Users Guide - the Virginia Modeling, Analysis and Simulation Center

Real Time Evacuation Planning Model (RtePM)A Decision Support Tool for Emergency Managers and First RespondersPopulation Blocks TabPopulation Blocks are evacuation areas defined by demographic data. Under this tab, there are five toolsfor adding population blocks to evacuation zones and four converse tools for deleting population blocksfrom evacuation zones. Tools for adding population blocks within a geographic area include “Freehand”“Polygon”, “Bounding Box”, “Circle”, “Point”, and “Predefined Zones” (Figure 13). Likewise there arefour converse tools for deleting whole or portions of an evacuation zones (Figure 14). The “add” and“delete” tool options are further defined in Tables 1 and 2 below their respective figure.Figure 13 Figure 14 Green Freehand Polygon – allows a user to selectany shape or size evacuation zone on the map byholding down the left mouse button and dragging ashaded wedge on the map to define the area. Green Bounding Box – allows a user to define theouter bounds of the population blocks to beincluded and is done by holding down the leftmouse button and dragging a shaded box on themap. Green Circle – allows a user to choose a centerpoint and identify in miles a radius from that point. Green Point – allows a user to select specificpopulations on the map by double clicking. Red Freehand Polygon – allows user to removea freehand polygon. Red Bounding Box – allows user to remove abounding box Red Circle – allows user to remove a circle. Red Point – allows user to remove a point.Table 1 Table 2After highlighting the area of interest, the program selects corresponding population blocks and theoverall evacuation area as illustrated by the table and orange shaded area in Figure 15.9