Evacuation Routing Out of Tsunami Hazard Zones

Abstract

This paper describes the development and implementation of a location based service for tsunami evacuation routes. Based on the position of the mobile phone the system provides a real-time calculation for an escape route out of the hazard zone. A smartphone application visualizes the route on a map. Nowadays, tsunami hazard zones are well known and determined with complex simulation models. Evacuation routes in such hazard zones are mostly sign posted along roads and visualized in evacuation plans. People who are inside a tsunami hazard zone have to make themselves familiar with the evacuation plans and have to find their own way out of the zone. The developed concept shows the possibility of a location based service to determine an escape route and visualize the result on a map. In addition, the route is the shortest possible way out of the zone. The concept is implemented for a test area in Christchurch, New Zealand. The developed prototype consists of a three tier architecture. The mobile Android application (client) determines the position of the smartphone and is responsible for the visualization of the result. A calculation program on the server side calculates the shortest route out of the hazard zone. The necessary data for this calculation come from a spatial data base which is the third component in this architecture. The whole system allows the user to calculate an escape route out of the hazard zone at the touch of a button. Implemented in an existing tsunami warning application it would be a life-saving service.