A Modified Social Force Model For Crowd Dynamics
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Date
2011-11
Authors
Thinakaran, Kumatha
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Universiti Sains Malaysia
Abstract
The Social Force Model (SFM) is the most recent form of pedestrian model which is
widely used in computer simulation software, as this model is more realistic. Many
modifications have been done to improvise the SFM. One of them is a self-stopping
mechanism introduced by earlier researchers where a respect factor is used to
determine the self-stopping mechanism. The respect factor determines the respect
area which is the area for pedestrians to walk at their own preferred speed. In this
thesis, the constant respect factor is modified to obtain a better fundamental
diagram. Also, the new dynamic respect factor is used to investigate different
situations in simulating pedestrians. One of the situations involves elderly
pedestrians who walk at a slower speed needs wider walking space. Another
modification in the dynamic respect factor is to simulate pedestrians walking in
multi-directions. The action of “respect” between pedestrians is incorporated into
this modification. The visual simulations are analyzed to study its efficiency. The
characteristic of age and gender factor is incorporated into the multi-directional
walkway to produce a simulation which is close to the real-life crowd. The
application of the normal Social Force Model in computer simulation models is also
discussed here. The pedestrian simulation computer software, SimWalk, is used to
study the simulation of pedestrian flow. The study of circumambulation of the
Ka’aba is taken as an illustrative example, where performing Tawaf is one of the
rituals when performing the Hajj. The pilgrims face two main problems in this
situation. The first is the overflowing of the pilgrims during the Hajj season.
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Keywords
A modified social force model , for crowd dynamics