Practical approach to evacuation planning via network flow and deep learning

In this paper, we propose a practical approach to evacuation planning by utilizing network flow and deep learning algorithms. In recent years, large amounts of data are rapidly being stored in the cloud system, and effective data utilization for solving real-world problems is required more than ever. Hierarchical Data Analysis and Optimization System (HDAOS) enables us to select appropriate algorithms according to the degree of difficulty in solving problems and a given time for the decision-making process, and such selection helps address real-world problems. In the field of emergency evacuation planning, however, the Lexicographically Quickest Flow (LQF) algorithm has an extremely long computation time on a large-scale network, and is therefore not a practical solution. For Osaka city, which is the second-largest city in Japan, we must solve the maximum flow problems on a large-scale network with over 8.3M nodes and 32.8M arcs for obtaining an optimal plan. Consequently, we can feed back nothing to make an evacuation plan. To solve the problem, we utilize the optimal solution as training data of a deep Convolutional Neural Network (CNN). We train a CNN by using the results of the LQF algorithm in normal time, and in emergencies predict the evacuation completion time (ECT) immediately by the well-learned CNN. Our approach provides almost precise ECT, achieving an average regression error of about 2%. We provide several techniques for combining LQF with CNN and addressing numerous movements as CNN's input, which has rarely been considered in previous studies. Hodge decomposition also demonstrates that LQF is efficient from the standpoint of the total distance traveled by all evacuees, which reinforces the validity of the method of utilizing the LQF algorithm for deep learning.