NOTICE: Due to a lapse in annual appropriations, most of this website is not being updated. Learn more.

Form submissions will still be accepted but will not receive responses at this time. Sections of this site for programs using non-appropriated funds (such as NVLAP) or those that are excepted from the shutdown (such as CHIPS and NVD) will continue to be updated.

U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

PUBLICATIONS

Impact of the Exposure Time and Distance Thresholds on the Performance of Automatic Contact Tracing

Published

Author(s)

Brian D. Cloteaux, Vladimir Marbukh, Kamran Sayrafian

Abstract

Automatic exposure notification apps operate based on guidelines that specify distance and time thresholds to measure the occurrence of contacts with infected individuals. In the United States 2 m/15 min thresholds are used to determine exposures due to a close contact. In this paper, using a simplifying approximation for the probability of infection versus exposure time, we provide a mathematical framework to investigate the impact of these thresholds on the performance of the contact tracing system. We consider the number of unnecessary quarantines and the undetected infections as metrics for the system performance. This study is done through an agent-based simulation platform which emulates automatic exposure notification with Bluetooth-based proximity detection. The platform allows for a comprehensive analysis with several user-controlled parameters that can specify different scenarios. Our analysis highlights the trade-off between unnecessary quarantines and undetected infections and would pave the way for the optimization of the exposure thresholds based on factors such as the surrounding environment (e.g., indoor vs. outdoor), an individual's health, the severity of the outbreak in the community, transmissibility of the virus, etc. The ultimate objective is to enhance the effectiveness of automatic contact tracing during pandemics.
Conference Dates
May 28-June 1, 2023
Conference Location
Rome, IT
Conference Title
2023 IEEE International Conference on Communications Workshops (ICC Workshops)
Pub Type
Conferences

Download Paper

https://doi.org/10.1109/ICCWorkshops57953.2023.10283674
Local Download

Keywords

Proximity Detection, Bluetooth, Exposure Determination, COVID-19, Contact Tracing
Internet of Things (IoT) and Health IT

Citation

Cloteaux, B. , Marbukh, V. and Sayrafian, K. (2023), Impact of the Exposure Time and Distance Thresholds on the Performance of Automatic Contact Tracing, 2023 IEEE International Conference on Communications Workshops (ICC Workshops), Rome, IT, [online], https://doi.org/10.1109/ICCWorkshops57953.2023.10283674, https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=936336 (Accessed October 13, 2025)

Issues

If you have any questions about this publication or are having problems accessing it, please contact [email protected].

Created October 23, 2023, Updated March 28, 2024
Was this page helpful?