Evacuation Behavioural Instructions with 3D Motions: Insights from Three Use Cases

During emergency evacuations, pedestrians may use three-dimensional (3D) motions, such as low crawling and climbing up/down, to navigate above or below indoor objects (e.g., tables, chairs, and stair flights). Understanding how these motions influence evacuation processes can facilitate the developm...

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Main Authors: Ruihang Xie, Sisi Zlatanova, Jinwoo (Brian) Lee, André Borrmann
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-05-01
Series:ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2220-9964/14/5/197
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author Ruihang Xie
Sisi Zlatanova
Jinwoo (Brian) Lee
André Borrmann
author_facet Ruihang Xie
Sisi Zlatanova
Jinwoo (Brian) Lee
André Borrmann
author_sort Ruihang Xie
collection DOAJ
description During emergency evacuations, pedestrians may use three-dimensional (3D) motions, such as low crawling and climbing up/down, to navigate above or below indoor objects (e.g., tables, chairs, and stair flights). Understanding how these motions influence evacuation processes can facilitate the development of behavioural instructions. This study examines the influence of 3D motions through a simulation-based method. This method combines a voxel-based 3D indoor model with an agent-based model. Three use case studies are elaborated upon, considering varying building types, agent numbers, urgency levels, and demographic differences. These case studies serve as exploratory demonstrations rather than validated simulations grounded in real-world evacuation experiments. Our findings are as follows: (1) Three-dimensional motions may create alternative and local 3D paths, enabling agents to bypass congestion, particularly in narrow corridors and confined spaces. (2) While 3D motions may help alleviate local congestion, they may intensify bottlenecks near exits, especially in highly crowded and high-urgency scenarios. (3) As urgency and agent numbers increase, differences in evacuation efficiency between scenarios with and without 3D motions are likely to diminish. We suggest further investigation into evacuation behavioural instructions, including the following: (1) conditional use of 3D motions in different buildings and (2) instructions tailored to different demographic groups. These use cases illustrate new directions for evacuation managers to consider the incorporation of 3D motions.
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spelling doaj-art-5bdca7bef0704cfaae38763b14140d082025-08-20T03:14:39ZengMDPI AGISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information2220-99642025-05-0114519710.3390/ijgi14050197Evacuation Behavioural Instructions with 3D Motions: Insights from Three Use CasesRuihang Xie0Sisi Zlatanova1Jinwoo (Brian) Lee2André Borrmann3Faculty of Arts, Design, and Architecture, School of Built Environment, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2033, AustraliaFaculty of Arts, Design, and Architecture, School of Built Environment, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2033, AustraliaFaculty of Arts, Design, and Architecture, School of Built Environment, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2033, AustraliaChair of Computing in Civil and Building Engineering, School of Engineering and Design, Technical University of Munich, 80333 Munich, GermanyDuring emergency evacuations, pedestrians may use three-dimensional (3D) motions, such as low crawling and climbing up/down, to navigate above or below indoor objects (e.g., tables, chairs, and stair flights). Understanding how these motions influence evacuation processes can facilitate the development of behavioural instructions. This study examines the influence of 3D motions through a simulation-based method. This method combines a voxel-based 3D indoor model with an agent-based model. Three use case studies are elaborated upon, considering varying building types, agent numbers, urgency levels, and demographic differences. These case studies serve as exploratory demonstrations rather than validated simulations grounded in real-world evacuation experiments. Our findings are as follows: (1) Three-dimensional motions may create alternative and local 3D paths, enabling agents to bypass congestion, particularly in narrow corridors and confined spaces. (2) While 3D motions may help alleviate local congestion, they may intensify bottlenecks near exits, especially in highly crowded and high-urgency scenarios. (3) As urgency and agent numbers increase, differences in evacuation efficiency between scenarios with and without 3D motions are likely to diminish. We suggest further investigation into evacuation behavioural instructions, including the following: (1) conditional use of 3D motions in different buildings and (2) instructions tailored to different demographic groups. These use cases illustrate new directions for evacuation managers to consider the incorporation of 3D motions.https://www.mdpi.com/2220-9964/14/5/197evacuation simulationpedestrian movementdecision adaptation3D indoor environmentemergency management
spellingShingle Ruihang Xie
Sisi Zlatanova
Jinwoo (Brian) Lee
André Borrmann
Evacuation Behavioural Instructions with 3D Motions: Insights from Three Use Cases
ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information
evacuation simulation
pedestrian movement
decision adaptation
3D indoor environment
emergency management
title Evacuation Behavioural Instructions with 3D Motions: Insights from Three Use Cases
title_full Evacuation Behavioural Instructions with 3D Motions: Insights from Three Use Cases
title_fullStr Evacuation Behavioural Instructions with 3D Motions: Insights from Three Use Cases
title_full_unstemmed Evacuation Behavioural Instructions with 3D Motions: Insights from Three Use Cases
title_short Evacuation Behavioural Instructions with 3D Motions: Insights from Three Use Cases
title_sort evacuation behavioural instructions with 3d motions insights from three use cases
topic evacuation simulation
pedestrian movement
decision adaptation
3D indoor environment
emergency management
url https://www.mdpi.com/2220-9964/14/5/197
work_keys_str_mv AT ruihangxie evacuationbehaviouralinstructionswith3dmotionsinsightsfromthreeusecases
AT sisizlatanova evacuationbehaviouralinstructionswith3dmotionsinsightsfromthreeusecases
AT jinwoobrianlee evacuationbehaviouralinstructionswith3dmotionsinsightsfromthreeusecases
AT andreborrmann evacuationbehaviouralinstructionswith3dmotionsinsightsfromthreeusecases