Modeling Civilian Mobility in Large-Scale Disasters
Key: ZLM+21-1
Author: Julian Zobel, Patrick Lieser, Tobias Meuser, Lars Baumgärtner, Mira Mezini, Ralf Steinmetz
Date: May 2021
Kind: In proceedings
Book title: Proceedings of the 18th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management (ISCRAM)
Abstract: When disasters destroy critical communication infrastructure, smartphone-based Delay-Tolerant Networks (DTNs) can provide basic communication for civilians. Although field tests have shown the practicability of such systems, real-world experiments are expensive and hardly repeatable. Therefore, simulations are required for the design and extensive evaluation of novel DTN protocols, but meaningful assertions require realistic mobility models for civilians. This paper analyzes trace files from a large-scale disaster field test with respect to typical human behavioral patterns in a disaster area. Based on this, we derive a novel civilian disaster mobility model, encompassing identified behavior like group-based movement and clustering around points-of-interests like hospitals and shelters. We evaluate the impact of mobility on DTN communication performance by comparing our model against other established mobility models and against the trace file dataset in a simulative evaluation based on the field test scenario. In general, our mobility model results in a more realistic assessment of DTN communication performance in comparison to other mobility models.

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