Dynamic Path Optimization with Real-Time Information for Emergency Evacuation

In order to find the optimal path for emergency evacuation, this paper proposes a dynamic path optimization algorithm based on real-time information to search the optimal path and it takes fire accident as an example to introduce the algorithm principle. Before the accidents, it uses the Dijkstra algorithm to get the prior evacuation network which includes evacuation paths from each node to the exit port. When the accidents occur, the evacuees are unable to pass through the passage where the accident point and the blocking point are located, then the proposed method uses the breadth-first search strategy to solve the path optimization problem based on the prior evacuation network, and it dynamically updates the evacuation path according to the real-time information. Because the prior evacuation network includes global optimal evacuation paths from each node to the exit port, the breadth-first search algorithm only searches local optimal paths to avoid the blockage node or dangerous area. Because the online optimization solves a local pathfinding problem and the entire topology optimization is an offline calculation, the proposed method can find the optimal path in a short time when the accident situation changes. The simulation tests the performances of the proposed algorithm with different situations based on the topology of a building, and the results show that the proposed algorithm is effective to get the optimal path in a short time when it faces changes caused by the factors such as evacuee size, people distribution, blockage location, and accident points.