An agent-based model for risk-based flood incident management

Authored by Richard J. Dawson, Roger Peppe, Miao Wang

Date Published: 2011-10

DOI: 10.1007/s11069-011-9745-4

Sponsors: United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) United Kingdom Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)

Platforms: NetLogo

Model Documentation: Other Narrative Flow charts Mathematical description

Model Code URLs: https://www.staff.ncl.ac.uk/richard.dawson/FloodEventABMDemo/toytown.nlogo

Abstract

Effective flood incident management (FIM) requires successful operation of complex, interacting human and technological systems. A dynamic agent-based model of FIM processes has been developed to provide new insights which can be used for policy analysis and other practical applications. The model integrates remotely sensed information on topography, buildings and road networks with empirical survey data to fit characteristics of specific communities. The multiagent simulation has been coupled with a hydrodynamic model to estimate the vulnerability of individuals to flooding under different storm surge conditions, defence breach scenarios, flood warning times and evacuation strategies. A case study in the coastal town of Towyn in the United Kingdom has demonstrated the capacity of the model to analyse the risks of flooding to people, support flood emergency planning and appraise the benefits of flood incident management measures.

Tags

Agent-based model Evacuation Risk analysis Disaster management Flooding