A decision support system for disaster management in buildings

Abstract

Information systems that provide decision support in an efficient and timely manner can prove beneficial for emergency response operations. In this paper we propose the use of a system that provides movement decision support to evacuees by directing them through the shortest or less hazardous routes to the exit and evaluate it with a specialised software platform that we have developed for simulation of disasters in buildings. The system operates in a distributed manner, and computes the best evacuation routes in real-time while a hazard is spreading inside the building. It is composed of a network of decision nodes and sensor nodes, positioned in specific locations inside the building. The recommendations of the decision nodes are computed in a distributed manner, at each of the decision nodes, which then communicate them to evacuees or rescue personnel located in their vicinity. We use a multi-agent simulation platform for Building Evacuation that we developed, in order to evaluate our proposed system in various emergency scenarios. Our simulation results show that the overall outcome of the evacuation procedure is improved when the decision support system is in operation.