A Dynamic Time Warping Algorithm Based Analysis of Pedestrian Shockwaves at Bottleneck

Since the quantitative methodology analysis of the high-density pedestrian shockwaves at a bottleneck is limited, this paper proposes a dynamic time warping (DTW) algorithm for identifying, analyzing, and verifying the shockwaves. A set of real-world trajectory data is used to illustrate the proposed algorithm. Results show that the DTW algorithm is capable of depicting the pedestrian shockwaves elaborately and accurately. Results also show that the shockwave velocity is unsteady, as throughout time the gathering wave velocity and the evanescent wave velocity are decreasing and increasing, respectively. The mutual influence between followers and leaders is decreased when the shockwave spreads. There is a linear relationship between the shockwave velocity and density. Furthermore, singularities present a potential match solution to help identify the changing of pedestrian behaviors. The DTW algorithm for evaluating the pedestrian system stability has significant intrinsic features in the pedestrian traffic control and management.