Software Engineering Standards for Epidemiological Modeling

TL;DR

This paper advocates applying safety-critical software engineering standards to epidemiological models, using a case study of the Imperial College COVID-19 simulator to improve quality and reliability.

Contribution

It introduces a framework for evaluating epidemiological software quality based on established safety-critical standards, with practical guidance for stakeholders.

Findings

The ICL COVID-19 simulator can be assessed using safety-critical standards.

Applying engineering standards improves reliability of epidemiological models.

Provides a case study demonstrating the benefits of standards adoption.

Abstract

There are many normative and technical questions involved in evaluating the quality of software used in epidemiological simulations. In this paper we answer some of these questions and offer practical guidance to practitioners, funders, scientific journals, and consumers of epidemiological research. The heart of our paper is a case study of the Imperial College London (ICL) COVID-19 simulator. We contend that epidemiological simulators should be engineered and evaluated within the framework of safety-critical standards developed by the consensus of the software engineering community for applications such as automotive and aircraft control.