Using immersive video environment simulations for calibration of evacuation models

Dissertation submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Geospatial TechnologiesThis thesis explores the potential of Immersive Video Environment (IVE) simulations for studying evacuation behavior and calibration parameters of evacuation models. Crowd disasters have increased in frequency and intensity and have resulted in many casualties in recent years. These disasters can occur at different scenarios and are caused by a myriad of reasons. Over the years, the methods to study the evacuation behavior have evolved and evacuation models are extensively used. There are many kinds of models that are used, however there are many issues faced in the calibration of these models. The reason for the problems in calibration mostly stem from a scarcity of data related to evacuation behavior. It is difficult to conduct evacuation drills and gather data from actual evacuations. Virtual Reality (VR), in particular the IVE can help bridge this gap by allowing for systematic studies, that are safe, reliable and with high ecological validity to be conducted. To study the viability of IVE simulations for this, a user study was conducted to observe the evacuation behavior and see the impact of building familiarity and visibility on evacuation performance. The impact of building familiarity and visibility was studied on the Route Choice, Exit Choice, Decision Time, Total Evacuation Time and User errors. The results of the study showed that the evacuation performance increases with building familiarity and is reduced when the visibility is low, this is much more apparent when the users are not familiar with the building. The study also established the Route Choice as being the main contributing factor to the Total Evacuation Time and showed that in most of the cases (75% of the time) the people not familiar with the building chose familiar exits while the people familiar with the building chose emergency exits. The results of the study coincide with the existing literature and show that the use of IVE simulations is a viable method for studying evacuation behavior and calibration parameters for evacuation models

Nie patrz mi na ręce : wpływ obecności świadków na realizację zadań ratowniczych

Strażacy podczas działań ratowniczych funkcjonują w otoczeniu społecznym, w związku z tym pozostają pod wpływem społecznym i sami go wywołują. Jednym z subtelnych przejawów wpływu społecznego jest efekt facylitacji społecznej polegający na zmianie w szybkości i jakości wykonania zadań w wyniku bycia obserwowanym przez inne osoby. Zjawisko to zdaje się wyjaśniać model uwagowy, który przewiduje, że pod wpływem obecności osób trzecich zawężeniu ulega uwaga, co może prowadzić do pogorszenia lub poprawy (w zależności od warunków) wykonania zadania. Autorzy postawili hipotezę, że strażacy podczas działań ratowniczych podlegają zjawisku facylitacji społecznej – obecność osób postronnych wpływa na przebieg wykonywanych przez nich zadań. Projekt i metody: Aby odpowiedzieć na pytanie, czy strażacy podczas działań ratowniczych mogą podlegać zjawisku facylitacji wywoływanemu przez obecność osób postronnych, przeprowadzono eksploracyjne badanie jakościowe oparte na osiemnastu inspirowanych metodą fenomenologiczną i częściowo-ustrukturyzowanych wywiadach z ratownikami Państwowej Straży Pożarnej. Wypowiedzi badanych analizowano pod kątem zachowań osób postronnych będących świadkami prowadzonych działań. Treść wywiadów była rozpatrywana zgodnie z wytycznymi IPA, przy użyciu oprogramowania wspomagającego analizę jakościową (Atlas.ti). Wyniki: Analiza wywiadów pozwala przypuszczać, że okoliczności społeczne podczas działań ratowniczych sprzyjają występowaniu zjawiska facylitacji społecznej. Zgromadzone dane, wskazujące na oddziaływanie świadków zdarzenia na strażaków, pozwoliły na wyodrębnienie dwóch grup zachowań osób postronnych, które w szczególny sposób pogarszają funkcjonowanie strażaków podczas działań: dokumentowanie działań przez świadków (np. poprzez nagrywanie) oraz świadome utrudnienie działań. Zebrany materiał pozwala również na wyciągnięcie wniosku, że dla ratowników w tych sytuacjach obecność świadków jest nacechowana emocjonalnie – świadkowie wzbudzają emocje (np. lęk przed konsekwencjami). Wnioski: Uzyskane wyniki wspierają hipotezę o wpływie osób postronnych na przebieg wykonywanych przez ratowników działań. Dodatkowo wskazano czynniki, które w szczególny sposób te działania utrudniają. Z praktycznego punktu widzenia szczególną uwagę przyciąga problem filmowania akcji ratowniczych. Można przewidywać, że to negatywnie wpływające na przebieg działań zjawisko, będzie w najbliższym czasie się nasilać. Rodzi to konieczność przygotowania systemu na coraz większą presję ze strony świadków zdarzeń, zwłaszcza poprzez szkolenie ratowników w zakresie minimalizowania negatywnych konsekwencji efektu audytorium.Aim: During rescue operations, firefighters function in a social setting, and therefore they remain under social influence and exert it themselves. One of the subtle manifestations of social influence is the social facilitation effect in changing the speed and quality of operations as a result of being watched by other people. This phenomenon seems to be explained by the attentional model, which predicts that in the presence of third parties attention is narrowed, which may lead to deterioration of, or improvement in, task performance (depending on conditions). The authors addressed the research question whether firefighters are affected by to the phenomenon of social facilitation during rescue operations – the presence of bystanders affecting the performance of their tasks. Design and methods: To answer the question of whether, during rescue operations, firefighters may be subject to the phenomenon of facilitation induced by the presence of bystanders, we conducted an exploratory qualitative study based on 18 partially-structured interviews inspired by the phenomenological method, with rescuers from the State Fire Service. The interviewees’ responses were subjected to content analysis in terms of the behaviour of bystanders witnessing their activities. Interviews were analysed according to IPA with the use of qualitative data analysis software Atlas.ti. Results: Our analysis of the interviews suggests that social circumstances during rescue operations are conducive to the occurrence of the phenomenon of social facilitation. The collected data indicating the witnesses’ impact on firefighters allowed two different types of bystander behaviour, which impair the work of firefighters during operations: documenting actions of firefighters by witnesses (e.g. by recording) and conscious hindering of fire-fighting operations. The collected material also allows us to draw the conclusion that, for the rescuers in these situations, the presence of witnesses is emotionally charged – the witnesses evoke emotions (such as fear of consequences). Conclusions: The results suggest that the course of rescuers’ operations is influenced by bystanders. In addition, we identified some factors that especially hinder these activities. From a practical point of view, the filming of rescue operations by bystanders seems to be the most problematic. It is likely that this practice, which has a negative impact on the course of rescue activities, will intensify in the near future. Thus the system should be prepared for the increasing pressure from witnesses, and in particular should provide training to equip rescuers with the skills necessary to minimise the negative consequences of the audience effect

