A simulation framework for the investigation of adaptive behaviours in largely populated building evacuation scenarios

Abstract

Abstract. In an emergency scenario, civilians and emergency personnel have to continuously adapt their behaviour and make quick decisions to tackle unpredicted developments. Determining the optimal decisions and devising viable operational plans, while adapting to world changes, require systematic and accurate investigation of such systems. To effectively carry out such investigations in largely populated scenarios, we need a software framework that allows (i) reproducibility of the experiments, (ii) extendibility to diverse and unforeseen scenarios and (iii) distributed operation to allow the simulation of largely populated scenarios. We achieve all three requirements by developing an agent-based discrete-event simulation framework, and then building on top a Building Evacuation Simulator (BES), according to modern software engineering practices.