Massey Research Online - Browsing by Author "Lovreglio R"

Browsing by Author "Lovreglio R"

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A highway vehicle routing dataset during the 2019 Kincade Fire evacuation.
(Springer Nature Limited, 2022-10-07) Xu Y; Zhao X; Lovreglio R; Kuligowski E; Nilsson D; Cova TJ; Yan X
As the threat of wildfire increases, it is imperative to enhance the understanding of household evacuation behavior and movements. Mobile GPS data provide a unique opportunity for studying evacuation routing behavior with high ecological validity, but there are little publicly available data. We generated a highway vehicle routing dataset derived from GPS trajectories generated by mobile devices (e.g., smartphones) in Sonoma County, California during the 2019 Kincade Fire that started on October 23, 2019. This dataset contains 21,160 highway vehicle routing records within Sonoma County from October 16, 2019 to November 13, 2019. The quality of the dataset is validated by checking trajectories and average travel speeds. The potential use of this dataset lies in analyzing and modeling evacuee route choice behavior, estimating traffic conditions during the evacuation, and validating wildfire evacuation simulation models.
A non-immersive virtual reality serious game application for flood safety training
(Elsevier B.V., 2023-08-12) D'Amico A; Bernardini G; Lovreglio R; Quagliarini E
Various methodologies and technologies have been developed and tested to train communities for natural hazards and investigate human behaviour. The combination of Virtual Reality (VR) and Serious Games (SG) represents a promising solution to expose communities to different hazardous scenarios in a totally safe way and without exposing the testers to any real risks. Previous studies tested VR SG for several different natural hazards and safety training scenarios, but only a few applications have been proposed within the context of flood safety training. Furthermore, comprehensive prototyping works aimed at evaluating VR SG applications in terms of knowledge acquisition, self-efficacy and user experience, are still needed. This work proposes a novel non-immersive VR SG in the context of users' safety in the event of flooding in the urban built environment, pursuing the users' safety training. The proposed application is based on several modules, which can be combined to form different storylines and training objectives. The VR SG capabilities are demonstrated here by firstly considering one significant storyline. Results show a significant increase in self-efficacy and safety knowledge after the VR experience, thus suggesting the possibility to exploit it for increasing users’ awareness and preparedness. Furthermore, results also demonstrate the existence of similarities between real-world behaviours and VR choices by the tested individuals, thus suggesting how an application of this kind could also be used to support the development and validation of flood evacuation simulators.
A quantitative comparison of virtual and physical experimental paradigms for the investigation of pedestrian responses in hostile emergencies.
(Springer Nature, 2024-03-22) Shipman A; Majumdar A; Feng Z; Lovreglio R
Modern experiments investigating human behaviour in emergencies are often implemented in virtual reality (VR), due to the increased experimental control and improved ethical viability over physical reality (PR). However, there remain questions regarding the validity of the results obtained from these environments, and no full validation of VR experiments has yet appeared. This study compares the results of two sets of experiments (in VR and PR paradigms) investigating behavioural responses to knife-based hostile aggressors. This study quantitatively analyses these results to ascertain whether the different paradigms generate different responses, thereby assessing the use of virtual reality as a data generating paradigm for emergencies. The results show that participants reported almost identical psychological responses. This study goes on to identify minimal differences in movement responses across a range of predictors, noting a difference in responses between genders. As a result, this study concludes that VR can produce similarly valid data as physical experiments when investigating human behaviour in hostile emergencies, and that it is therefore possible to conduct realistic experimentation through VR environments while retaining confidence in the resulting data. This has major implications for the future of this type of research, and furthermore suggests that VR experimentation should be performed for both existing and new critical infrastructure to understand human responses in hostile scenarios.
