An Improved Simulation Model for Pedestrian Crowd Evacuation

This paper works on one of the most recent pedestrian crowd evacuation models, i.e., "a simulation model for pedestrian crowd evacuation based on various AI techniques", developed in late 2019. This study adds a new feature to the developed model by proposing a new method and integrating it with the model. This method enables the developed model to find a more appropriate evacuation area design, among others regarding safety due to selecting the best exit door location among many suggested locations. This method is completely dependent on the selected model's output, i.e., the evacuation time for each individual within the evacuation process. The new method finds an average of the evacuees' evacuation times of each exit door location; then, based on the average evacuation time, it decides which exit door location would be the best exit door to be used for evacuation by the evacuees. To validate the method, various designs for the evacuation area with various written scenarios were used. The results showed that the model with this new method could predict a proper exit door location among many suggested locations. Lastly, from the results of this research using the integration of this newly proposed method, a new capability for the selected model in terms of safety allowed the right decision in selecting the finest design for the evacuation area among other designs.

Improved Fitness-Dependent Optimizer Algorithm

The fitness-dependent optimizer (FDO) algorithm was recently introduced in 2019. An improved FDO (IFDO) algorithm is presented in this work, and this algorithm contributes considerably to refining the ability of the original FDO to address complicated optimization problems. To improve the FDO, the IFDO calculates the alignment and cohesion and then uses these behaviors with the pace at which the FDO updates its position. Moreover, in determining the weights, the FDO uses the weight factor (wf), which is zero in most cases and one in only a few cases. Conversely, the IFDO performs wf randomization in the [0-1] range and then minimizes the range when a better fitness weight value is achieved. In this work, the IFDO algorithm and its method of converging on the optimal solution are demonstrated. Additionally, 19 classical standard test function groups are utilized to test the IFDO, and then the FDO and three other well-known algorithms, namely, the particle swarm algorithm (PSO), dragonfly algorithm (DA), and genetic algorithm (GA), are selected to evaluate the IFDO results. Furthermore, the CECC06 2019 Competition, which is the set of IEEE Congress of Evolutionary Computation benchmark test functions, is utilized to test the IFDO, and then, the FDO and three recent algorithms, namely, the salp swarm algorithm (SSA), DA and whale optimization algorithm (WOA), are chosen to gauge the IFDO results. The results show that IFDO is practical in some cases, and its results are improved in most cases. Finally, to prove the practicability of the IFDO, it is used in real-world applications.

A Simulation Model for Pedestrian Crowd Evacuation Based on Various AI Techniques

This paper attempts to design an intelligent simulation model for pedestrian crowd evacuation. For this purpose, the cellular automata(CA) was fully integrated with fuzzy logic, the kth nearest neighbors (KNN), and some statistical equations. In this model, each pedestrian was assigned a specific speed, according to his/her physical, biological and emotional features. The emergency behavior and evacuation efficiency of each pedestrian were evaluated by coupling his or her speed with various elements, such as environment, pedestrian distribution and familiarity with the exits. These elements all have great impacts on the evacuation process. Several experiments were carried out to verify the performance of the model in different emergency scenarios. The results show that the proposed model can predict the evacuation time and emergency behavior in various types of building interiors and pedestrian distributions. The research provides a good reference to the design of building evacuation systems.