Simulating emergencies with transport outcomes Sim (SETOSim): Application of an agent-based decision support tool to community evacuation planning

In the time since the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami and Hurricane Katrina in 2005, an increasing number of studies have focused on developing agent-based simulations of citizen evacuation behaviours. The application of simulation to practice (i.e. evacuation planning, community disaster risk reduction strategy), however, is limited. This research aims to explore the effective application of agent-based evacuation simulation to better inform community evacuation planning through a collaborative process. The study developed an evacuation modelling tool focusing on the storm surge and flood evacuation behaviours of residents living in Takamatsu, Japan. The city of Takamatsu borders the Seto Inland Sea, an area where the risks from water-related disasters are increasing. The tidal flow of the Seto Inland Sea and storm surge flooding are simulated based on data from the 2004 typhoons, which seriously flooded the study area. An agent-based model exploring the relative vulnerability of residents as a function of location, demographic attributes including age, and previous experience is developed based on a questionnaire survey of residents which gathered information on their stated preference of evacuation. A visualisation of the simulation was shared with residents through workshops held in five neighbourhoods. It was also shared with government officials. The feedback from residents and governments officials on the effective applications to community evacuation planning are discussed and plans for future research are outlined.