A roadmap for the future of crowd safety research and practice: Introducing the Swiss Cheese Model of Crowd Safety and the imperative of a Vision Zero target
(Elsevier B.V., 2023-08-29) Haghani M; Coughlan M; Crabb B; Dierickx A; Feliciani C; van Gelder R; Geoerg P; Hocaoglu N; Laws S; Lovreglio R; Miles Z; Nicolas A; O'Toole WJ; Schaap S; Semmens T; Shahhoseini Z; Spaaij R; Tatrai A; Webster J; Wilson A
Crowds can be subject to intrinsic and extrinsic sources of risk, and previous records have shown that, in the absence of adequate safety measures, these sources of risk can jeopardise human lives. To mitigate these risks, we propose that implementation of multiple layers of safety measures for crowds—what we label The Swiss Cheese Model of Crowd Safety—should become the norm for crowd safety practice. Such system incorporates a multitude of safety protection layers including regulations and policymaking, planning and risk assessment, operational control, community preparedness, and incident response. The underlying premise of such model is that when one (or multiple) layer(s) of safety protection fail(s), the other layer(s) can still prevent an accident. In practice, such model requires a more effective implementation of technology, which can enable provision of real-time data, improved communication and coordination, and efficient incident response. Moreover, implementation of this model necessitates more attention to the overlooked role of public education, awareness raising, and promoting crowd safety culture at broad community levels, as one of last lines of defence against catastrophic outcomes for crowds. Widespread safety culture and awareness has the potential to empower individuals with the knowledge and skills that can prevent such outcomes or mitigate their impacts, when all other (exogenous) layers of protection (such as planning and operational control) fail. This requires safety campaigns and development of widespread educational programs. We conclude that, there is no panacea solution to the crowd safety problem, but a holistic multi-layered safety system that utilises active participation of all potential stakeholders can significantly reduce the likelihood of disastrous accidents. At a global level, we need to target a Vision Zero of Crowd Safety, i.e., set a global initiative of bringing deaths and severe injuries in crowded spaces to zero by a set year.
Analyzing Risk Perception, Evacuation Decision and Delay Time: A Case Study of the 2021 Marshall Fire in Colorado
(Elsevier B.V., 2023-12-11) Forrister A; Kuligowski ED; Sun Y; Yan X; Lovreglio R; Cova TJ; Zhao X
Climate change is increasing the threat of wildfires to populated areas, especially those within the wildland-urban interface (WUI). The 2021 Marshall fire forced the evacuation of over 30,000 people in Boulder, Jefferson and Adams Counties in Colorado, US. To improve our understanding of wildfire evacuation response, we surveyed individuals affected by the Marshall fire to analyze their evacuation decisions and resulting behavior. We used linear and logistic regression models to determine the factors influencing individuals’ risk perceptions, their decisions to evacuate or stay, and the associated evacuation delay times. We found higher levels of risk perception at the time of the evacuation decision were associated with higher levels of pre-fire perceived risk, having mid-level household income, the receipt of fire cues and having a medical condition. Increased pre-event risk perception increased the likelihood of evacuating, along with gender (female-identified), being aged between 55 and 64 years, and having a higher household income. On the other hand, having a prior awareness of wildfires had a negative effect on evacuation likelihood. Additionally, having previous experience with fire damage, owning their home, having a larger household size and being alerted later in the fire event reduced the delay time; whereas engaging in preparation activities and having children in the home led to longer delay times. These research findings can be used by emergency managers to better prepare WUI communities for future wildfire events.
Augmented reality for pedestrian evacuation research: Promises and limitations
(Elsevier Ltd, 2020-08) Lovreglio R; Kinateder M
Evacuation effectively mitigates potential harm for building occupants in case of emergencies. Virtual and Augmented Reality (VR and AR) have emerged as research tools and means to enhance evacuation preparedness and effectiveness. Unlike VR, where users are immersed in computer-generated environments, the more novel AR technology allows users to experience digital content merged into the real world. Here, we review current (2020) relevant literature on AR as a tool to study and improve building evacuation triggered by a variety of disasters such as fires, earthquakes or tsunami. Further, we provide an overview of application goals, existing hardware and what evacuation stages can be influenced by AR applications. Finally, we discuss strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities (SWOT) of AR to study evacuation behaviour and for research purposes.
