A Review of Building Evacuation Models - NIST Virtual Library

A.11 buildingEXODUS
Developer: E. Galea and FSEG Group, University of Greenwich, UK
Purpose of the model: The purpose of this model is to simulate the evacuation of a large
number of people from a variety of enclosures 11, 54-58 . The modeling suite consists of
airEXODUS, buildingEXODUS, maritimeEXODUS, railEXODUS, and vrEXODUS (Virtual
reality graphics program). buildingEXODUS attempts to consider “people-people, people-fire,
and people-structure interactions.” The model consists of six submodels, as shown in Figure
A.18, that interact with one another to pass information about the evacuation simulation, and
these are Occupant, Movement, Behavior, Toxicity, Hazard and Geometry submodels.
59, p. 46
Figure A.18: EXODUS submodel interaction
Availability to the public for use: As of August 2002, buildingEXODUS version 3.01 is
available for use through the University of Greenwich (FSEG).
Modeling method: This is a behavioral model.
Structure of model: This is a fine network system. The model uses a 2-D spatial grid to map
out the geometry of the structure, locate exits, obstacles, etc. The grid is made up of “nodes” and
“arcs.” Each node represents a small amount of space on the floor plan and the arcs connect the
nodes together on the floor. Individuals use the arcs to travel from node to node throughout the
building. This information is stored in the geometry submodel. Also, throughout the simulation,
each node has dynamic environmental conditions associated with it, including levels of toxic
gases, smoke concentration, and temperature.
Perspective of model and occupant: The model views the occupants as individuals by giving
each occupant certain characteristics. The occupant submodel’s purpose is to describe the
individual and contains such information as gender, age, maximum running speed, maximum
walking speed, response time, agility, patience, drive, etc. The occupant submodel also
maintains such information as the distance traveled by the occupant throughout the simulation,
the person’s locations, and exposure to toxic gases. Some of these attributes are static, and some
of these change with the conditions in the building.
The occupants’ view of the building is primarily individual, but includes a global level as well.
An occupant’s escape strategy or route, determined by the behavioral submodel, is a product of
his/her interactions with the building, other occupants, and the fire hazard in the situation. The
behavioral submodel focuses on two distinct levels – a local and global, as noted by the
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