A Study of Technology Innovations and Applications in Transforming Safety and Security in Healthcare Facility Management

The increasing complexity of construction projects has transformed the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) industry through technology adoption over the last decade. But, Facility Management (FM) as an industry has been slow in technology adoption. Growing market competition, corporate demands and new ways of attracting clients for owners are compelling FM professionals to be more efficient. This requirement is driving technology adoption by FM professionals. This study identifies technologies adopted by Healthcare Facility Management (HFM) professionals for improving safety and security of users that have capabilities and conceived and/or developed applications that can or in some cases are at present used in HFM. Simultaneously, it also looks into potentials and capabilities of a handful of other technologies in further improving safety and security. Using Literature-Based Discovery (LBD), the technology applications and innovations aimed towards safety and security are discovered from the literature that falls within the purview of HFM to form a picture of how these technologies enhance the practice of FM. The study aims at detecting how technologies have contributed towards transforming user experience. Also, this study identifies existing technologies and innovation demands (knowledge and gaps in knowledge), a general understanding of technology, its use and capabilities, and its recognition by users and industry professionals (adoption/rejection). They serve to illustrate how and to what degree the technologies will come to be used in facility management. Technologies, as they mature, will come to be used by facility managers in similar functions and hypothetically, entirely new ones. One should create a better user experience tailored to the functionality demanded. It is important for facility managers to partner with technology companies presenting innovative solutions to create a platform that is tailored to user-specific needs. Acceptance of a unified process, together with input from users, facility managers, and an assessment of current technologies and new advances in practice are productive ways to develop technologies that drive user satisfaction. This paper works to illustrate a future vision of HFM based on these technologies. Healthcare facility managers will have a reference that assembles multiple technological proficiencies that can function in their practice going forward

