Walk, don't drive, to escape a disaster
Last Thursday's St. Paul Pioneer Press had a story about planning for evacuation after a man-made disaster such as an airborne release of anthrax or rupture of a chlorine tank. Only people within a mile of the disaster need to be evacuated, and - contrary to instinct - they should walk, not drive, to the nearest safety zone.
This recommendation comes from computer modeling by the University of Minnesota's McKnight Distinguished University Professor of Computer Science Shashi Shekhar, who "found that because of the time people took to get to their cars and then the traffic jams created, leaving the car behind was the best option". The details can be found at Prof. Shekhar's web site.
Of course, getting people to behave this way requires major efforts in public education, contacts with the media, and so forth. But it's important to know up front what the best strategy is.
Will Craig, Associate Director of the Center for Urban and Regional Affairs and - like Shekhar - a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) expert , wrote to me:
Here's a nice example of campus-based GIS work being of real use to the people of Minnesota. Professor Shekhar's research frequently uses the local laboratory to develop and test new approaches. He connects well with local officials and helps them understand the implications of his findings. He is a perfect example of public engagement that benefits both research and the community. Some of our colleagues think that engagement is a diversion from real research. Shekhar proves that engagement is central to understanding the nature of problems and for testing the solutions.