Cellular Automata and Agent-Based Modelling for Inundation Simulation and Disaster Management

Inundation simulation is essential to flood disaster management, providing important information about distribution of water and risk areas, and thus corresponding disaster management strategies against flood can be developed. To analyse the outcomes of disaster management strategies against flood, the cellular automata (CA) concept was applied in an agent-based model (ABM), Netlogo, to perform 2D inundation simulations and agent simulation. The model utilised a simple rule to redistribute the water between grids instead of solving complex equations. The model performance of inundation simulation was evaluated by comparing the model outputs with three benchmark cases and two historical events. Then agent simulations coupled with inundation simulation were conducted for checking the practicability of the inundation-agent coupled model. The aims of this study are to establish a simple 2D overland flow model in an ABM and to seek the possibility of conduct inundation-agent coupled simulation in the ABM. The results revealed the inundation-agent coupled model capability of conducting inundation simulation and the potential for generating plausible outcomes of the interaction between flood water, response strategies and human behaviour in a complex system during a flood event. The model can be a valuable tool for investigating and improving existing disaster response strategies and for enhancing community-based disaster management.