Model Name: EVACNET4
Version: 1.4
Classification: Evacuation/egress model
Very Short Description: Determines optimal building
evacuation plan
Modeler(s), Organization(s): Thoma
Kisko, University of Florida
User’s Guide:
EVACNET4 User's Guide,
http://www.ise.ufl.edu/kisko/files/evacnet/EVAC4UG.HTM
Technical References:
See: http://www.ise.ufl.edu/kisko/files/evacnet/
Validation References: See: http://www.ise.ufl.edu/kisko/files/evacnet/
Availability: Purchase info and free demo available
at:
http://www.ise.ufl.edu/kisko/files/evacnet/
Price: $250.00, Size limited demo is free
Necessary Hardware: Windows 95, 98, NT and 2000
Computer Language: FORTRAN
Size: Less than 1MB if disk space, 1MB to 40MB
or RAM
Contact Information: Thomas Kisko, 352-392-1293,
kisko@ise.ufl.edu
Detailed Description:
EVACNET4 is a user-friendly interactive
computer program that models building evacuations.
The
program accepts a network description of a building
and information on its initial contents at the
beginning
of the evacuation. From this information, EVACNET4
produces results that describe an optimal evacuation
of the building. Each evacuation is optimal in
the sense that it minimizes the time to evacuate
the building.
People are evacuated as quickly as possible.
EVACNET4, the Windows 95/NT version of EVACNET+
has been released. The new version,
EVACNET4, handles larger networks and is easier
to use.
What's new?
1.
COMPILED FOR WIN32 INTEL COMPUTERS - Runs in Windows
95 or Windows NT as a
console application.
2.
ALLOCATABLE NETWORK SIZES - User specified arrays
dimensions; you can customize to
fill available memory and to match your modeling
needs; 10 megabytes for 400 nodes and 480
time periods.
3.
READ FEATURE - Allows off-line editing of model
input; EVACNET4 reads ASCII text files.
4.
IMPROVED MENU AND DATA ENTRY PROCESSING - Case
insensitive; shortcuts.
What is required as input to EVACNET4?
EVACNET4 requires a network description
of a building and information about the initial
placement of
occupants at the beginning of the evacuation.
The network is called an EVACNET4 network model.
The
network model consists of a set of nodes and arcs.
The nodes of the network model represent building
components such as rooms, halls, stairs, and lobbies.
The initial contents (people) in each node must
also be
specified. The arcs represent the passageways
between the building components.
What data needs to be supplied?
For each node, one must to define
a capacity. This is the upper limit on the number
of people that can be
contained in the building component the node represents.
One can also (optionally) specify an initial
contents of a node. This is the number of people
in the "node" at the initiation of the
evacuation. The initial
contents of a node will default to zero unless
the user specifies otherwise.
For each arc, one will need to supply an arc traversal
time and arc flow capacity. The traversal time
is the
number of time periods it takes to traverse the
passageway the arc represents. The arc flow capacity
is the
upper limit on the number of people that can traverse
the passageway the arc represents per time period.
EVACNET4 breaks up time into time periods of fixed
length. The length of each time period is user-
definable. The default time period length is 5
seconds. Traversal times and flow capacities are
based on this
time period.
How big of a model can EVACNET4
handle?
EVACNET+ PC could handle 100 nodes,
130 arcs and 60 time periods.
EVACNET4 is limited by available memory. 400 nodes,
520 arcs and 480 time periods requires about 10
megabytes. Doubling the number of nodes and arcs
or doubling the number of time periods requires
about
20 megabytes. Doubling everything requires about
40 megabytes.
What does EVACNET4 do when it "runs"
a model?
EVACNET4 takes the network model
one provides and determines an optimal plan to
evacuate the
building in a "minimum" amount of time.
This is done using an advanced capacitated network
flow
transshipment algorithm, a specialized algorithm
used in solving linear programming problems with
network structure. From the user's point of view,
all the user does is supply the model, ask EVACNET4
to
run it, and then examine the results.
What kind of results does EVACNET4
provide?
The EVACNET4 results menu has many
options for one to choose from in selecting specific
results. A
summary of the results is provided in the first
option. The other options give results such as:
•
Destination allocation.
•
Arc movement summaries.
•
Floor clearing times.
•
Evacuation profiles and snap shots.
•
Bottleneck identification.
What kind of buildings can one model with EVACNET4?
EVACNET4 has been designed to be
flexible enough to model the evacuation of almost
any conceivable
structure representable as a network. This includes
office buildings, hotels, skyscrapers,
auditoriums, stadiums, retail establishments,
restaurants, and schools. Entire structures or
selected
parts of a structure may be modeled. The cause
of the evacuation may be fire, smoke, earthquake,
drill or any other reason requiring the quick
removal of people from the building.
