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Performance & Optimization of M/G/c/c Building Evacuation Networks

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Journal of Mathematical Modelling and Algorithms

Abstract

Evacuation networks from buildings represent a complex architectural and engineering phenomenon. The problem is fundamentally a transient stochastic process embedded on a three-dimensional graph network topology. Not only is the analysis of the problem challenging, but synthesizing the way occupants should exit the facility is also problematic. This paper addresses the two key concerns in the evacuation problem: performance analysis and their optimization. Two facilities on the University of Massachusetts campus provide the backdrop and case studies for this paper. Extensive computational results support the theoretical decomposition approach to the problems.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mechanical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA

    Andrea Weiss

  2. Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, 01003, USA

    Laurence Williams & J. MacGregor Smith

Authors
  1. Andrea Weiss
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  2. Laurence Williams
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  3. J. MacGregor Smith
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Correspondence to J. MacGregor Smith.

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Weiss, A., Williams, L. & MacGregor Smith, J. Performance & Optimization of M/G/c/c Building Evacuation Networks. J Math Model Algor 11, 361–386 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10852-012-9192-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10852-012-9192-6

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