A BIM-based Interactive Storyboard Approach for Accessible Occupant Activity Simulation in Safety Scenarios

The safety in and around the built environment is a fundamental aspect of everyday life. To gain insights into related processes, shortcomings and potential improvements, domain experts leverage knowledge and techniques from various fields. Here, performance-based evaluations using computer simulations are flexible, scalable solutions and allow challenges and problems to be addressed that would otherwise be difficult, if not impossible, to gauge in their entirety. Digital tools and methods support stakeholders as they assess critical measures and decisions without putting buildings or occupants at risk. At the same time, existing approaches are often focused on a narrow scope and require intricate setups, limiting usability and increasing the barrier of entry, particularly for non-specialists without programming knowledge. In an effort to actively involve practitioners, include domain-specific components and facilitate adequate analyses for a variety of use cases, a framework to design simulation scenarios using digital building models and an interactive storyboard is suggested. Following a design science research methodology, the conceptual framework to increase the accessibility of simulating occupant activity is presented and demonstrated with the help of a prototypical implementation. Building Information Modeling (BIM) serves as a foundation as digital models and data exchange principles are used to establish the simulation environment. This includes ways of defining and sharing elements according to relevant developments, e.g., the use of open standards and machine-readable formats. As people move and interact within this environment, activity at the microscopic level is analyzed, meaning that each person is represented through individual properties and behavior. Corresponding algorithms, parameters as well as itineraries comprised of personal tasks and goals are reviewed and incorporated. Since the proposed framework aims to make the entire workflow more accessible and enable participation, a storyboard application lets users create and modify scenarios in interactive and intuitive fashion. General configuration options are provided along with semantically enhanced definitions of the virtual environment and its population. In order to extend the scope beyond the design phase and facilitate the setup and implementation, formalized output is automatically generated and utilized for subsequent steps through computer-aided methods. This comprehensive approach thus supports simulation and analysis while offering a spatial reference by means of powerful visualization capabilities and achieving a common basis of understanding. A system architecture is developed to demonstrate and evaluate the framework. It features a web-based storyboard, a custom simulation software as well as several interfaces and can be adapted for established infrastructure or varying project scopes and requirements. The concept is employed for two example use cases that integrate a BIM model and follow the outlined workflow, each analyzing specific activity, characteristics and procedures for safety scenarios in planned or existing real-world environments. The functionality and intended benefits are validated, discussing potential extensions before drawing the conclusions and laying out possibilities for future work.