Pedestrian evacuation method based on improved cellular automata in emergencies
Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management
ISSN: 0969-9988
Article publication date: 11 March 2022
Issue publication date: 1 September 2023
Abstract
Purpose
The rapid evacuation of personnel in emergency situations is of great significance to the safety of pedestrians. In order to further improve the evacuation efficiency in emergency situations, this paper proposes a pedestrian evacuation model based on improved cellular automata based on microscopic features.
Design/methodology/approach
First, the space is divided into finer grids, so that a single pedestrian occupies multiple grids to show the microscopic behavior between pedestrians. Second, to simulate the velocity of pedestrian movement under different personnel density, a dynamic grid velocity model is designed to establish a linear correspondence relationship with the density of people in the surrounding environment. Finally, the pedestrian dynamic exit selection mechanism is established to simulate the pedestrian dynamic exit selection process.
Findings
The proposed method is applied to single-exit space evacuation, multi-exit space evacuation, and space evacuation with obstacles, respectively. Average speed and personnel evacuation decisions are analyzed in specific applications. The method proposed in this paper can provide the optimal evacuation plan for pedestrians in multiple exit and obstacle environments.
Practical implications/Social implications
In fire and emergency situations, the method proposed in this paper can provide a more effective evacuation strategy for pedestrians. The method proposed in this paper can quickly get pedestrians out of the dangerous area and provide a certain reference value for the stable development of society.
Originality/value
This paper proposes a cellular automata pedestrian evacuation method based on a fine grid velocity model. This method can more realistically simulate the microscopic behavior of pedestrians. The proposed model increases the speed of pedestrian movement, allowing pedestrians to dynamically adjust the speed according to the specific situation.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
This work was supported by China Civil Aviation Administration Project (Grant Nos. ASSA2018/17 and ASSA2017/12).
Citation
Longzhen, Z. and Feng, S. (2023), "Pedestrian evacuation method based on improved cellular automata in emergencies", Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, Vol. 30 No. 8, pp. 3645-3673. https://doi.org/10.1108/ECAM-10-2021-0921
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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