Crowd Dynamics Workshop 2008

(updated  5th February 2008)

Keywords: simulating people, simulating crowds, simulating crowd dynamics, workshops

Thank you for ALL your hard work.

Click on the links below to download the various files used in the talk at Easingwold.

Warning - these files are large downloads

If you have any problems send me an email and we will put these files on a CDROM and post them out....

We also have an extensive website and disaster databases etc. If there are any resources you need - or follow ups from the Crowd Dynamics Workshop - please send me an email.

Keith@CrowdDynamics.com

If you have any problems with these files - please send me an email and I'll do my best to help out.

All the best, Keith.

Evening talk

Workshop Videos

PRINCES STREET VIDEO

Lectures in PDF Format

2.     Introduction To Crowd Dynamics

5.     Modelling

9.     Networks and Circulation

12.   Queueing, Ingress and Egress

SpreadSheet Models

Corridor

Stadium Exit

Documents

Bridges of Konigsberg

Barrier Design - Front of Stage

Fruin - Causes and Prevention of Disasters

John Hall - Fire Deaths

Pauls - Vertical Evacuation

Myth of Panic

Chemical Attack

Biological Attack

Radiological Attack

Leslp - Major Incident Management

USA DoD - Crowd Control

Nuclear Attack

Terrorism

Corridor (Spreadsheet)

Stadium Egress (Task 4)

Movies for the above

Ariel Footage (Leeds Egress).wmv

Bradford Fire (Educational use ONLY)

Collapse.wmv

Door A.wmv

Door B.wmv

Hillsborough (Education use ONLY)

Jamarat.wmv

Station Queue.wmv

Wheel.mpg

QuickTime Video (download Quicktime/iTunes to view)

Derren Brown Video Clip (.mp4)

Station Club Fire Video Clip (.Mov)

Oasis 1 Video Clip (.Mov)

Oasis 2 Video Clip (.Mov)

Station Club Fire Reports

Station Club Fire Reports (1)

Station Club Fire Reports (2)

Dispelling Myths                

Misconceptions about human behaviour in fire situations abound. The New Zealand Fire Service is committed to dispelling myths about what people do in fire situations and promoting fire safety knowledge that equips people to manage their own fire risk and cope effectively with fire situations to minimise fire consequences. To this aim they produced the following Myth Guideline:

Myth #1 People are irrational:

Among the most prevalent and counter-productive myths about human behaviour is the notion of panic. When confronted with a serious fire threat people are often observed behaving in a constructive, rational or even altruistic manner. Emotional stress can compromise decision-making but will rarely override an individual's capacity to engage in rational behaviour. Many behaviours that appear inappropriate only seem that way because the observer possesses more information about the situation and is exposed to less risk.

Myth #2 People are capricious:

People rarely harm one another or act in an aggressive or hostile fashion toward others in a fire situation. Indeed, quite the opposite appears to be true. People often seem to aid one another during fire situations, rendering assistance even under very difficult or dangerous situations. In fact, people will often come to the aid of people they don't know.

Myth #3 People are unpredictable:

Unlike many technological systems, most people do not perform according to well-defined routines. Indeed, people can behave in a manner that some people consider inconsistent with reason. Nevertheless, people often offer reasonable explanations for their behaviour when confronted with observations that their actions seem illogical. Who's right when someone survives a fire situation, but appears to have reacted in a manner different than someone else expected?

Myth #4 People are unreliable:

Because the actions of individuals cannot be predicted with a high degree of precision, many observers consider people unreliable. To the contrary, human beings possess unique decision-making capabilities, and when equipped with adequate information, knowledge and experience can overcome the disadvantages of changing conditions, incomplete or inaccurate information and time pressure to make decisions computers and other technological systems remain incapable of. 

Myth #5 People are ignorant or at least ill-informed:

People often lack a sophisticated understanding of fire, and some people labour under dangerous misconceptions about fire. But people generally have a good, albeit inexplicit, understanding of risk. This can lead to poor decisions concerning fire-related risks or complacency about fire danger. Ordinarily, people undertake engage in risky fire-related behaviour when they don't appreciate the true nature of the hazards with which they are dealing.