Granularity of Pre-movement Time Distribution in Crowd Evacuation Simulations

Abstract

The paper addresses issues of spatial distribution of pre-movement time. Three different, real life cases of egress are analysed. In all the analysed cases a coarse spatial distribution of pre-movement time is observed. On the basis of the examples the authors investigate whether this phenomenon has a significant influ- ence on the evacuation process. It has been founded that in more complex scenarios, the spatial distribution of pre-movement time affects the evacuation process, while in simple scenarios (like large room evacuation) no significant influence is observed. Finally, some factors that increase the magnitude of the observed phenomenon were identified, namely: the complicated geometry of the facility, evacuees confusedness, existence of groups and appearance of a leader. As a consequence of the findings it is recommended to include coarse spatial distribution of pre-movement times in simulations of complex scenarios.