{"id":27220,"date":"2025-06-30T13:33:19","date_gmt":"2025-06-30T13:33:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/27220\/"},"modified":"2025-06-30T13:33:19","modified_gmt":"2025-06-30T13:33:19","slug":"uta-researcher-builds-ai-tool-to-help-emergency-managers-plan-smarter-evacuations-in-real-time-dallas-innovates","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/27220\/","title":{"rendered":"UTA Researcher Builds AI Tool to Help Emergency Managers Plan Smarter Evacuations in Real Time \u00bb Dallas Innovates"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"iambuff\/istockphoto\"<\/p>\n

AI and digital twin systems like the one in development at UTA are designed to help simulate evacuation scenarios in real time during disasters. [Illustration: iambuff\/istockphoto]<\/p>\n

When disaster strikes, evacuation delays can cost lives. At the University of Texas at Arlington, one researcher is building smarter tools to give emergency officials the data they need to act faster and save lives.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Mahmoud<\/p>\n

Mahmoud Bayat\u2019s work focuses on developing cyber-physical systems that help cities respond to disasters more effectively.<\/p>\n

With seed funding from UTA\u2019s Research Enhancement Program, researcher Mahmoud Bayat is creating an AI-powered digital twin framework to support real-time evacuation planning. The platform will combine live environmental data, transportation models, and infrastructure vulnerability assessments to help emergency managers respond to rapidly changing conditions, especially in disaster-prone regions like the Gulf Coast.<\/p>\n

A digital twin is a real-time virtual model of a physical environment. In this case, it mirrors traffic and infrastructure conditions to help simulate how disasters unfold and how systems might respond.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis project is as much about social equity as it is about technology,\u201d Bayat said in a UTA research highlight.<\/p>\n

Bayat, an assistant professor in UTA\u2019s School of Architecture within the College of Architecture, Planning and Public Affairs, said the platform is designed to ensure that vulnerable residents\u2014including the elderly, disabled, and low-income individuals\u2014aren\u2019t left behind during evacuations. <\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s how we build truly resilient communities,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Real-time support for emergency management<\/p>\n

According to UTA, the system is meant to serve as a decision-support tool for emergency managers, providing real-time data and adaptability in the field.<\/p>\n

Bayat\u2019s project, titled Innovative Disaster Response: Digital Twins for Community and Transportation Resilience, aims to address a key flaw in traditional evacuation models: they rely on static assumptions and often can\u2019t adapt when conditions change quickly on the ground.<\/p>\n

During Hurricane Rita in 2005, for example, hundreds of people died\u2014not from the storm itself, but from traffic gridlock, heat exposure, and poor coordination, UTA noted. Bayat\u2019s system is designed to help emergency managers simulate unfolding scenarios and adjust plans in real time based on congestion, road closures, or severe weather.<\/p>\n

Building smarter infrastructure response<\/p>\n

To start, Bayat and his team will evaluate current evacuation strategies and digital twin technologies. From there, they\u2019ll develop two core AI components: a generative model trained to estimate infrastructure damage during disasters, and a dynamic routing engine that adapts evacuation routes as new data comes in.<\/p>\n

Both tools will be integrated into a single platform and tested through case studies, UTA said. The project will conclude with a report offering implementation guidance for emergency planners.<\/p>\n

If successful, the platform could be adopted by cities, counties, and state agencies nationwide, according to the university.<\/p>\n

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