---

Advanced Virtual Agents for Testing the Accessibility of Rail Stations

Sixth Framework Programme Sustainable development, global change & ecosystems

AVATARS is an ambitious project to create appropriate software tools that allow the testing and validating of rail terminal designs by using models to simulate the circulation movements of passengers within rail or metro stations. The modelling aspects of this collaborative EU project is lead by FSEG of the Centre for Numerical Modelling and Process Analysis, University of Greenwich. The project runs from 2005 - 2008

The partners for the project are: BMT Ltd, FSEG University of Greenwich, FGC Ferrocarrils de la
Generalitat de Catalunya, ATM Autoritat del Transport Metropolità, University of Salford and Buro Happold

Current rail transport infrastructure design is led by aesthetics and prescriptive regulations. This can pose problems in passenger intensive operations, where performance and comfort are major issues. Better rail terminal design would provide increased passenger throughput and less overcrowding but it is very difficult to design for performance without accurate simulation tools. Existing tools are available to simulate passenger evacuation but none have been developed that can incorporate both evacuation and general circulation movements.

The principal objective of AVATARS is to develop a simulation tool that will provide designers with a useful performance measure for train station designs. The designers will in turn be able to improve their design based on this feedback. The improvement of a rail terminal design can be measured in four ways:

1. Improvement in the station’s ability to function in unusual or emergency situations

2. Improvement of station capacity. This will be determined through the application of the simulation tool in order to modify the structural design and the procedures applied in order to eliminate/reduce the occurrence of dangerous levels of congestion

3. The ability of the terminal operators to organize the movement of those using the terminal, so as to provide easy means of access to the station while exposing people to the facilities available

4. Reduction in the number of negative emotions experienced by passengers, by allowing them easier access to the facilities they need and expediting their journey through the station

As part of this project a considerable amount of video data will be collected that characterises the movement and behaviour of commuters in several rail stations in Barcelona.  This part of the work is being undertaken by FGC the operator of rail infrastructure in Barcelona. FGC operates the publicly owned railway belonging to FEVE in Catalonia.

This data will be instrumental to developing the behavioural characteristics and submodels that will be incorporated within the buildingEXODUS software.  FSEG will be involved in the specification of the specific data requirements for this part of the work. 

The data collection phase will focus on several key areas:
 

• Escalators and Staircases

• Ticket Machines (TM)

• Ticket Barriers (TB)

• Platforms

• Amenities

• Passenger itineraries within complex stations

Data collection method from ticket barrier system

Passenger itineraries within the station


VR representation of escalators and stairs of a station


Video footage from train station in Barcelona

• Advanced communications capabilities between agents to enhance agent-agent interaction

• Advanced group behaviour to enhance agent-agent interaction

• Agent interaction with signage to improve natural wayfinding capabilities

• Emotive modelling to enhance agent response to the environment, the scenario and other agents

• Advanced representation of escalators to improve circulation capabilities

• Advanced itinerary capabilities to enhance the representation of circulation activities

• Advanced census regions to improve data output and the analysis of simulation results

• Advanced queuing capabilities to better represent the queues and the intelligent selection of queues

• Advanced gating options to improve the manner in which agents interact with ticket barriers.

Two examples of these developments are the advanced escalator models and the new emotive modelling capability. 
 

The escalator models are designed to represent how people actually use escalators and include people who ride the escalator and people who walk on the escalator and even the decision as to whether an occupant will select to climb up a stair or take an escalator.

Click image for VR animation
 

Video footage from train station in Barcelona.
Click image to play the video
 

As part of project AVATARS, BMT in collaboration with FSEG are developing advanced user interfaces for the buildingEXODUS software.  These interfaces will assist in both the data entry and data analysis phases.  The development of these tools will greatly enhance the usability of the buildingEXODUS software by reducing the time required to both setup and modify complex terminal models and also assist in the interpretation of the complex results generated by the software.  Partners such as FGC, ATM and Buro Happold, as different types of end user, are also involved in this development.
 

Tel: +44 (020) 8331 8730
Fax: +44(020) 8331 8925
e-mail: E.R.Galea@gre.ac.uk

The AVATARS project is funded by the European Commission's 6th Framework Programme