Barriers and strategies for building information modelling implementation: a comparative study between New Zealand and China
(1/01/2023) Ma L; Lovreglio R; Yi W; Yiu TW; Shan M
Building Information Modelling (BIM) is a sharing platform that can present a parametric 3 D model with various project information in the form of a digital display. In recent years, BIM adoption has become increasing globally as the Architectural, Engineering, Construction (AEC) industry has recognised its benefits. Meanwhile, many challenges of BIM adoption in different countries have been well documented. To address the gap in literature, this study examines the differences and similarities of BIM adoption between New Zealand and China. A questionnaire was conducted across the two countries to investigate the barriers and strategies for the implementation of BIM. Data from 146 respondents was collected in New Zealand and China. The result shows that there is a difference in the perception of Knowledge Barrier, Technology Barrier, Internal Strategy and External Strategy (Legal/Technology viewpoint) between New Zealand professionals and Chinese professionals. The differences identified offer important implications for government agencies to promote BIM implementation and for BIM service providers to better target the end-users.
Calibrating the Wildfire Decision Model using hybrid choice modelling
(Elsevier Ltd, 2020-11) Lovreglio R; Kuligowski E; Walpole E; Link E; Gwynne S
Wildfire occurrences is creating serious challenges for fire and emergency response services and a diverse range of communities around the world due to the increment of the occurrence of these disasters. As such, understanding the physical and social dynamics characterizing wildfires events is paramount to reduce the risk of these natural disasters. As such, one of the main challenges is to understand how households perceive wildfires and respond to them as part of the evacuation process. In this work, the Wildfire Decision Model originally proposed in Lovreglio et al. [1] is calibrated using a hybrid choice model formulation. The Wildfire Decision Model is a newly developed behavioural choice model for large-scale wildfire evacuations based on the estimation of the risk perceived by households and the impact that this has on the decision-making process. This model is calibrated using a hybrid choice modelling solution and survey data collected after the 2016 Chimney Tops 2 wildfire in Tennessee, USA. The proposed model shows good agreement with the preliminary findings available in the wildfire evacuation literature; namely, the perceived risk is affected by both external factors (i.e., warnings and fire cues) and internal factors (i.e., education, previous wildfire evacuation experience and time of residency in a property).
Can active and passive wayfinding systems support fire evacuation in buildings? Insights from a virtual reality-based experiment
(Elsevier B.V., 2023-05-24) Bernardini G; Lovreglio R; Quagliarini E; D'Orazio M
Occupant safety in case of building fires depends on the selection of proper evacuation routes. Today, several passive and active Emergency Wayfinding Systems (EWSs) have been proposed to support occupant route choices. Nevertheless, their effectiveness should be accurately assessed before being manufactured and used. In this sense, Virtual Reality (VR) could support the design and preliminary evaluation phases, using the Theory of Affordances to quantitatively verify if the EWSs are correctly visible, understood, and able to support users in fulfilling the evacuation goal. This work hence aims at comparing the efficiency of different EWSs in terms of the Theory of Affordances through a VR experiment involving more than 70 volunteers of different ages. The experimental setup focuses on three types of EWSs (punctual and photoluminescent; passive, continuous and photoluminescent; continuous and active) and lights-on, lights-off and smoke conditions in an educational building. Results mainly indicate that the passive EWSs receive a higher rating while supporting the direction selection, while the active EWS is more effective along mono-directional paths. The work also confirms the capabilities of the proposed combined affordances-based and VR-based approach, boosting future works and suggesting additional comparisons between real-world and VR experiments on emergency wayfinding tasks and systems.
Community risk perception for flood management: A structural equation modelling approach
(Elsevier B.V., 2023-10-15) Santoro S; Lovreglio R; Totaro V; Camarda D; Iacobellis V; Fratino U
The importance of considering risk perception for the support of flood risk management is widely recognised. Therefore, evaluating citizens' risk perception is essential to understand the elements belonging to the social sphere that can affect the increase of risk. This knowledge can support policy makers and disaster managers in establishing more effective management strategies, priority setting, resource allocation and prevention activities. The presence of urban areas exposed to flood risks poses complex decision-making problems for the planning and management of future organisations of local territories and communities. This work provides an assessment of citizens' perception of flood risk through the construction of a Structural Equation Model (SEM) to identify useful elements to support flood management in a new type of vulnerable areas which have 'episodic streams’ called lame. This was achieved by investigating the citizens’ risk perception and knowledge in the city of Bari. The data was collected using a online survey. Based on the data from 752 respondents, our modelling results provide insights and suggestions to support flood management decision-making as they highlight the heterogeneity of the sample involved, bringing out the categories of citizens most exposed to risk, to which specific measures can be addressed.
