Enhancing Epidemic Forecasting: Evaluating the Role of Mobility Data and Graph Convolutional Networks

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Guo, Suhan, Xu, Zhenghao, Shen, Furao, Zhao, Jian
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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author Guo, Suhan
Xu, Zhenghao
Shen, Furao
Zhao, Jian
author_facet Guo, Suhan
Xu, Zhenghao
Shen, Furao
Zhao, Jian
contents Accurate prediction of contagious disease outbreaks is vital for informed decision-making. Our study addresses the gap between machine learning algorithms and their epidemiological applications, noting that methods optimal for benchmark datasets often underperform with real-world data due to difficulties in incorporating mobility information. We adopt a two-phase approach: first, assessing the significance of mobility data through a pilot study, then evaluating the impact of Graph Convolutional Networks (GCNs) on a transformer backbone. Our findings reveal that while mobility data and GCN modules do not significantly enhance forecasting performance, the inclusion of mortality and hospitalization data markedly improves model accuracy. Additionally, a comparative analysis between GCN-derived spatial maps and lockdown orders suggests a notable correlation, highlighting the potential of spatial maps as sensitive indicators for mobility. Our research offers a novel perspective on mobility representation in predictive modeling for contagious diseases, empowering decision-makers to better prepare for future outbreaks.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2506_11028
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Enhancing Epidemic Forecasting: Evaluating the Role of Mobility Data and Graph Convolutional Networks
Guo, Suhan
Xu, Zhenghao
Shen, Furao
Zhao, Jian
Machine Learning
Artificial Intelligence
Accurate prediction of contagious disease outbreaks is vital for informed decision-making. Our study addresses the gap between machine learning algorithms and their epidemiological applications, noting that methods optimal for benchmark datasets often underperform with real-world data due to difficulties in incorporating mobility information. We adopt a two-phase approach: first, assessing the significance of mobility data through a pilot study, then evaluating the impact of Graph Convolutional Networks (GCNs) on a transformer backbone. Our findings reveal that while mobility data and GCN modules do not significantly enhance forecasting performance, the inclusion of mortality and hospitalization data markedly improves model accuracy. Additionally, a comparative analysis between GCN-derived spatial maps and lockdown orders suggests a notable correlation, highlighting the potential of spatial maps as sensitive indicators for mobility. Our research offers a novel perspective on mobility representation in predictive modeling for contagious diseases, empowering decision-makers to better prepare for future outbreaks.
title Enhancing Epidemic Forecasting: Evaluating the Role of Mobility Data and Graph Convolutional Networks
topic Machine Learning
Artificial Intelligence
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2506.11028