Validating MassMotion for adolescent behaviour

15/06/2017

It is well known that validation is considered by engineers as being a key factor when deciding which software package to use for simulating evacuations.

Now the gap in validation studies for MassMotion with a focus on children and their movement in low-rise buildings has been filled by Edinburgh University Master's students Alexandru Dragan and Codrin Mihnea Florescu. Their paper was highly commended in the biennial Oasys Project of the Year Competition to find innovative and new uses of our software

MassMotion is currently verified in accordance with the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) 1238 and the National Institute of Standards (NIST) Technical Note 1822. Furthermore, a 2016 research project in collaboration with Carleton University provides insights and guidance into modelling elderly populations: data collected during fire drills was used in comparison with associated evacuation modelling results using MassMotion to create a validation case study.

Children present greater behavioural uncertainties. Stairs do not seem to slow them down so much, and speed/density curves may differ from adults, as they move faster even in crowded conditions. So, the factors built into the MassMotion algorithms are not always appropriate. However, MassMotion enables users to bypass the default adult settings during the project.

Drawing on data from previous evacuation trials in German, Spanish and Brazilian schools, different scenarios and essential differences in culture, number of agents, agent profiles and geometry were considered. The original Spanish school study had included a comparison between three other software packages and was provided as a benchmark comparison.

Bypass Methods Slight alterations to parameters embedded in the model's source code allowed for the unique attributes of younger population and school buildings.

Firstly, MassMotion calculates the vertical movement speeds as less than 57.4% of the horizontal travel speeds. Empirical data indicates that the clear majority of measured vertical speeds on stairs for children are above 57.4% of the horizontal movement speeds. They by-passed this quite easily by setting all stairs as being virtually horizontal.

Slightly more complex was the second limitation of the model, related to the speed/density relationship. MassMotion incorporates John Fruin's Levels of Service to simulate the reduction effect that local density has on an agent's movement speed. However, studies by Larusdottir and Dederichs have shown that the speed/density curves for young populations may differ from the ones for adults, as children tend to move faster even in crowded conditions.

In addition, the empirical data being used for validation exercises already includes reduced speeds due to crowding behaviour. If this data is used as input, there is a risk that the speed reductions owing to increased densities are applied twice, which would produce overly-conservative results. So, the study aimed to investigate whether discarding the model's underlying imposed speed reductions (due to crowding) would generate more accurate results for this age group.

The imposed speed reduction factor was inspected as both On (default model configuration) and Off (manual override) for all scenarios together with the Default and Adjusted stair angles (vertical speeds equal to horizontal speeds).

Analysis and Results The simulations are carried out based methodology described by Cuesta et. al and Peacock et. al. which ensure that enough simulations are run for each scenario in order for the results to converge towards an average.

In terms of the high-level results of all the 5 evacuation scenarios (total evacuation times and average evacuation times), the accuracy of the simulated data varies widely from scenario to scenario, and seems to be directly proportional to the level of detail of empirical input data (available in the studies). The most accurate results for the Spanish and Brazilian studies are offered by the Fruin Off Adjusted Stair simulation cases, which involved faster movement speeds, even in crowded conditions. The German study is best replicated by Fruin On Adjusted Stair simulation cases, which involved slower movement speeds and hindered movement in crowded conditions. The results seem to indicate that there are cultural differences that may be incorporated into simulations by choosing to use the proposed bypass methods.

In the Spanish school evacuation study, which also presented simulated data from three other modelling packages, it was seen that MassMotion is best in predicting the total evacuation times and average evacuation times, and also when compared with experimental curves using functional analysis.

Additional Tests The final stage of the project investigated the influence of three key: total number of agents, their horizontal movement speed and their body radius. The social force algorithm coupled with the route choice algorithm form a highly complex representation of reality, but rely on Newtonian dynamics. The tests indicated that the algorithms' complexity is still not sufficient for modelling some social interactions and that further research in this area is necessary. (Note: MassMotion 9.0 provides new tools for defining agent behaviour in response to internal agendas and external influences.)

VIEW FULL PAPER HERE

Bibliography Cuesta, A., Ronchi, E. & Gwynne, S. M., 2015. Collection and Use of Data From School Egress Trials. Cambridge, Interscience Communications.