Determinants of Gaps in Human Behaviour in Fire Research
(Springer Nature, 2024-08-08) Ronchi E; Kapalo K; Bode N; Boyce K; Cuesta A; Feng Y; Galea ER; Geoerg P; Gwynne S; Kennedy EB; Kinateder M; Kinsey M; Kuligowski E; Köster G; Lovreglio R; Mossberg A; Ono R; Spearpoint M; Strahan K; Wong SD
This short communication presents the findings of the work conducted by the human behaviour in fire permanent working group of the International Association for Fire Safety Science. Its aim is to identify determinants of research gaps in the field of human behaviour in fire. Two workshops were conducted in 2023 in which research gaps were identified and discussed by twenty experts. The workshops led experts through a series of questions to determine the reasons (or determinants) for these gaps in human behaviour in building fires and wildfires. Through the questions, the primary identified determinants were (1) researchers’ literacy in the variety of methods adopted in the field, (2) difficulties associated with recruitment of study participants, (3) multi-disciplinary barriers across different research sub-domains, and (4) issues in obtaining funding for addressing fundamental human behaviour in fire research questions. Two key issues emerged from an open discussion during the workshops, namely the difficulties in attracting and training new people in the field (given the limited educational offers around the world on the topic) and the need for more regular opportunities for the community to meet.
Digital technologies and data-driven delay management process for construction projects
(Frontiers Media S.A, 2022-12-21) Radman K; Jelodar MB; Lovreglio R; Ghazizadeh E; Wilkinson S
One of the main challenges of construction projects is managing delays; there is still a lot to overcome to reach near-zero delays (mitigation of delays) in all construction projects. Technology and different platforms are applied to support a high volume of data flow acquired from multiple resources during the construction project life cycle; how can these automated and digital progress tracking systems be considered for more effective construction delay management? The aim is to investigate the current state of real-time technologies and their applications and assess how specific attributes of these disruptive technologies can significantly alter delay management in construction industries. Therefore, this study presents a new process-based framework for using technologies with a data lifecycle viewpoint. This research uses a four-step systematic literature review involving identification, screening, extortion-eligibility check, and selection-inclusion. Furthermore, it is followed up by a thematic content analysis on using new technologies to mitigate delays in construction projects. Key trends, themes, areas of concern for research, and limitations identified in previous literature as research gaps and future needs were documented and structured. This work presents a novel process of comprehensive classification of real-time technologies that are being used in the construction industry to acquire data, screen/analyses data, and present information through an Industry 4.0 application: IoT technologies such as sensors, RFID etc., smartphones, planning/scheduling tools (Ms Project, Primavera), and Building Information Modelling (BIM). The developed process-based framework is served as a roadmap to 1) centralise real-time communication between technologies to collect, analysis and presentation data in construction phase, 2) prepare timely reports for project managers to take proper action against those problems delaying project.
Enhancing egress drills: Preparation and assessment of evacuee performance
(1/10/2019) Gwynne SMV; Kuligowski ED; Boyce KE; Nilsson D; Robbins AP; Lovreglio R; Thomas JR; Roy-Poirier A
This article explores how egress drills—specifically those related to fire incidents—are currently used, their impact on safety levels, and the insights gained from them. It is suggested that neither the merits of egress drills are well understood, nor the impact on egress performance well characterized. In addition, the manner in which they are conducted varies both between and within regulatory jurisdictions. By investigating their strengths and limitations, this article suggests opportunities for their enhancement possibly through the use of other egress models to support and expand upon the benefits provided. It is by no means suggested that drills are not important to evacuation safety—only that their inconsistent use and the interpretation of the results produced may mean we (as researchers, practitioners, regulators, and stakeholders) are not getting the maximum benefit out of this important tool. © 2017 Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada. Fire and Materials StartCopText© 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Exploring home-to-school trip mode choices in Kandy, Sri Lanka
(1/02/2022) Dias C; Abdullah M; Lovreglio R; Sachchithanantham S; Rekatheeban M; Sathyaprasad IMS
Schools are major trip generators in urban areas and school trips may largely contribute to the congestion, particularly during morning peak hours. This study investigates the home-to-school trip mode choices in Kandy city, which is a major city in Sri Lanka. The data were collected through a questionnaire survey distributed among junior, lower senior, and upper senior students of ten major schools located in Kandy city in 2015. School trip mode choices, that comprise several common travel modes in Sri Lanka, i.e., walking, public bus, school bus, school van, private vehicles (car or van), motorcycle, and three-wheeler, were modeled using multinomial logit and mixed logit frameworks. The results indicated that gender, age, household income, school type and distance play a significant role in determining the school transport mode. That is, male students were more likely to choose public buses, walking, and private vehicles relative to other transport (three-wheeler and motorcycle combined) as compared to female students. Further, older students were more likely to walk, take a school bus and public bus relative to other transport when compared to the younger students. Distance to school was found to significantly affect all the school transport modes. National or Provincial school students were more likely to use a school bus and less likely to use a private vehicle. Transport planners and policymakers could use the outcomes of this study, especially to implement congestion mitigation measures in city centers during morning peaks. Besides, some aspects of this study could be used to regulate and legalize some private transport modes, e.g., privately operated school vans, to provide a safer, reliable, and economical service to school-going children.
