The EMR-ISAC InfoGram for July 25, 2013 featured an awareness piece on the latest release of evacuation planning software developed by the Virginia Modeling, Analysis and Simulation Center (VMASC) at Old Dominon University. Called Real Time Evacuation Planning Model (RtePM), a simple online interface and quick start guide mean users can quickly try out various evacuation scenarios specific to their locale, whether it be wildfire, hurricane or something else. In addition, according to the InfoGram, RtePM:
...is a free application enabling emergency managers and planners to determine evacuation times and routes based on multiple scenarios. Using the GIS mapping data to highlight geographical areas, users can view:
- Population both day and night;
- Major and minor arteries, highways, and smaller roads;
- The speed limits of those roads versus the actual average speed;
- The likely evacuation times based on changes to the above criteria.
To check out RtePM or just learn more, use the link below:
Comment: As previously noted on this site, following Katrina, researchers at the University of Minnesota developed evacuation planning software that has been available for past several years. It would be interesting to see a "run-off" between these two systems which evaluates appropriateness for various user communities. Superficial review suggests RtePM's would work best for individuals who want to run basic scenarios (i.e. Emergency Management types), while the University of Minnesota's Efficient Evacuation Route Planning and Emergency Management software would work best for individuals doing detailed planning (i.e. transportation department planners).
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