Outdoors evacuation routes algorithm using cellular automata and graph theory for uphills and downhills

Abstract

This paper proposes an innovative algorithm for the determination of the optimal outdoor evacuation routes in hills. The algorithm uses web services to obtain the Google Image Tile (a portion of the area to evaluate) and each area’s geographic information. Then, the routes are calculated using cellular automata in 3D and graph theory with geographic information obtained from Google Maps (latitude, longitude, and elevation). The calculation of evacuation routes per study area is performed in an adequate time, revealing the potential of the proposed approach for different applications in emergency scenarios such as wildfires, smart transport, and climbing.