Abstract
We developed a multi agent simulation code, enhanced with high performance computing (HPC), for simulating mass evacuations triggered by catastrophic events like a tsunami. Prediction of mass evacuations is of great importance to ensure public safety, in which the complex human behaviour is a key issue. A parallel multi agent simulation code is developed with the aim studying the problems associated with large urban area evacuation; no real experiment is feasible for large area evacuation involving millions of people. The HPC enhanced code scales linearly up to 256 CPU cores. A preliminary study is conducted to identify the effectiveness of reducing the evacuation time with official agents with different responsibilities. It was found that using 3% officials produces similar results when all the agents evacuate immediately, without any preparation time.
