A multi-perspective dynamic network performance efficiency measurement of an evacuation: A dynamic network-DEA approach

•Evacuation planning as a multi-perspective, multi-system, and multi-process concept.•Dynamic network DEA approach for evacuation planning and transportation strategies.•Traffic engineering and socio-behavioral protective action theory are combined.•Efficiency scores integrating multiple perspectives, i.e., the agency and household.•Improvement guidelines for agency and household evacuation strategy design

In this paper, we consider evacuation planning as a multi-perspective, multi-system, and multi-process operation, and explore how a dynamic network performance measurement approach helps us to measure the efficiency performance of this system of systems. Two different perspectives are studied, i.e., that of the transportation agency and that of the household. These perspectives are linked through intermediate outputs and carry-overs generated by the underlying processes associated with each perspective. Within this context, we propose a theoretical representation of a slacks-based dynamic network DEA approach for measuring evacuation performance when a ramp closure evacuation traffic management strategy is considered. This representation requires a theoretical yet tractable conceptual framework that incorporates stakeholder perspectives, evacuation-related systems, processes and their interdependencies. This research combines the dynamic network DEA approach with traffic engineering and socio-behavioral theory of protective action. An initial exploration of the proposed approach allows for the discovery of efficiency interdependencies among perspectives, which in turn provides useful information and insights for the future design of holistic evacuation traffic management strategies.