Exploring single-line walking in immersive virtual reality
(Elsevier B.V., 2023-08-16) de Schot L; Nilsson D; Lovreglio R; Cunningham T; Till S
With increasing rates of elderly and obese people in the population, questions are being raised about the validity of inputs used by computer evacuation models to predict the movement of crowds in the built environment. The objective of this study is to examine the movement of individuals in a VR environment. Exploring individual movement in VR (where the individual is exposed to a virtual environment with virtual agents while actually moving alone in the physical environment) is a necessary step on the path to determining if VR is a useful tool to gather new crowd movement data. Specifically, this work presents the results of two experiments that were conducted to measure the correlation between inter-person distance (the distance from a participant to a virtual agent) and walking speed. Results show a positive correlation between walking speed and the inter-person distance for inter-person distances between 1.0 and 1.5 m. Above inter-person distances of 1.5 m, walking speed was not dependent on inter-person distance. An important finding from this work is no observed significant difference in the relationship between walking speed and inter-person distance across both experimental setups – ‘pushing’ or ‘following’ configurations. Finally, this work shows the potential of gathering individual movement data using VR.
How to measure light pollution - a systematic review of methods and applications
(Elsevier, 17/02/2023) Mander S; Alam F; Lovreglio R; Ooi M
Artificial light at night (ALAN) is ever-present in modern society and has revolutionised our lives. Along with its many benefits, ALAN can have adverse effects that are studied across many fields, including astronomy, epidemiology, and ecology. This paper collates multi-disciplinary knowledge on measuring light pollution through a systematic review of 140 articles. The measurement tools used in each context are comprehensively discussed, gaps are identified in current techniques, and benchmarking information is provided to aid future research. It is found that no single device meets all measurement objectives, and opportunities exist for further development, such as refining low-cost imaging tools. The paper highlights that each tool's limitations must be acknowledged to avoid incorrect conclusions. Thorough experimental reporting, including details on instrument location and aiming, is also essential for the replication of research. Collaboration is needed to develop unified measurement techniques, units and terminologies rather than maintaining disciplinary silos. This will enable light measurement to keep pace with lighting technologies and the growing effects of light pollution.
Human behaviour in fire: Knowledge foundation and temporal evolution
(Elsevier B.V., 2024-02-13) Haghani M; Lovreglio R; Button ML; Ronchi E; Kuligowski E
Understanding human behaviour in fires (HBiF), whether in building or wildland fire contexts, is crucial for saving lives and managing evacuations. However, existing research lacks a comprehensive analysis of HBiF knowledge from both perspectives. To address this issue, we examined nearly 1900 HBiF-related research papers and their references, identifying around 6600 frequently cited references as the HBiF knowledge foundation. We focused on highly prominent items using metrics like citation frequency, burst, and centrality. By analysing co-citation patterns among these references, we unveiled current trends and waning areas of HBiF research. This study identifies knowledge gaps and potential future directions for the field, enabling both mapping of the research concerning our fundamental understanding of behavioural decision-making in fires as well as developing more effective life-saving strategies.
