Real-time mobilization decisions for multi-priority emergency response resources and evacuation groups: Model formulation and solution

This paper presents a model formulation and solution for simultaneous mobilization destination, traffic assignment, and departure schedule for mufti-priority groups (SMDTS-MPG) for real-time emergency response in no-notice disasters. The presented approach addresses the decision context in which multiple emergency responses and evacuation flow groups with different destinations and varying priorities coexist in the same traffic network, within which simultaneous mobilization strategies must consider this requirement. The proposed modeling technique and the cell transmission model (CTM)-based linear-programming model provides a mechanism to accomplish this goal in an intuitive and coherent manner. The proposed matrix formulation of the SMDTS-MPG model permits the rapid deployment of the model to large networks. Model formulation and numerical examples are presented in detail in this paper. (C) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.