Microscopic modeling of attention-based movement behaviors

Danrui Li1, Mathew Schwartz1, Samuel S. Sohn1, Sejong Yoon2, Vladimir Pavlovic1, Mubbasir Kapadia1
1Rutgers University 2The College of New Jersey
Transportation Research Part C: Emerging Technologies
Paper Code Data arXiv

How will attention affect walking speed in retail areas? We model how pedestrians will be attracted to environmental objects and how this will slow down their walking speed. Then we show how our model can help optimize the design of retail areas in transportation hubs.

Abstract

For transportation hubs, leveraging pedestrian flows for commercial activities presents an effective strategy for funding maintenance and infrastructure improvements. However, this introduces new challenges, as consumer behaviors can disrupt pedestrian flow and efficiency. To optimize both retail potential and pedestrian efficiency, careful strategic planning in store layout and facility dimensions was done by expert judgement due to the complexity in pedestrian dynamics in the retail areas of transportation hubs. This paper introduces an attention-based movement model to simulate these dynamics. By simulating retail potential of an area through the duration of visual attention it receives, and pedestrian efficiency via speed loss in pedestrian walking behaviors, the study further explores how design features can influence the retail potential and pedestrian efficiency in a bi-directional corridor inside a transportation hub.

BibTeX

@article{LI2024104583,
        title = {Microscopic modeling of attention-based movement behaviors},
        journal = {Transportation Research Part C: Emerging Technologies},
        volume = {162},
        pages = {104583},
        year = {2024},
        issn = {0968-090X},
        doi = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trc.2024.104583},
        url = {https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0968090X24001049},
        author = {Danrui Li and Mathew Schwartz and Samuel S. Sohn and Sejong Yoon and Vladimir Pavlovic and Mubbasir Kapadia},
        keywords = {Pedestrian dynamics, Visual attention, Retail environment, Transportation hubs, Architectural design},
        }