Modeling and simulation of pedestrian behaviour: As planning support for building design

Major challenges in the simulation of pedestrians are the realistic behaviour of agents, realistic appearance and variety, and how to conveniently define larger crowds of pedestrians. In this paper, pedestrian behaviour in buildings is analysed and structured in order to develop a behavioural model for buildings with high pedestrian flows. Observing pedestrians at a larger train station is used as a basis for the creation of a three-level behavioural model. The model follows a multi-agent-based approach and consists of a strategic, tactical, and operational level. A strategy indicates why a person visits a building and is broken down into activities on the tactical level. In this model, the strategy remains constant for an agent during its lifetime, while activities and associated areas are chosen and prioritized dynamically. This results in a coarse route through the facility. The operational level consists of path planning and obstacle avoidance. The suggested behavioural model has been implemented with the Unity framework and was tested using a 3D model of an existing train station. The purpose of the simulation is to provide building planners with feedback about space utilisation by its users.