Kinsey, M. J. & Ronchi , E., 2011. Evacuation Models of the Future: Insights from an Online Survey of User's Experiences. Santander, unpublished.

Klupfel, H., Meyer-Konig, T. & Schreckenberg, M., 2003. Comparison of an Evacuation Exercise in a Primary School to Simulation Results. Traffic and Granular Flow, Volume 1, pp. 549-554.

Larusdotti

LINK:	https://www.oasys-software.com/blog/2017/04/validating-massmotion-for-...
	See more stories from oasys

Most recent headlines

05/01/2027

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be demoed at CES 2026

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...

01/06/2026

Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026

January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026 Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...

02/05/2026

Dalet Flex LTS Delivers Smarter Search, Faster Editing, and an AI-Ready Foundation for Modern Media

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...

01/05/2026

NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to Integrate Dolby's Full Suite of Premium Picture and Sound Innovations

January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...

01/04/2026

DOLBY AND DOUYIN EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATON OF CREATORS WITH DOLBY VISION

January 4 2026, 18:00 (PST) DOLBY AND DOUYIN EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATON OF CREATORS WITH DOLBY VISION Douyin Users Can Now Create And Share Videos With Stun...

18/03/2026

Net Insight Names Larissa GrnerMeeus CPO

Newly named chief product officer (CPO), Larissa G rner Meeus will return to Net Insight on May 4. Larissa G rner Meeus will become CPO of Net Insight on May 4...

18/03/2026

SVG Europe's The Football Summit 2026: Select Sessions Now Available to Watch on SVG PLAY

SVG Europe's The Football Summit 2026 explored how the sports broadcasting i...

18/03/2026

SVG's SportsTech@NABShow Blog Goes Live as Countdown to Vegas Heats Up

The 2026 NAB Show kicks off one month from today and SVG is once again set to cover the show from every angle. SVG's SportsTech@NAB Show Blog is now live - ...

18/03/2026

The Premiere of Dead Lover Showcases Grave Robbing and Sex With a Giant Finger

(L-R) The cast and crew of Dead Lover at The Ray Theater for its premiere at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. (Photo by Robin Marshall/Shutterstock for Sundan...

18/03/2026

Music Row Piano from Wiltone Productions

Yamaha C7 captured in Nashville Wiltone Productions have announced the release of Music Row Piano, a deeply sampled Yamaha C7 piano library that's been ...

18/03/2026

Techivation introduce T-Warmer Mk2

Bass-enhancement plug-in upgraded Along with a steady stream of new releases, Techivation have recently been revisiting some of the older plug-ins in their ...

18/03/2026

Tonal Balance Control 3 from iZotope

Mix-reference plug-in overhauled iZotope's powerful mix-referencing plug-in has just reached its third major version, and now boasts a new capture proce...

18/03/2026

Toontrack Transistor Organ EKX

Latest EZKeys 2 expansion arrives Toontrack's staggering collection of EZKeys 2 expansions has grown once again, and the latest instalment delivers a on...

18/03/2026

Jess Ho explores the politics of food in new SBS Audio podcast For The Culture

Jess Ho explores the politics of food in new SBS Audio podcast For The Culture 18 March, 2026 Media releases New SBS Audio podcast For The Culture, hosted ...

18/03/2026

Future-ready broadcasts with ATSC 3.0 and enhanced services from Rohde & Schwarz at NAB 2026

Future-ready broadcasts with ATSC 3.0 and enhanced services from Rohde & Schwarz...

18/03/2026

LCTWS 2026

London Calling - When The Industry Convened to Help Streaming Find its MoJo In this blog, Laura Rognoni reflects on key discussions from the Connected TV World...

18/03/2026

SMPTE Unveils 2026 NAB Show Educational Presentations

SMPTE Unveils 2026 NAB Show Educational Presentations Brie Clayton March 18, 2026 0 Comments SMPTE , the home of media professionals, technologists, a...

18/03/2026

Auditel Ad Campaign Shot on Blackmagic PYXIS 12K

Auditel Ad Campaign Shot on Blackmagic PYXIS 12K Brie Clayton March 18, 2026 0 Comments LED wall virtual production blends 12K open gate acquisition w...

18/03/2026