Research Issues in Agent-Based Simulation for Pedestrians Evacuation

Abstract

Crowd evacuation in emergencies may lead to fatalities if the evacuation plans were not tested and evaluated. Traditionally, evacuation drills have been, and still are, being used to assess evacuation plans. However, in recent years the simulation of evacuation plans during emergencies has emerged as a strong alternative that is cost effective and potentially more accurate. Agent-Based Simulation (ABS) is the preferred type of simulation for evacuation scenarios, due to its ability to model individual decisionmaking and social behaviour. In this paper we conduct meta-analysis of eighty-one peer-reviewed papers published between 2009 and 2019 that used ABS to model pedestrian evacuation. Our analysis assesses the current state-of-art and identifies opportunities for improvement. We identify seven dimensions over which the surveyed papers agree or differ. The dimensions include purpose of the simulation, type of emergency and environment considerations, type and scale of evacuated space, simulation software used, agents' characteristics and behaviour, support of evacuation policies, and analysis and validation. We conduct meta-analysis of the surveyed papers along the identified dimensions. One of the main findings of our analysis is the lack of a standardized validation methodology for ABS of emergency evacuation.

Evacuation trials from a double-deck electric train unit: Experimental data and sensitivity analysis

“…Particularly when supported by reliable input data, computer evacuation models are rapidly developing and increasingly useful engineering tools [12,13]. Moreover, for trained model users, simulated environments may constitute cost-efficient alternatives to standard physical evacuation trials and offer further advantages, such as more diverse options for creating evacuation scenarios without risking the safety of participants [14]. The key condition for broader adoption of evacuation models remains their ability to realistically simulate the railway operating environment and to validate simulation results with relevant empirical data [11].…”

An Agent-Based Dynamic Framework for Population Evacuation Management

“…In Objective function (1), we minimize the total travel time of evacuees from all origins to all chosen shelters. Constraint (2) ensures that all the demand from origin o is evacuated. Constraint (3) forbids assigning evacuees to shelters exceeding the capacity of the shelter (c α s ), taking into account the used capacity in the previous time interval α − 1 [55].…”

“…Natural disasters and catastrophes endanger the lives of people in devastated areas. Evacuating people from those areas to safe places or shelters is a feasible solution to decrease or avoid enormous losses [1], [2]. Order and guidance are crucial and decisive to running this process effectively and safely managing the evacuation process [3].…”

Large Event Halls Evacuation Using an Agent-Based Modeling Approach

“…Siyam et al [51] provide a comprehensive overview on agent-based simulation in the case of pedestrian evacuation, while Sharbini et al [52] and Bayram et al [53] provide an extended review on evacuation planning and management. Chen et al [54] discuss the approaches, models and tools used for pedestrian evacuation in indoor emergency situations.…”