Modeling the Dynamic Route Choice of Pedestrians to Assess the Criticality of Building Evacuation

Abstract

In this paper we propose an event-driven way finding algorithm for pedestrians in a graph-based structure. The motivation of each pedestrian is to leave the facility. The events used to redirect pedestrians include the identification of a jam situation and/or identification of a better route than the present. The modeled strategies are the shortest path (local and global); they are combined with a quickest path approach, which is based on an observation principle, i.e. pedestrians take their decisions based on the observed environment and are routed dynamically in the network using an appropriate cost benefit analysis function. The influences of the different strategies on the evacuation time, the individual times spent in jam, the jam size evolution, and the overall jam size itself are investigated. The response of the system to broken escape routes is also analyzed. A good and plausible dynamic response in the route choice behavior of the pedestrians is achieved.

Walk This Way: Improving Pedestrian Agent-Based Models through Scene Activity Analysis

“…Route-choice is a critical component of any pedestrian model, as it describes the dynamic process through which people move through a scene, making and reassessing decisions as time progresses and scene traffic changes with it. Route choice is an active area of research which spans multiple disciplines such as psychology [66,67], geography [3], engineering [68,69], computer graphics [70,71], to name but a few. Computationally, this is a challenging issue, both in terms of theoretical and practical problems associated with describing pedestrian behavior.…”

“…However, it needs to be noted that the shortest path might not be the quickest path, for example if there are many pedestrians along the shortest path, this will slow down the agents. To calculate the quickest path one needs consider dynamic routing [68]. Both the shortest path and following signage approaches relate to the pedestrians enclosure perspective, which varies when they know or do not know their environment.…”

“…Both the shortest path and following signage approaches relate to the pedestrians enclosure perspective, which varies when they know or do not know their environment. People familiar with the building would have intrinsic broader knowledge of it (i.e., they are able to calculate the shortest path), whereas visitors with limited knowledge of building layout are more likely to follow emergency signage [68,72]. Here we choose the simplest option where pedestrians initially follow the shortest path between entrance and exit but as they have a line of sight and carry out dynamic route-planning to avoid obstacles and other agents (see Section 4.4.2) they in essence find the quickest route.…”

“…In the bottom row, the discovery process is the same, except that the cost of movement between locations is drawn from the heat map shown in the lower row of step B. Planning Movement While many navigation methods are possible, including visibility graphs and adaptive roadmaps (see [3,68] for reviews), we are attempting to create the simplest model possible that can produce realistic patterns of pedestrian movement. In order to do so, every time an agent is called upon to move, it performs a number of checks, potentially selects a new intermediate target from among the set of cells it could theoretically reach within the time step, and then moves toward that intermediate target at the maximum possible speed.…”

Simulating large-scale pedestrian movement using CA and event driven model: Methodology and case study

“…The global behavior emerges as a result of many individuals. Wagoum et al [30] proposed an event driven way finding in a graph-based structure for pedestrians in an evacuation scenario. The operational level of the pedestrian walking is described by the Generalized Centrifugal Force Model, which operates in continuous space.…”