A system for efficient egress scheduling during mass events and small-scale experimental demonstration

Area of Science:

• Engineering
• Computer Science
• Social Science

Background:

• Pedestrian facility design has improved safety, but congestion and inefficient infrastructure use persist.
• Research often focuses on extreme crowd scenarios, neglecting methods for non-critical conditions.
• Crowd sensing technology is underutilized for real-time crowd management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a system for computing optimal egress times for groups in complex facilities.
• To demonstrate that optimizing individual group egress times can reduce overall crowd density.
• To improve comfort and reduce close contact during crowd events.

Main Methods:

• A system was developed to calculate optimal egress start times for distinct groups.
• A small-scale experiment was conducted to test the system's components in a simplified scenario.
• The system utilizes crowd conditions to inform egress time computations.

Main Results:

• A 5% increase in total egress time enabled a 35% reduction in maximum crowd density.
• Optimized egress timing significantly reduced density without substantially impacting overall evacuation duration.
• The system proved effective in a controlled experimental setting.

Conclusions:

• Accurate computation of group egress times can effectively manage crowd density.
• This approach enhances crowd comfort and reduces close physical contact.
• The developed system offers a practical solution for improving crowd flow in complex facilities.