Robust optimization for a multiple-priority emergency evacuation problem under demand uncertainty

This study examines a multiple-priority emergency evacuation optimization problem with time-dependent demand uncertainty. A multiple-priority dynamic traffic model—namely, the multiple-priority cell transmission model (MPCTM) —is developed to simulate the priority of network flows for emergency evacuation response. Moreover, a robust optimization approach is applied to formulate such an emergency evacuation response problem. The robust counterpart solutions of the proposed uncertainty model have been shown to be tractable, using the duality theorem. Finally, a real example of Ya’an earthquake emergency evacuation planning verifies the effectiveness of the proposed MPCTM. © Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2019.