Agent-Based Simulation for Pedestrian Evacuation Behaviour Using the Affordance Concept
29 Jan 2021-Ksce Journal of Civil Engineering (Springer Science and Business Media LLC)-Vol. 25, Iss: 4, pp 1433-1445
TL;DR: In this article, an agent-based model using affordance theory is proposed to simulate the decision-making process during an evacuation in a subway station through both normal and emergencies, which can yield a useful tool for designers to mention pedestrian movement behaviour in their building designs.
Abstract: Simulation modelling is a necessary tool to analyse pedestrian movement behaviour in order to predict the social and collective behaviour in different situations. Psychological aspects of human behaviour in interacting with the environment is the critical point in the pedestrian simulation context. The affordance theory originated from psychology and humanities is a key concept to address this issue and model the relationship between an agent and his/her environment. This study aims to introduce a prototype of an agent-based model using the affordance concept to simulate the decision-making process during an evacuation. The proposed approach was tested to model the behaviour of evacuees in a platform of a subway station through both normal and emergencies. The results of the test including the evacuation time and flows toward different scenarios, showed that the model can work properly. The proposed approach can yield a useful tool for designers to mention pedestrian movement behaviour in their building designs.
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TL;DR: A three-layer analytical framework for synthesizing the abundant literature on PES approaches, PES models and PES tools is proposed, and a systematic review of the state of the art in the PES area is presented.
19 citations
TL;DR: A novel comprehensive hierarchical agent-based simulation of pedestrian evacuation from a dynamic network of the environment using reinforcement learning, which is the closest to human behaviour among the other machine learning algorithms.
Abstract: Simulation models are an undeniable tool to help researchers and designers forecast effects of definite policies regarding pedestrian social and collective movement behaviour. Considering both the environment's details and the complexity of human behaviour in choosing paths simultaneously is the main challenge in micro-simulation pedestrian dynamics models. This paper aims to present a novel comprehensive hierarchical agent-based simulation of pedestrian evacuation from a dynamic network of the environment using reinforcement learning, which is the closest to human behaviour among the other machine learning algorithms. In the approach, agents autonomously decide through a three-layer hierarchical model, including goal, node, and cell selection layers. A multinomial logit model is used to model the process of choosing the main movement direction at each time-step. The proposed model was successfully tested to simulate the pedestrian evacuation process from the Britomart Transport Centre platforms in Auckland during an abstract destructive event. Maximum evacuation flow, total evacuation time, average evacuation time, and average evacuation flow were investigated as dependent variables through different evacuation scenarios. The results from the approach can be used by designers and managers to optimise the quality of evacuation; also, the proposed model has the potential of becoming a potent tool for constructional management if coupled with other constructional tools.
10 citations
TL;DR: In this paper , a hierarchical hybrid Agent-Based Model (ABM) framework integrated with a Cellular Automata (CA) and a 2D Building Information Model (BIM) damage visualisation to consider an approximation of non-structural damage has been developed.
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TL;DR: This study attempts to address this gap by presenting a narrative review of various existing multi-agent based evacuation models and highlights their taxonomy as well as extensively compares them by illuminating the strategies and simulation platforms used by them along with their relative advantages and disadvantages.
3 citations
TL;DR: In this paper , an agent-based model (ABM) is used to evaluate the impacts of flood-induced station closures on individual traveler behavior under normal operation and a series of water level rise scenarios of up to 5m.
Abstract: With urban residents’ increasing reliance on metro systems for commuting and other daily activities, extreme weather events such as heavy rainfall and flooding impacting the metro system services are becoming increasingly of concern. Plans for such emergency interruptions require a thorough understanding of the potential outcomes on both the system and individual component scales. However, due to the complex dynamics, constraints, and interactions of the elements involved (e.g., disaster, infrastructure, service operation, and travel behavior), there is still no framework that comprehensively evaluates the system performance across different spatiotemporal scales and is flexible enough to handle increasingly detailed travel behavior, transit service, and disaster information data. Built on an agent-based model (ABM) framework, this study adopts a data-driven ABM simulation approach informed by actual metro operation and travel demand data to investigate the impact of flood-induced station closures on travelers as well as the overall system response. A before-after comparison is conducted where the traveler behaviors in disaster scenarios are obtained from a discrete choice model of alternative stations and routes. A case study of the Shanghai Metro is used to demonstrate the ability of the proposed approach in evaluating the impacts of flood-induced station closures on individual traveler behavior under normal operation and a series of water level rise scenarios of up to 5m. It was found that, when the flood-induced station closures only affect a few river-side stations in the city center, the travelers experience only minor disruptions to their trips due to the availability of unaffected stations nearby as a backup. However, as the water level increases and more stations (mainly in the suburban area) are affected, up to 25% of trips are no longer being fulfilled due to the loss of entrances, exits, or transfer links. The system experiences overall less crowdedness in terms of passenger volume and platform waiting time with a few exceptions of increased passenger load due to concentrations of passenger flows to alternative stations under flooding-induced station closures. The proposed approach can be adapted to other disaster scenarios to reveal the disaster impacts on both aggregated and disaggregated levels and guide the design of more spatio- and temporally-targeted emergency plans for metro systems.
2 citations
References
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TL;DR: Computer simulations of crowds of interacting pedestrians show that the social force model is capable of describing the self-organization of several observed collective effects of pedestrian behavior very realistically.
Abstract: It is suggested that the motion of pedestrians can be described as if they would be subject to ``social forces.'' These ``forces'' are not directly exerted by the pedestrians' personal environment, but they are a measure for the internal motivations of the individuals to perform certain actions (movements). The corresponding force concept is discussed in more detail and can also be applied to the description of other behaviors. In the presented model of pedestrian behavior several force terms are essential: first, a term describing the acceleration towards the desired velocity of motion; second, terms reflecting that a pedestrian keeps a certain distance from other pedestrians and borders; and third, a term modeling attractive effects. The resulting equations of motion of nonlinearly coupled Langevin equations. Computer simulations of crowds of interacting pedestrians show that the social force model is capable of describing the self-organization of several observed collective effects of pedestrian behavior very realistically.
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Abstract: Current conceptions of the nature and conditions of panic are inadequate and lack an empirical basis. Using data gathered by the Disaster Team of the National Opinion Research Center and other documentary sources, a comparative and analytical examination of specific instances of the behavior is made. A conception is developed of panic as the very antithesis of organized group activity-as an acute fear reaction marked by loss of self-control which is followed by nonsocial and nonrational flight. Such behavior arises upon a definition of possible entrapment, a perception of collective powerlessness, and a feeling of individual isolation in a crisis.
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