Pedestrian Dynamics: From Empirical Results to Modeling

In this contribution, we review the state of the art of the interplay between empirical and theoretical studies of pedestrian dynamics. First, we introduce the main physical quantities characterizing the properties of a homogeneous crowd. A brief summary of some important empirical findings is given. Finally, we discuss the properties of microscopic pedestrian models. Different classifications of the models are proposed. We emphasize the relevance of empirical results and show how they can be used for validation and calibration