# US 12,002,267 B2 · Methods, systems, and media for simulating movement data of pedestrians in a district > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,002,267 B2 - Document ID: US12002267B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/497,496 - Filed: 2021-10-08 - Published: 2022-04-14 - Granted: 2024-06-04 - Earliest claimed: 2020-10-09 - Assignees: Google Inc. - Applicants: Google LLC - Inventors: Samara Trilling; Tess Bianchi; Douwe Osinga; Josh Chappell; Okalo Ikhena - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12002267B2 ## CPC - G06V 20/53: {Recognition of crowd images, e.g. recognition of crowd congestion} - G01C 21/3867: {Geometry of map features, e.g. shape points, polygons or for simplified maps} - G01C 21/3874: {Structures specially adapted for data searching and retrieval} - G06F 30/20: Design optimisation, verification or simulation (optimisation, verification or simulation of circuit designs G06F30/30) - G06Q 10/047: Optimisation of routes or paths, e.g. travelling salesman problem - G06V 20/17: taken from planes or by drones - G06V 20/54: of traffic, e.g. cars on the road, trains or boats - G01C 21/20: Instruments for performing navigational calculations (G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence) - G06F 30/13: Architectural design, e.g. computer-aided architectural design [CAAD] related to design of buildings, bridges, landscapes, production plants or roads - G06V: IMAGE OR VIDEO RECOGNITION OR UNDERSTANDING - G01C: MEASURING DISTANCES, LEVELS OR BEARINGS; SURVEYING; NAVIGATION; GYROSCOPIC INSTRUMENTS; PHOTOGRAMMETRY OR VIDEOGRAMMETRY (measuring liquid level G01F; radio navigation, determining distance or velocity by use of propagation effects, e.g. Doppler effects, propagation time, of radio waves, analogous arrangements using other waves G01S) - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) - G06Q: INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR ## Abstract Methods, systems, and media for simulating movement data of pedestrians in a district are provided. The method comprises: receiving a district plan for a proposed district; determining a number of users that would populate a building in the proposed district; generating a population of simulated users based on the determined number of users that would populate the building in the proposed district; assigning, for the population of simulated users in the building, groups of simulated users in the population of simulated users to a movement category from a plurality of movement categories; distributing, for the groups of simulated users assigned to each of the plurality of movement categories, a group of simulated users to a first destination within the proposed district that satisfies the movement category by determining a probable walking path from the building to the first destination; in response to determining that the first destination within the proposed district has reached a first capacity threshold, distributing remaining users from the group of simulated users to a second destination within the proposed district that satisfies the movement category until at least one of the remaining users in the movement category has been distributed and the second destination within the proposed district has reached a second capacity threshold; distributing, for the groups of simulated users assigned to each of the plurality of movement categories, trips having the probable walking path of the group of simulated users over time by applying a distribution function to each of the plurality of movement categories; and causing a map representation of the proposed district to be presented, wherein the map representation highlights each of the trips having the probable walking path distributed over time to indicate predicted levels of congestion at a particular time in the proposed district. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method for pedestrian movement simulation in districts, the method comprising: receiving, using a hardware processor, a district plan for a proposed district; determining, using the hardware processor, a number of users that would populate a building in the proposed district; generating, using the hardware processor, a population of simulated users based on the determined number of users that would populate the building in the proposed district; assigning, using the hardware processor, for the population of simulated users in the building, groups of simulated users in the population of simulated users to a movement category from a plurality of movement categories; distributing, using the hardware processor, for the groups of simulated users assigned to each of the plurality of movement categories, a group of simulated users to a first destination within the proposed district that satisfies the movement category by determining a probable walking path from the building to the first destination; in response to determining that the first destination within the proposed district has reached a first capacity threshold, distributing, using the hardware processor, remaining users from the group of simulated users to a second destination within the proposed district that satisfies the movement category until at least one of the remaining users in the movement category has been distributed and the second destination within the proposed district has reached a second capacity threshold; distributing, using the hardware processor, for the groups of simulated users assigned to each of the plurality of movement categories, trips having the probable walking path of the group of simulated users over time by applying a distribution function to each of the plurality of movement categories; and causing, using the hardware processor, a map representation of the proposed district to be presented, wherein the map representation highlights each of the trips having the probable walking path distributed over time to indicate predicted levels of congestion at a particular time in the proposed district. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the number of users that would populate the building in the proposed district is determined by retrieving unit type information from the received district plan and assigning an estimated unit occupancy for each unit type of the building based on location information associated with the proposed district. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the number of users that would populate the building in the proposed district is determined by comparing a first set of characteristics associated with the proposed district to sets of characteristics associated with existing districts and assigning the number of users based on an existing district having characteristics similar to the first set of characteristics. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the movement category includes at least one of a work activity type, a recreational activity type, an errand activity type, and a cultural activity type. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the group of simulated users are distributed to the first destination within the proposed district using a gravity model that determines a plurality of destinations for each of the plurality of movement categories that the group of simulated users is likely to visit and wherein the first destination is selected from the plurality of destinations based on having a shortest walking path from the building. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The method of claim 5, wherein the gravity model retrieves, for the proposed district, geographic information that impacts pedestrian trips and selects the first destination from the plurality of destinations based on the walking path from the building and based on the geographic information that impacts pedestrian trips. