People Flow Management Solution for Security Screening Challenges

People Flow Management Solution for Security Screening Challenges

A government agency campus spanning over 300 acres with more than 95 buildings faced significant challenges in people flow management. The primary security building, constructed before 9/11, struggled to meet modern security requirements, resulting in inefficiencies.

The agency contacted the MOSIMTEC consultants to find solutions that would help reduce congestion, improve visitor experience, and enhance operational effectiveness while ensuring security through effective people flow management.

Problem: people flow management challenges

The security building, which had been modified for use as a screening facility, faced significant operational challenges tied to people flow management:

The initial response to these issues was to expand the facility’s footprint, a solution that promised high costs, extended timelines, and uncertain outcomes without addressing root causes tied to poor people flow management.

Solution: environment for testing with 3D animation, heat map, and graphs

MOSIMTEC’s task was to evaluate potential improvements and present them to the agency. They focused on improving people flow management through simulation modeling using AnyLogic capabilities.

The consultants created a comprehensive representation of both pedestrian and vehicular movement within the facility. This model accurately reflected the to-scale layouts of the building’s internal pedestrian spaces and the surrounding roadway system.

Heat map of the facility model
Heat map of the facility model used for people flow management

In AnyLogic, they modeled the dynamics of visitor movements, pinpointing areas of congestion. With heat density maps, they visualized how visitors interacted with the space, making it easier to identify specific bottlenecks that hindered smooth people flow management.

Read also: a case study with the implementation of heat maps for modeling warehouse operations.

The main goal of the solution was flexibility. The simulation allowed users to experiment with various security screening layouts virtually, including equipment placement, staffing allocations, hourly arrival rates, and processing durations. This adaptability ensured that the most effective people flow management strategies could be identified and tested without disrupting real-world operations.

3D visualization of the facility
3D visualization of the facility

The model also generated detailed metrics, such as visitor dwell times and throughput rates, presented through clear tables and graphs. These insights enabled the agency to make evidence-based decisions to refine people flow management strategies.

Results: improved people flow management

The developed environment proved to be a cost-effective solution, offering rapid experimentation without physical modifications to the facility. This sandbox approach ensured that solutions were thoroughly assessed before implementation, leading to efficient and sustainable improvements in people flow management.

Chart with outside visitor wait time by vehicle arrival rates

The metrics collected throughout the simulation experiment

Key outcomes of the case:

  1. Improved efficiency: Optimizing layouts and operations within the existing setup significantly reduced visitor and vehicle congestion through enhanced people flow management.
  2. Cost savings: Eliminating the need for the facility expansion saved the agency significant investments.
  3. Enhanced security: Better people flow management allowed staff to identify potential threats more effectively.
  4. Team buy-in: Thanks to the simulation model created in AnyLogic, decision-makers could easily visualize and assess the outcomes of the proposed solutions.

This case demonstrates how the challenges of proper people flow management can be solved with the implementation of simulation modeling.

The case is also available in PDF.

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