The Cry Wolf Effect in Evacuation: a Game-Theoretic Approach

In today's terrorism-prone and security-focused world, evacuation emergencies, drills, and false alarms are becoming more and more common. Compliance to an evacuation order made by an authority in case of emergency can play a key role in the outcome of an emergency. In case an evacuee experiences repeated emergency scenarios which may be a false alarm (e.g., an evacuation drill, a false bomb threat, etc.) or an actual threat, the Aesop's cry wolf effect (repeated false alarms decrease order compliance) can severely affect his/her likelihood to evacuate. To analyse this key unsolved issue of evacuation research, a game-theoretic approach is proposed. Game theory is used to explore mutual best responses of an evacuee and an authority. In the proposed model the authority obtains a signal of whether there is a threat or not and decides whether to order an evacuation or not. The evacuee, after receiving an evacuation order, subsequently decides whether to stay or leave based on posterior beliefs that have been updated in response to the authority's action. Best-responses are derived and Sequential equilibrium and Perfect Bayesian Equilibrium are used as solution concepts (refining equilibria with the intuitive criterion). Model results highlight the benefits of announced evacuation drills and suggest that improving the accuracy of threat detection can prevent large inefficiencies associated with the cry wolf effect.Comment: To be published in Physica

Immersed in Fire: The Use of Virtual Reality as an Attitude Assessor and Boundary Object in Wildland Fire Management

Interest in using prescribed burning as a forest management tool to promote forest health and regeneration is growing in Maine. The goal for this research was to better understand the way that the public perceives prescribed burning practices in wildland-urban interfaces, with an emphasis placed on how immersive imagery, closely related to virtual reality (VR), compares to traditional communication methods. We specifically focus on the social acceptability of prescribed burning and analyze how the level of immersive imagery is related to that acceptability (Ahn, 2015; Bricken, 1990; Fogg, Cuellar, and Danielson, 2009; Smith 2015; Wiederhold, Davis, and Wiederhold, 1998). The information derived from this research can be a useful tool in public involvement and communication efforts for forest managers, scientists, and policy makers. Additionally, this research identified potential solutions for bridging public and manager communication boundaries. Immersive imagery is a relatively new technology and its uses within forest management have only recently begun to be explored. This research built upon the concept of boundary spanning objects, where an object – in this case immersive imagery – can create an effective exchange of ideas and information between stakeholder groups. Within the boundary literature, three factors are frequently identified as being particularly influential on the perceptions of information communicated through a boundary object: saliency, legitimacy, and credibility (Cash et al., 2002). Combining this with the growing body of literature on immersive imagery for communication and decision-making purposes, this research attempted to identify public perceptions of immersive imagery. This research evaluated saliency, legitimacy, and credibility of immersive imagery and traditional communication methods, which contributes toward understanding immersive imagery’s potential as a boundary-spanning object. The methodological design for this research was to implement a 2x2 framework in which participants were shown visual imagery that varied based on level of immersion as well as level of smoke within the imagery. Each participant was given a pre and post-questionnaire tailored to whichever of the four groups they have randomly been assigned. The pre-questionnaire included questions that attempted to measure the participants environmental values, prior knowledge and experience, acceptability of prescribed burns, their views on smoke from prescribed burns, their perceived confidence and trust in managers, and questions relating to boundary objects. After viewing the randomly assigned imagery, participants took a post-questionnaire which composed of questions relating to sociodemographic variables, and the other same identical parameters. We found that immersive imagery or VR has substantial potential in several arenas, but most notably as an effective boundary spanning object that seemed to increase participant’s perceptions of credibility and saliency towards VR and wildland fire management. Additionally, the technology also showed a high amount of potential in reducing fear and anxiety towards prescribed burning

Game Time: Not Too Much, Nor Too Little

The amount of time young adults spend on online gaming has drawn attention from governments and academics. While these concerns posit a spatial separation between the game world and reality, they fail to understand the gaming activity in relation to individuals’ overall life. An alternative framing of gaming as leisure activities can yield greater insight. This research examines the temporal experience and the meaning of playing online games within a community of Chinese full-time college students. Observing their gaming routine, I try to answer: how do college students interpret the time they devote to gaming? In addition, how does the calculation of time for gaming differ from time in the game? Based on the research, I find that although the participants devote a significant amount of time on gaming, they are capable of prioritizing school obligations, making efforts to achieve a balance between work and leisure. Essentially, they regard gaming as a serious leisure and desire better performance through practicing. The findings suggest that the moral panic against online gaming, particularly in the Chinese society, is shaped by the interaction between the central regulation on internet use, the fear-delivering media representation, and the transformative work-leisure relation

