Modelling criminal patterns using the NGS

1. Modelling criminal patterns using the NGS • Nick Malleson, University of Leeds • Built an application to predict the effects of new environmental developments or policies (e.g. housing developments or improved transport networks) on crime rates. • Using agent-based modelling where an agent is an independent component of a system that interacts with other agents and its environment. Large systems of agents can be created to mimic real scenarios. • Simulation model written in Java using the Repast Simphony agent-based modelling toolkit. Multiple compute nodes were utilised to run separate models simultaneously. Large amounts of data are created and stored in an NGS Oracle database. • Model was computationally expensive with each run taking days to complete on a desktop PC.  Using the NGS enabled hundreds of identical simulations to run simultaneously on different nodes giving hundreds of results in only a few days. • “Without the use of NGS resources the project would not have had the computational power it required to generate reliable, robust results.”