Investigating Evacuation Behaviour in Retirement Facilities: Case Studies from New Zealand
(1/05/2021) Rahouti A; Lovreglio R; Nilsson D; Kuligowski E; Jackson P; Rothas F
Ageing populations are generating new challenges for the safe design of buildings and infrastructure systems in communities around the world. Elderly building occupants are more likely to have mobility impairments, and in turn, require longer times and increased assistance to evacuate buildings compared with able-bodied adults. To date, only a few studies have been carried out to assess the evacuation performance of elderly evacuees in retirement homes. Therefore, it is necessary to collect critical evacuation data, such as pre-evacuation times and evacuation speeds, for these occupancy types. This work investigates the evacuation behaviour of elderly evacuees and caretaking staff using video recordings of evacuation in retirement facilities. The paper presents three case studies. The first case study includes unannounced drills, which took place in communal areas of retirement homes during a live music exhibition and in a kitchen. The second case study is a series of unannounced drills, which took place in independent living apartment buildings of a retirement facility. The last case study is of a single announced evacuation drill, which took place in a communal area of a retirement building. Qualitative results indicate that the occupants’ behaviours depended on their role (i.e. resident or staff) and on the type of monitored area (i.e. apartment building or communal area). Pre-evacuation times measured in this study are in accordance with values stated in the literature, and walking speeds fall in the range of values reported in past studies of these types of building. Finally, results revealed that there is a significant gap between the data provided in this work and the SFPE design curves used for buildings, since the SFPE design curves do not explicitly account for adults with mobility impairments.
Investigating office buildings evacuations using unannounced fire drills: The case study of CERN, Switzerland
(2021-10-01) Rahouti A; Lovreglio R; Dias C; Kuligowski E; Gai G; La Mendola S
The main objective of this paper is to explore evacuees’ behaviour during an unannounced fire drill using data collected in two office buildings located at CERN, in Switzerland. Overall, a total of 142 pre-evacuation time measurements, 121 evacuee walking speed measurements in staircase configurations, and 336 evacuee walking speed measurements on floor configurations are included in the dataset. These data were compared with the existing evacuation data for office buildings. This comparison revealed that the pre-evacuation times measured in the present study are significantly lower compared to existing data from the literature for the same type of occupancy. Walking speed data collected in corridors in the present study is within the range of the values reported in previous studies. Further, walking speeds on descending stairways measured in the present study were significantly higher than those available in the literature. However, the novel dataset presented in this study is in accordance with the values recommended in well-known guidelines (such as the SFPE Handbook) and could be used in the future to simulate evacuations of office buildings.
MMAF-Net: Multi-view multi-stage adaptive fusion for multi-sensor 3D object detection
(Elsevier B.V., 2023-12-05) Zhang W; Shi H; Zhao Y; Feng Z; Lovreglio R
In this paper, we propose a 3D object detection method called MMAF-Net that is based on the multi-view and multi-stage adaptive fusion of RGB images and LiDAR point cloud data. This is an end-to-end architecture, which combines the characteristics of RGB images, the front view of point clouds based on reflection intensity, and the bird's eye view of point clouds. It also adopts a multi-stage fusion approach of “data-level fusion + feature-level fusion” to fully exploit the strength of multimodal information. Our proposed method addresses key challenges found in current 3D object detection methods for autonomous driving, including insufficient feature extraction from multimodal data, rudimentary fusion techniques, and sensitivity to distance and occlusion. To ensure the comprehensive integration of multimodal information, we present a series of targeted fusion methods. Firstly, we propose a novel input form that encodes dense point cloud reflectivity information into the image to enhance its representational power. Secondly, we design the Region Attention Adaptive Fusion module utilizing an attention mechanism to guide the network in adaptively adjusting the importance of different features. Finally, we extend the 2D DIOU (Distance Intersection over Union) loss function to 3D and develop a joint regression loss based on 3D_DIOU and SmoothL1 to optimize the similarity between detected and ground truth boxes. The experimental results on the KITTI dataset demonstrate that MMAF-Net effectively addresses the challenges posed by highly obscured or crowded scenes while maintaining real-time performance and improving the detection accuracy of smaller and more difficult objects that are occluded at far distances.

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