Eye tracking in maritime immersive safe oceans technology

This paper presents the integration of eye tracking in the MarSEVR (Maritime Safety Education with VR) technology to increase the precision of the trainee focus on delivering the learning episodes of the technology with enhanced impressiveness and user engagement. MarSEVR is part of the Safe Oceans concept, a green ocean technology that integrates several VR safety training applications to reduce maritime accidents that result into human casualties, sea pollution and other environmental damages. The paper indicates the research delivery architecture driven by Hevner's design science in information systems Research for usability, use experience (UX) and effectiveness. Furthermore, this technology integration is approached from a game design perspective for user engagement but also from a cognitive and neuroscience perspective for pedagogical use and purposes. The paper addressees the impact of the eye tracking technology in the maritime sector operations, training market, and competitive research. Lastly areas of further research are presented and the efforts to link and align finger tracking and hand recognitions technologies with eye tracking for a more complete VR training environment

Multi-agent simulations for emergency situations in an airport scenario

This paper presents a multi-agent framework using Net- Logo to simulate humanand collective behaviors during emergency evacuations. Emergency situationappears when an unexpected event occurs. In indoor emergency situation, evacuation plans defined by facility manager explain procedure and safety ways tofollow in an emergency situation. A critical and public scenario is an airportwhere there is an everyday transit of thousands of people. In this scenario theimportance is related with incidents statistics regarding overcrowding andcrushing in public buildings. Simulation has the objective of evaluating buildinglayouts considering several possible configurations. Agents could be based onreactive behavior like avoid danger or follow other agent, or in deliberative behaviorbased on BDI model. This tool provides decision support in a real emergencyscenario like an airport, analyzing alternative solutions to the evacuationprocess.Publicad

Effect of time pressure in behavioural compliance with warnings : a study with virtual reality

Warnings, posted signs, alarms and labels on products are a constant in our everyday routine. All this information is made available with the main purpose of warning us of the risks and dangers to which we are exposed. The purpose of the present study was to examine how time pressure affects the compliance with warnings/ posted signs and exit signs. A virtual reality (VR) scenario was used. Fifty participants, were divided in two groups, one with no time pressure and the other with time pressure, to perform a work security verification routine during which a fire occurred and the participants had to leave the building guided by the exit signs. The results suggests that, under time pressure, the compliance with signs is worse. This work aims to contribute to the design of more effective warnings.Avisos, sinais, alarmes e rótulos de produtos são uma constante no nosso dia-a- dia. Esta informação é disponibilizada com o objetivo de nos alertar para os riscos e perigos a que estamos expostos. Este trabalho teve como objectivo avaliar como a pressão temporal influencia a consonância comportamental com avisos/sinais e sinalização de saída de emergência Para tal, utilizou-se um cenário de realidade virtual (RV). Cinquenta participantes divididos em dois grupos, um sem pressão temporal e outro com a pressão temporal, tinham de executar uma rotina de verificação de segurança, durante a qual ocorria um incêndio e, para saírem do edifício, os participantes tinham de seguir os sinais de saída de emergência. Os resultados sugerem que, sob pressão temporal, a consonância comportamental com sinais é pior do que quando não existe pressão temporal. Este trabalho tem como objetivo contribuir para a concepção de avisos mais eficazes

Developing ideas and concepts in teamwork research:Where do we go from here?

PurposeThis editorial seeks to explore changes in both teamwork and developments in teamwork research over the last decade.Design/methodology/approachThe editorial review importantly focuses on the key debates that emerge from the papers covered in this special issue.FindingsA review of the papers in this special issue, as well as historical analysis of teamwork research, indicate that while traditionally, analysis of teamwork was embedded in a manufacturing archetype, much of the contemporary research on teamwork is centred on service sector work where issues of cultural diversity, customer service, and lack of normative integration or task interdependence are increasingly apparent. This editorial suggests that we need to take account of the expansion of the service sector when attempting to conceptualise teamwork and the challenges that collective forms of working in such an environment bring.Originality/valueThis editorial and the special issue more generally provide an important contribution to the development of understanding of how changes in the workplace have had an impact on organisational and academic interest in teamwork.</jats:sec