Modeling systems are used to provide a better understanding of a bad situation and how to possibly prevent it.

Groups of researchers, teams of engineers and companies are dedicated to simulate a range of disasters to help us all be better prepared.

• A model is just a series of calculations that abstractly represent some systems in the real world. We use models all the time.
• We may work out the routes we could take to get to work at a specific time of the day. We use past data to make predictions about what we...

You can never accurately predict what's going to happen. Some efforts come close.

For example, models looking at the weather can achieve more than 90% accuracy. But crises are about change, and a model working from historical data may miss a dramatic and new change.

Knowing how people will respond in different situations is essential if you hope to keep them safe during a crisis. A type of simulation known as agent-based modelling attempts to understand interpersonal behaviours.

In stadiums, crowds of people can behave very differently depending ...