Crossing an intersection on a busy crosswalk, pacing in a narrow corridor in a train station, and walking in a shopping mall are all familiar examples of bidirectional and multidirectional pedestrian streams. Such flows, when having sufficiently high density, exhibit dynamic self-organization that maintains the stability of the stream in both directions despite the apparently random movements. Various models have been developed in the past two decades to simulate and reproduce dynamics of pedestrian crowds. Fluid based models, cellular automata based models, social force model, continuum macroscopic models, agent-based models, and more recently area/network-wide models are among the most commonly known ones.
Despite the growing body of literature on pedestrian crowds in bidirectional and multi-directional flows, our understanding of dynamics of such streams is still limited. We are interested in studying pedestrian crowd dynamics and behavior in complex multi-directional areas using both empirical data and simulation.
In a collaborative project with Institute of Railway Technology at Monash University, we have developed a microscopic pedestrian simulation model in PEDSIM which is an open-source modular and distributed microscopic simulation platform. We have modified PEDSIM's social force model and specifically calibrated it for bidirectional streams.
In a collaborative project with Institute of Railway Technology at Monash University, we have developed a microscopic pedestrian simulation model in PEDSIM which is an open-source modular and distributed microscopic simulation platform. We have modified PEDSIM's social force model and specifically calibrated it for bidirectional streams.
Publications
- Taherifar, N., Hamedmoghadam, H., Sree, S., Saberi, M. (2019) A Macroscopic Approach for Calibration and Validation of a Modified Social Force Model for Bidirectional Pedestrian Streams. Transportmetrica A: Transport Science 15(2), 1637-1661.
- Shahhosseini, Z., Sarvi, M., Saberi, M. (2018) Pedestrian Crowd Dynamics in Merging Sections: Revisiting the "Faster-is-Slower" Phenomenon. Physica A: Statical Mechanics and Its Applications 491, 101-11.
- Shahhosseini, Z., Sarvi, M., Saberi, M. (2017) Pedestrian Crowd Dynamics Observed at Merging Sections: The Impact of Different Designs on Movement Efficiency. Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, No. 2622, 48-57.
- Shahhosseini, Z., Sarvi, M., Saberi, M. (2016) Insights Toward Characteristics of Merging Streams of Pedestrian Crowds Based on Experiments with Panicked Ants. Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, No. 2561, 81-88.
- Saberi, M., Aghabayk, K., Sobhani, A. (2015) Spatial Fluctuations of Pedestrian Velocities in Bidirectional Streams: Exploring the Effects of Self-Organization. Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and Its Applications. 434, 120-128.
- Saberi, M., and Mahmassani, H. (2014) Exploring Areawide Dynamics of Pedestrian Crowds: Three-Dimensional Approach. Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, No. 2421, 31-40.