Chapter 38 - An Evacuation Problem in Tree Dynamic Networks with Multiple Exits

Abstract

This paper considers an evacuation problem in dynamic networks as one of the basic studies on crisis management systems for evacuation guidance of residents against large-scale disasters. The chapter restricts the attention to tree networks and flows such that all the supplies going through a common vertex are sent to a single sink, because everyone has to evacuate fairly and without confusion. The chapter shows that the evacuation problem can be solved in polynomial time if the number of sinks is bounded by some constant. The evacuation problem for dynamic flows can be further extended in many directions. Some of them are to find a sink to which a flow of maximum value from sources can be sent within given fixed time and to consider the partition problem on general dynamic networks. These are left for future research.