact that we were able to actually produce something for this hackathon. And I'd say that it turned out very cool too!
What we learned
We learned that coding/projects in general can be hard but a rewarding experience when you deliver. Also working with others is fun too, it's always a treat getting to know new people. And deadline, not pursuing a super ambitious project that you know you won't be able to complete in the allotted time is an important lesson to keep in mind.
What's next for Ian Pandemic Simulator
As we mentioned in our presentation, pandemic simulator can be used on a variety of platforms. There is certainly a lot of educational value as educating youth through a gamified format will certainly increase retention and knowledge. On top of that, Lastly, let's not forget - Ian's Pandemic Simulator is a game! Tinker with the various sliders and have fun!
In terms of additions, it would be cool to add more "gamey" aspects to Ian Pandemic Simulator. Upgrades, currency, different environment types, there's a surprising amount of ideas that we could add to this project.
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