Researchers from different universities around the world have been studying fictional zombie outbreaks as an approach to investigating how different diseases could potentially spread. The investigations have resulted in different strategies on how to forecast the outcome of a zombie apocalypse.

100 Days

A study from University of Leicester suggests it would take as little as one hundred days after a zombie infection is spread for fewer than 300 people from the world’s population to be left alive. So far, most of the strategies for survival have included running for the mountains (which is sad for me to read living in Denmark, where there are no mountains. I imagine a Danish version of World War Z would be very short). As you might have seen in the movies, when panic amongst the population starts to kick in, it’s hard to get out of densely populated areas like cities, which would enable the zombie virus to spread even faster. Therefore, it might be a more effective strategy to stay in the city and leverage the technological home advantage. What if humans could use technology to combat the zombie invasion using smart devices?

Power of Tech

The first step in surviving a zombie apocalypse is to prioritize sustaining power in your smart city, which will enable you to both leverage smart devices as a tool against potential zombies and keep connected with other people. This is easier said than done, but if we overlook this fact, we can focus on exploring these suggestions in more detail.

Separate on the Surface, Connected in the Deep

In most of the zombie movies I’ve seen (which is more than I dare to admit), the head character ends up finding other survivors who have built a safe place, often in the form of a fortress. We need to be separate on the surface but connected in the deep[1]. Building a digital fortress would give people the ability to stay connected in the war against zombies.

Zombie Apocalypse Survival Tips

Find the optimal place to build your fortress

• Location-wise, ideally, this would be close to shops and a city center, so you can gather supplies like food and technology devices.
• As cloud services will likely be impacted, choose a place with access to a data center or large set of networking equipment or home lab.

Set your team

You’re going to need a diverse skillset on your team to handle all obstacles coming your way.

• Focus on connecting with teammates with all-around technical knowledge, networking, security, and monitoring experience. People you know already may come to mind!
• Find people who are good with their hands and can fix things, like car mechanics and carpenters.

Communication

This is key. You need to be able to communicate with other groups to exchange knowledge and warn them about potential zombie attacks.

Smart things

This is where the power of smart devices can help win the war.

• Sensors: These will enable you to monitor the city. Get access to Smart city sensors and make them work to your advantage. For example, traffic sensors won’t be relevant for cars, but they could help you detect hordes of zombies.
• Cameras: Having access to cameras around the city gives you additional eyes in multiple places.
• Drones: Research suggests you have a 10% chance of survival if you meet a flesh-eating zombie face-to-face, so you want to keep as far away as possible. Drones will give you the aerial tactical advantage.
• Build a smart home in your digital fortress. Use sensors and motion detectors to get early warnings and cameras to see what’s going on outside.
• Management interface: You’ll need to connect all the dots in a simple way. You need a great overview of all your tools, and you don’t want to troubleshoot blind.

[1] William James, https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/837455-we-are-like-islands-in-the-sea-separate-on-the