Cellular Automata Simulation Model for Emergency Evacuation Planning

Effective evacuation in emergency situations is directly related to the safety of large public buildings. Defects in the design of buildings and irrational behavior in emergency situations have a negative impact on evacuation results. The purpose of this study is to design the optimal evacuation plan by combining human behavior characteristics in emergencies with the characteristics of the building site, and to determine potential congestion points and congestion index at all times through simulation. In order to optimize the evacuation process of large public buildings in emergency situations, this paper establishes a simulation modeling scheme based on cellular automata. The behavioral preferences, characteristics of evacuees, and the interaction between them are fully considered. The floor field concept is introduced to represent the characteristics of a building. We also considered the impact of different emergencies on evacuation plans. Proposed evacuation proposals include the issuance of specific evacuation instructions, the setting of evacuation signs, and the opening conditions of new emergency exits. In order to apply and validate the model, this paper conducted a case study based on the Louvre to ensure that people can successfully evacuate in an emergency. Different from the previous work, this paper considers the impact of various emergencies on the evacuation process, visitors' familiarity with the location of entrance/exit within the building, and defines the critical value for using additional exits.