![](//www.4rfv.com/images/no_image.jpg)
How accurately can pedestrian simulation tools model humans ?
Share
Pedestrian simulation software plays a big part in making our lives easier. As our cities and transport networks became ever more complex, and our festivals, concerts and sporting events got bigger, keeping us moving freely and safely became one of the biggest challenges facing planners. Now, of course, managing proximity and how we move adds another level of complexity.
Understanding and predicting the pedestrian movement and the resulting crowd flows is a critical part of the design, planning and day-to-day operations of any infrastructure or event, and pedestrian simulation software like Oasys MassMotion provides the tools planners need. The recent addition of proximity modelling tools is helping to manage and phase the safe reopening of facilities after lockdowns.
So how does pedestrian simulation work and how realistic can its predictions be? We asked Yogin Doolab, a consultant on the Oasys MassMotion team to give us an idea of how pedestrian modelling works.
Yogin explained that the roots of understanding pedestrian dynamics go back decades, to work by architects understanding crowds moving as fluids, to studies of evacuation and safety. A quantum leap in our understanding was the idea of Level of Service (LOS), first conceived by John Fruin in the 1960s. Fruin had realised that the best measure of the effectiveness of a potential route was not how fast individuals travelled but how many passed a given point per minute: the relationship between density and speed isn't a simple linear one and Fruin's studies showed us how this happens (there is actually a sweet point at which greater density doesn't actually slow the crowd down, but add just a few more people and there will soon be congestion!). Using the Level of Service (LOS) concept, which can be thought of as a measure of how big a group can get before movement is restricted, we can start to predict how individual pedestrians will move in a crowd.
Being able to translate this learning into a scientific understanding of movement was the next key step to modelling crowds accurately. In the 1990s, a combination of additional research and advances in computing power made this feasible. Dirk Helbing and Peter Molnar introduced the social forces model in 1995. They developed a system that represented the multiple interactions between individuals, objects, etc. They called these interactions social forces and showed how they guided the behaviour of an individual when moving in and amongst other people.
Since then, there have been many research studies conducted to determine with greater precision how people behave and choose the path they will take to get to their destination, be it getting through a ticket barrier or reaching the burger bar at a concert.
A valid and accurate pedestrian modelling technique should be able to model most, if not all aspects of pedestrian movement. For example, the software should be able to simulate how pedestrians enter/exit a given space, what happens when they meet people coming the other way around a corner, and how they react to the dynamically changing crowd density around them. It should reveal where crossflows and counter-flows might give rise to problems, and it should also be able to model random sporadic human behaviour as well.
Not surprisingly, humans being what they are, attempts to refine an existing model or introduce a new one always seems to leave a gap. So, the honest answer to Can pedestrian simulation software model human behaviour 100% accurately? is that it cannot - but it is getting pretty close and engineers and planners around the world do have confidence in the insights it offers. For example, at Beijing's new jewel-in-the-crown Daxing airport, for example, MassMotion showed how simply adding an extra escalator to the design would reduce bottlenecks at the main entrance.
Agent-based simulation tools such as Oasys MassMotion use the social forces model in combination with LOS and then also add additional data provided by the user to replicate human behaviour to the best of its ability. Additional data might be transport timetables or concert and interval times to predict peaks and troughs in footfall traffic or actual observations taken in the field to give a better understanding of how people are likely to approach a building.
With added features like action sets (sequences such as passing ticket desks, automated barriers or security) , agent profiles (age, mobility, cultural preference to walk on one side of the road, etc) and MassMotion's software development kit (SDK) to enable users to add new project-specific features, a user is able to customize their simulation. In addition, the MassMotion development team currently has an active research program on how to incorporate real-time data into the software to increase accuracy and enable managers to react to emerging situations like congestion caused by a faulty escalator.
With technology advances and the rapid development of artificial intelligence and machine learning, it shouldn't be long until pedestrian modelling tools will indeed be able to predict and analyse any kind of human behaviour, and give us fast answers on how to avoid discomfort, danger and congestion.
Most recent headlines
04/08/2024
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, is excited to announce Santiago Solanas as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO)....
26/07/2024
by Ianeta Le'i
I honestly don't remember the first time I met Bryson Ch...
26/07/2024
(L-R) Louise (Karen Gillan) and Antonina (Margaret Sophie Stein) strike up an un...
26/07/2024
Last month, Spotify's annual Songs of Summer predictions made their return, ...
26/07/2024
Summer is peak season for some of our favorite sports and events. Whether you're rooting for the home team at the ballpark or cheering for your country as i...
26/07/2024
Nine talented young professionals completed their vocational training at SGL Carbon in Meitingen from the beginning of June to mid-July, achieving an overall gr...
26/07/2024
Orders1 of $5.2 billion; book-to-bill of 1.0x
Revenue of $5.3 billion, up 13%
...
26/07/2024
(Editor's note: TVTech reached out to several station groups to determine the impact of the CrowdStrike outage on operations. Many, including NextStar Media...
26/07/2024
NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. Bitcentral has integrated Pixalate's ad fraud protection, privacy and compliance analytics solution Post-Bid Analytics and Reporting i...
26/07/2024
Aldous Huxley's classic novel Brave New World is a science fiction thriller set in a murky future with a highly ordered society. While Huxley and other sc...
26/07/2024
Hollyland Adds Pyro 7 All-in-one Video Monitor, TX and RX to Pyro Series
Brie Clayton July 26, 2024
0 Comments
Seven-inch 2.4/5GHz wireless monitor wi...
26/07/2024
Geddy Lee Asks Are Bass Players Human Too? Graded Using DaVinci Resolve Studio
Brie Clayton July 26, 2024
0 Comments
Blackmagic today announced that t...
