Emergency Response: Navigable Networks and Optimal Routing in Hazardous Indoor Environments

Abstract

The extreme importance of emergency response in complex buildings during natural and human-induced disasters has been widely acknowledged. This chapter studies algorithms for safest routes and balanced routes in buildings where an extreme event with many epicentres is occurring. In a balanced route, a trade-off between route length and hazard proximity is made. Another algorithm is proposed for finding the optimal indoor routes for search and rescue teams. This is based on a novel approach integrating the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), the propagation of hazard and other techniques, and where three criteria are used: hazard proximity, distance/travel time, and route complexity. The important feature of the algorithm is its ability to generate an optimal route depending on the user’s needs. Finally, a novel automated construction of the Variable Density Network (VDN) for determining egress paths in dangerous environments is discussed.