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising assigning a visual characteristic to each user in the group of simulated users for the movement category, wherein the probable walking path of each user in the group of simulated users is indicated on the map representation with the visual characteristic. ### Claim 8 A system for pedestrian movement simulation in districts, the system comprising: a hardware processor that is configured to: receives a district plan for a proposed district; determines a number of users that would populate a building in the proposed district; generates a population of simulated users based on the determined number of users that would populate the building in the proposed district; assigns, for the population of simulated users in the building, groups of simulated users in the population of simulated users to a movement category from a plurality of movement categories; distributes, for the groups of simulated users assigned to each of the plurality of movement categories, a group of simulated users to a first destination within the proposed district that satisfies the movement category by determining a probable walking path from the building to the first destination; in response to determining that the first destination within the proposed district has reached a first capacity threshold, distributes remaining users from the group of simulated users to a second destination within the proposed district that satisfies the movement category until at least one of the remaining users in the movement category has been distributed and the second destination within the proposed district has reached a second capacity threshold; distributes, for the groups of simulated users assigned to each of the plurality of movement categories, trips having the probable walking path of the group of simulated users over time by applying a distribution function to each of the plurality of movement categories; and causes a map representation of the proposed district to be presented, wherein the map representation highlights each of the trips having the probable walking path distributed over time to indicate predicted levels of congestion at a particular time in the proposed district. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The system of claim 8, wherein the number of users that would populate the building in the proposed district is determined by retrieving unit type information from the received district plan and assigning an estimated unit occupancy for each unit type of the building based on location information associated with the proposed district. ### Claim 10 (depends on 8) The system of claim 8, wherein the number of users that would populate the building in the proposed district is determined by comparing a first set of characteristics associated with the proposed district to sets of characteristics associated with existing districts and assigning the number of users based on an existing district having characteristics similar to the first set of characteristics. ### Claim 11 (depends on 8) The system of claim 8, wherein the movement category includes at least one of a work activity type, a recreational activity type, an errand activity type, and a cultural activity type. ### Claim 12 (depends on 8) The system of claim 8, wherein the group of simulated users are distributed to the first destination within the proposed district using a gravity model that determines a plurality of destinations for each of the plurality of movement categories that the group of simulated users is likely to visit and wherein the first destination is selected from the plurality of destinations based on having a shortest walking path from the building. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The system of claim 12, wherein the gravity model retrieves, for the proposed district, geographic information that impacts pedestrian trips and selects the first destination from the plurality of destinations based on the walking path from the building and based on the geographic information that impacts pedestrian trips. ### Claim 14 (depends on 8) The system of claim 8, wherein the hardware processor is further configured to assign a visual characteristic to each user in the group of simulated users for the movement category, wherein the probable walking path of each user in the group of simulated users is indicated on the map representation with the visual characteristic. ### Claim 15 A non-transitory computer-readable medium containing computer executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform a method for pedestrian movement simulation in districts, the method comprising: receiving a district plan for a proposed district; determining a number of users that would populate a building in the proposed district; generating a population of simulated users based on the determined number of users that would populate the building in the proposed district; assigning, for the population of simulated users in the building, groups of simulated users in the population of simulated users to a movement category from a plurality of movement categories; distributing, for the groups of simulated users assigned to each of the plurality of movement categories, a group of simulated users to a first destination within the proposed district that satisfies the movement category by determining a probable walking path from the building to the first destination; in response to determining that the first destination within the proposed district has reached a first capacity threshold, distributing remaining users from the group of simulated users to a second destination within the proposed district that satisfies the movement category until at least one of the remaining users in the movement category has been distributed and the second destination within the proposed district has reached a second capacity threshold; distributing, for the groups of simulated users assigned to each of the plurality of movement categories, trips having the probable walking path of the group of simulated users over time by applying a distribution function to each of the plurality of movement categories; and causing a map representation of the proposed district to be presented, wherein the map representation highlights each of the trips having the probable walking path distributed over time to indicate predicted levels of congestion at a particular time in the proposed district. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the number of users that would populate the building in the proposed district is determined by retrieving unit type information from the received district plan and assigning an estimated unit occupancy for each unit type of the building based on location information associated with the proposed district. ### Claim 17 (depends on 15) The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the number of users that would populate the building in the proposed district is determined by comparing a first set of characteristics associated with the proposed district to sets of characteristics associated with existing districts and assigning the number of users based on an existing district having characteristics similar to the first set of characteristics. ### Claim 18 (depends on 15) The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the movement category includes at least one of a work activity type, a recreational activity type, an errand activity type, and a cultural activity type. ### Claim 19 (depends on 15) The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the group of simulated users are distributed to the first destination within the proposed district using a gravity model that determines a plurality of destinations for each of the plurality of movement categories that the group of simulated users is likely to visit and wherein the first destination is selected from the plurality of destinations based on having a shortest walking path from the building. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the gravity model retrieves, for the proposed district, geographic information that impacts pedestrian trips and selects the first destination from the plurality of destinations based on the walking path from the building and based on the geographic information that impacts pedestrian trips. ### Claim 21 (depends on 15) The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the method further comprises assigning a visual characteristic to each user in the group of simulated users for the movement category, wherein the probable walking path of each user in the group of simulated users is indicated on the map representation with the visual characteristic.