Multiscale modeling of granular flows with application to crowd dynamics

In this paper a new multiscale modeling technique is proposed. It relies on a recently introduced measure-theoretic approach, which allows to manage the microscopic and the macroscopic scale under a unique framework. In the resulting coupled model the two scales coexist and share information. This allows to perform numerical simulations in which the trajectories and the density of the particles affect each other. Crowd dynamics is the motivating application throughout the paper.Comment: 30 pages, 9 figure

Multiscale modeling of granular flows with application to crowd dynamics

In this paper a new multiscale modeling technique is proposed. It relies on a recently introduced measure-theoretic approach, which allows to manage the microscopic and the macroscopic scale under a unique framework. In the resulting coupled model the two scales coexist and share information. This allows to perform numerical simulations in which the trajectories and the density of the particles affect each other. Crowd dynamics is the motivating application throughout the paper.Comment: 30 pages, 9 figure

From individual behaviour to an evaluation of the collective evolution of crowds along footbridges

This paper proposes a crowd dynamic macroscopic model grounded on microscopic phenomenological observations which are upscaled by means of a formal mathematical procedure. The actual applicability of the model to real world problems is tested by considering the pedestrian traffic along footbridges, of interest for Structural and Transportation Engineering. The genuinely macroscopic quantitative description of the crowd flow directly matches the engineering need of bulk results. However, three issues beyond the sole modelling are of primary importance: the pedestrian inflow conditions, the numerical approximation of the equations for non trivial footbridge geometries, and the calibration of the free parameters of the model on the basis of in situ measurements currently available. These issues are discussed and a solution strategy is proposed.Comment: 23 pages, 10 figures in J. Engrg. Math., 201

Macroscopic modeling and simulations of room evacuation

We analyze numerically two macroscopic models of crowd dynamics: the classical Hughes model and the second order model being an extension to pedestrian motion of the Payne-Whitham vehicular traffic model. The desired direction of motion is determined by solving an eikonal equation with density dependent running cost, which results in minimization of the travel time and avoidance of congested areas. We apply a mixed finite volume-finite element method to solve the problems and present error analysis for the eikonal solver, gradient computation and the second order model yielding a first order convergence. We show that Hughes' model is incapable of reproducing complex crowd dynamics such as stop-and-go waves and clogging at bottlenecks. Finally, using the second order model, we study numerically the evacuation of pedestrians from a room through a narrow exit.Comment: 22 page

Pedestrian flows in bounded domains with obstacles

In this paper we systematically apply the mathematical structures by time-evolving measures developed in a previous work to the macroscopic modeling of pedestrian flows. We propose a discrete-time Eulerian model, in which the space occupancy by pedestrians is described via a sequence of Radon positive measures generated by a push-forward recursive relation. We assume that two fundamental aspects of pedestrian behavior rule the dynamics of the system: On the one hand, the will to reach specific targets, which determines the main direction of motion of the walkers; on the other hand, the tendency to avoid crowding, which introduces interactions among the individuals. The resulting model is able to reproduce several experimental evidences of pedestrian flows pointed out in the specialized literature, being at the same time much easier to handle, from both the analytical and the numerical point of view, than other models relying on nonlinear hyperbolic conservation laws. This makes it suitable to address two-dimensional applications of practical interest, chiefly the motion of pedestrians in complex domains scattered with obstacles.Comment: 25 pages, 9 figure

Non-local first-order modelling of crowd dynamics: a multidimensional framework with applications

In this work a physical modelling framework is presented, describing the intelligent, non-local, and anisotropic behaviour of pedestrians. Its phenomenological basics and constitutive elements are detailed, and a qualitative analysis is provided. Within this common framework, two first-order mathematical models, along with related numerical solution techniques, are derived. The models are oriented to specific real world applications: a one-dimensional model of crowd-structure interaction in footbridges and a two-dimensional model of pedestrian flow in an underground station with several obstacles and exits. The noticeable heterogeneity of the applications demonstrates the significance of the physical framework and its versatility in addressing different engineering problems. The results of the simulations point out the key role played by the physiological and psychological features of human perception on the overall crowd dynamics.Comment: 26 pages, 17 figure

Handling congestion in crowd motion modeling

We address here the issue of congestion in the modeling of crowd motion, in the non-smooth framework: contacts between people are not anticipated and avoided, they actually occur, and they are explicitly taken into account in the model. We limit our approach to very basic principles in terms of behavior, to focus on the particular problems raised by the non-smooth character of the models. We consider that individuals tend to move according to a desired, or spontanous, velocity. We account for congestion by assuming that the evolution realizes at each time an instantaneous balance between individual tendencies and global constraints (overlapping is forbidden): the actual velocity is defined as the closest to the desired velocity among all admissible ones, in a least square sense. We develop those principles in the microscopic and macroscopic settings, and we present how the framework of Wasserstein distance between measures allows to recover the sweeping process nature of the problem on the macroscopic level, which makes it possible to obtain existence results in spite of the non-smooth character of the evolution process. Micro and macro approaches are compared, and we investigate the similarities together with deep differences of those two levels of description

Modeling rationality to control self-organization of crowds: An environmental approach

In this paper we propose a classification of crowd models in built environments based on the assumed pedestrian ability to foresee the movements of other walkers. At the same time, we introduce a new family of macroscopic models, which make it possible to tune the degree of predictiveness (i.e., rationality) of the individuals. By means of these models we describe both the natural behavior of pedestrians, i.e., their expected behavior according to their real limited predictive ability, and a target behavior, i.e., a particularly efficient behavior one would like them to assume (for, e.g., logistic or safety reasons). Then we tackle a challenging shape optimization problem, which consists in controlling the environment in such a way that the natural behavior is as close as possible to the target one, thereby inducing pedestrians to behave more rationally than what they would naturally do. We present numerical tests which elucidate the role of rational/predictive abilities and show some promising results about the shape optimization problem