Dynamic Flow Algorithm with Intermediate Storage for Emergency Evacuation Allowing Lane Reversal based on Incomplete Intuitionistic Fuzzy Preference Relation

Abstract

Background Evacuation in case of disasters is of the greatest importance because of significant occurrences of natural and artificial disasters worldwide, which is why a reliable evacuation plan is always needed. However, evacuation models are difficult to develop due to various uncertain aspects that need to be considered, multiple and often conflicting criteria for evaluation and as lack of expertise regarding a specific preference of alternatives. Objective This study aims to transport the maximum number of evacuees in a dynamic network with lane reversal by a safe pattern of transportation, i.e., allowing storage at intermediate nodes. The optimal order of shelters and intermediate nodes for a reliable evacuation plan will be defined by incomplete intuitionistic fuzzy preference relation. Methods The illustrated method incorporates multiple and often conflicting criteria into a process of emergency decision-making. When evaluating evacuation alternatives, a decision-maker may hesitate and be unsure which alternative is better or not have sufficient expertise to evaluate a pair of alternatives. To model uncertainty and hesitation, intuitionistic fuzzy values are used to describe alternatives in more detail. This study relies on flow models and graph theory to simulate the movement of evacuees to safe destinations. Furthermore, fuzzy methods and their recent modifications are applied to determine the effective priority order of shelters. A case study which simulates the evacuation of aggrieved to safe destinations is presented. Results A method of evaluating the shelters and intermediate nodes for evacuation based on incomplete intuitionistic fuzzy preference relation is proposed. The method allows the missed values of experts’ assessments to be filled in regarding the evacuation alternatives and deals with intuitionistic fuzzy values, which describe experts’ hesitation. The dynamic character of flow distribution enables transit arc capacities and time factors to be processed. The contraflow technique, which is a powerful tool to decrease traffic jams and congestion on roads by reversing the movement along the unused segments, is applied to maximize the number of survivors. Conclusion The results of the method were compared to those of existing methods, and their consistency was proved. In the future, we intend to apply interval-valued intuitionistic preference relations and iterative algorithms to improve the consistency of intuitionistic preference relations to the tasks of transporting the maximum possible number of aggrieved to safe locations.