Management of biological and chemical incidents: simulation-based decision support

Abstract

Decision making processes during biological or chemical incidents represent a challenging and demanding issue. This task constitutes of several complex activities and important decisions. In case of unintentional accidents in agricultural plants or within related industries, these decisions have to be made by personnel who are usually not primarily trained for such situations. Therefore any available support tool, which can increase the probability of successful management of these incidents, should be employed. The main aim is to minimize the consequences, ensure the quality of products and protect people and animals and other crucial assets. From the technological perspective, various approaches or principles have been already applied and intended for computer-based support of biological or chemical incidents management. Nevertheless, the multi-agent technologies can be also effectively utilized. As an example, this paper presents model applicable for the management of biological or chemical incidents created in the multi-agent NetLogo environment. The main contribution to the scientific field includes the characterization of specifics related to the discussed type of decision-making process. Moreover, within the paper the description of the simulation model is provided, parameterization is explained, and areas for further research are outlined.