Pedestrian Evacuation Modeling Using Agent-Based Model and Social-Force Model

Abstract

Good emergency management is essential in planning events that have the potential to endanger lives, one of which is preparing for an effective and efficient evacuation. Evacuation evaluation using a fire drill is not optimal because it does not describe the emergency. Therefore, agent-based modeling is carried out to see interactions between individuals and their environment during evacuation. ABM (Agent-Based Modeling) is combined with a social-force model, which is the source of the agent’s movement style toward goals and avoiding obstacles. The simulation is carried out using NetLogo 6.3.0 software, which can represent agents spread across a 2-dimensional room with variations in room size, exits, and the number of agents involved. Several characteristics are given to the agent to cause heterogeneity, including age categories in the form of children, adults, people over 70, and people with disabilities, which will determine the agent’s walking speed. The measurements observed were the average duration of evacuation and the average speed of agents. From the simulation results, it can be concluded that using the social force model will lead to the emergence of collective behavior, such as clogging and arching in agents. The exact population density in different room areas will affect the evacuation duration, whereas a larger room area will cause the agent to travel a greater distance to the exit. An increase in evacuation duration will accelerate rapidly at low densities and slow down as density increases.