26/07/2024
Another reminder of the popularity of ad-supported connected TV comes in a survey by Premion and Advertiser Perceptions which found that 61% of the marketers th...
26/07/2024
Nielsen's Gracenote unit said it is selling its metadata about the content of television shows and movies for use in targeting connected-TV advertising camp...
26/07/2024
CBS premieres 13 Days in Ferguson, a special about the aftermath of a police shooting of a young Black man in 2014, on Friday, August 9. The special features Ce...
26/07/2024
Disney and Warner Bros. Discovery announced the launch of their long-awaited premium streaming bundle for the United States. For $16.99 per month, subscribers w...
26/07/2024
It provides multi-voltage output (14.4V, 28V, and 48V) through two XLR4 outputs and one XLR3, offering power to cameras, monitors, and lighting equipment
By Je...
26/07/2024
The lawsuit submitted by investor Scott Baker claims the deal would cost Paramount shareholders $1.65 billion
By Jenny Priestley
Published: July 26, 2024
...
26/07/2024
Florida-based Video Village Miami provides on-set video assist for local commercials and music videos. Frank Collins established the outfit in 2019 after a 20-y...
26/07/2024
QuickLink, the leading global provider of multi-camera video productions and remote contribution solutions, will present QuickLink StudioPro at IBC 2024 (Stand ...
26/07/2024
Relo Metrics (formerly GumGum Sports), the leading AI-powered sponsorship analytics platform for real-time data decisions, today launched an industry-leading in...
26/07/2024
Anton/Bauer, a leading provider of mobile power systems for the film and television industry, has announced the launch of the VCLX LI 1600. The latest evolution...
26/07/2024
Bitcentral, the leading provider of professional media solutions for broadcast and digital video, today announces that it has integrated Pixalate, the ad fraud ...
26/07/2024
Cobalt Iron Inc., a leading provider of SaaS-based enterprise data protection, today announced that Secure Automated Backup with Compass , a cloud backup-as-a-s...
26/07/2024
VisualOn IBC2024 Exhibitor Preview
Sept. 13-16
Amsterdam
Stand 5.A52
As video streaming consumption surges, service providers face significant challenges wi...
26/07/2024
Quanteec
IBC2024 Exhibitor Preview
Sept. 13-16
RAI Amsterdam
Stand 1.A05
Quanteec, a global provider of video delivery technology for broadcasters, will s...
26/07/2024
Witbe
IBC2024 Exhibitor Preview
Sept. 13-16
Amsterdam
Stand 5.F84
At IBC2024, Witbe will showcase the power of its automated testing and proactive monitori...
26/07/2024
WASHINGTON, D.C. The Federal Communications Commission has announced the launch of its new Mobile Speed Test app. The new app features an enhanced user interfac...
26/07/2024
LONDON In a notable landmark for the use of cloud-based services at the Olympics, Alibaba Cloud and Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS), has today announced the...
26/07/2024
NEW YORK As part of a $2.5 billion media rights deal with the NBA announced on July 24, NBCUniversal and the NBA have also announced an 11-year agreement for ri...
26/07/2024
BEAVERTON, Ore. Versatile Video Coding (VVC) promises to play a pivotal role in driving advancements in video compression technology, with organizations across ...
26/07/2024
COLUMBUS, Ohio The political news channel PurpleTV has expanded it reach with news that it has launched on Channel 25.1 in Columbus, Ohio on TV Station WXOH, wh...
26/07/2024
NEW YORK As part of a push into the contextual advertising business, Nielsen's Gracenote has announced that it is developing new contextual categories to gi...
26/07/2024
Puget Systems Returns to SIGGRAPH 2024 to Demonstrate its On-Premises Generative...
26/07/2024
Dreamtek Delivers Innovative A/V, Live Production and Post Workflows with Blackm...
26/07/2024
Dejero to bring even smarter' mobile internet connectivity solutions to IBC...
26/07/2024
The 2024 Paris Olympic Games are about to begin, and Capitol Broadcasting is rea...
26/07/2024
Berklee Alumni Nominated for 2024 Emmy Awards Twenty-one Berklee alumni received Emmy nominations this year for music composition, sound mixing, and sound editi...
26/07/2024
Jennifer Lyons, president and general manager of WBBM Chicago, is moving into a ...
26/07/2024
Kennan Oliphant has been named VP of news and station manager at WWJ Detroit. He will report to Jennifer Lyons, who has added a regional GM role that gives her ...
26/07/2024
Charlie Hustle & The Matter of Pete Rose, a four-part docuseries, debuts on HBO and Max July 24. The series details the life of the baseball superstar, includin...
26/07/2024
The 2024 Paris Olympic Games present a unique and exciting opportunity for local...
26/07/2024
Paris 2024: V varo Providing Live Media Transport Services for Leading Internati...
26/07/2024
Paris 2024: BBC Sport on Its Remote Production Workflow for the Summer Games By Heather McLean, SVG Europe
Friday, July 26, 2024 - 7:31 am
Print This Story...
26/07/2024
Paris 2024: BBC Sport Unveils the Olympic Storytelling and Breathtaking Scenery ...
26/07/2024
Paris 2024: Taking a Step Forwards with BBC Sport's Olympic Studio Combining...
26/07/2024
Paris 2024: Warner Bros. Discovery Sports Europe Provides a First Look at Its Ol...
26/07/2024
Live From Paris 2024: NBC Olympics Set for Historic Opening Ceremony Unilateral coverage builds on impressive OBS production as NBC dives deep into Team USA cov...
26/07/2024
Live From Paris 2024: SVG's Onsite Editorial Team Breaks Down Opening Ceremo...
26/07/2024
True-crime documentary, The Body Next Door to launch on Sky Documentaries and NO...