Peter Lawrence BSc PhD

Reader

Lead Software Engineer and Researcher for the Exodus family of software. The Exodus software is now used in 25 countries around the world and has been used on prestigious projects such as the Millennium Dome in London, the Sydney Olympic Stadium, the World Expo in Portugal, the British Museum, and the Airbus A380 super jumbo. In addition, the UK MOD has endorsed the maritimeEXODUS software as the escape tool that most closely meets its requirements for the development of warship escape design guidance and assessment.

The quality of Dr. Lawrence's research and the software that he has developed has been recognised by a number of major organisations. For example the British Computer Society (BCS) who awarded Exodus their coveted IT Award. This award is recognised as the most prestigious acknowledgement of excellence in the British computer industry. Previous winners include Marlboro McLaren F-1 Racing, SuperJanet and the Digital Audio Broadcast System.

In 2002 the EXODUS development team was awarded a prestigious Queen's Anniversary Prize for Higher and Further Education. The Queen's Anniversary Prizes for Higher Education honour exceptional contributions made by universities and colleges to national life, and are the most distinguished awards that can be made to a UK institution for higher or further education.

Awards

2014

Research impact category of the Guardian University Awards.

FSEG submitted their work on Known as Active Dynamic Signage Systems (ADSS) which was part of the European Union Framework 7 project GETAWAY.

2008

One of the co-authors of the publication "Signage Legibility Distances as a Function of Observation Angle" which appeared in the SFPE Journal of Fire Protection Engineering 2007, which won the The Jack Bono Engineering Communication Award. The Jack Bono Engineering Communication Award is given to the authors of the paper that during the prior year has most contributed to the advancement and application of professional fire protection engineering. The Society of Fire Protection Engineering is the US based professional society representing the profession of fire engineering.

2004

The IST prize awarded by Euro-CASE. The EU Commission-sponsored European IST (Information Society Technologies) top IT prize is awarded by the European Council of Applied Sciences, Technology and Engineering (Euro-CASE) to entrepreneurial teams that excel in generating novel ideas and converting them into marketable products. This award is Europe's top IT Prize.

2003

One of the co-authors of the publication "Examining The Effect Of Exit Separation On Aircraft Evacuation Performance During 90-Second Certification Trials Using Evacuation Modelling Techniques" which appeared in the Aeronautical Journal 2002, which won the Hodgson Prize of the Royal Aeronautical Society.

2002

CITIS (Communications & IT in Shipping) Award for Innovation in IT for Ship Operation and Safety.

The Royal Institution of Naval Architecture/Lloyds Register Award for Ship Safety.

One of the co-authors of the publication "The Numerical Simulation of Aircraft Evacuation" which appeared in the Aeronautical Journal 1999, which won the Hodgson Prize of the Royal Aeronautical Society.

Research / Scholarly interests

  • Discrete Event Simulation, Agent Based Modelling, AI, OpenCL, C++, Computer Graphics, Software Development and Management.

Key funded projects

  • EU Horizon 2020 IN-PREP: An INtegrated next generation PREParedness programme for improving effective inter-organisational response capacity in complex environments of disasters and causes of crises. (Sept 2017 - Aug 2020)
  • EU Horizon 2020 GEO-SAFE: Geospatial based Environment for Optimisation Systems Addressing Fire Emergencies. (Feb 2016 - Jan 2020)
  • Innovate UK GATEway: Greenwich Automated Transport Environment. (October 2015 - September 2018).
  • EU Horizon 2020 AUGGMED: Automated Serious Game Scenario Generator for Mixed Reality Training. (June 2015 - June 2018)
  • DSTO: The Development of a Naval Damage Control and Recoverability System. (2013 - 2017).
  • Battelle (US) Development of a modified version of buildingEXODUS for Integration into an Overarching Command and Control System (2007-2010)

Recent publications

Article

Filippidis, Lazaros , Lawrence, Peter, Anand, Veeraswamy, Blackshields, Darren , Cooney, David , Galea, Edwin (2024), Evacuation modelling for rapid multi-hazard tabletop exercise deployment. Elsevier. In: , , , . Elsevier, Safety Science, 173: 106438 . pp. 1-18 ISSN: 0925-7535 (Print), (doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssci.2024.106438).

Filippidis, Lazaros , Xie, Hui, Galea, Edwin R., Lawrence, Peter J. (2021), Exploring the potential effectiveness of dynamic and static emergency exit signage in complex spaces through simulation. Elsevier. In: , , , . Elsevier, Fire Safety Journal, 125: 103404 ISSN: 0379-7112 (Print), (doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.firesaf.2021.103404).

Siddiqui, Asim A. , Ewer, John A., Lawrence, Peter J., Galea, Edwin R. , Frost, Ian R. (2021), Building information modelling for performance-based fire safety engineering analysis – a strategy for data sharing. Elsevier. In: , , , . Elsevier, Journal of Building Engineering, 42: 102794 2352-7102 (Online) (doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jobe.2021.102794).

Joyce, Michael S. , Lawrence, Peter J., Galea, Edwin R. (2020), Hospital evacuation planning tool for assistance devices (HEPTAD). Wiley. In: , , , . Wiley, Fire and Materials, 45 (4) . pp. 564-582 ISSN: 0308-0501 (Print), 1099-1018 (Online) (doi: https://doi.org/10.1002/fam.2856).

Deere, Steven , Hui, Xie, Galea, Edwin R., Cooney, David , Lawrence, Peter J. (2020), An evacuation model validation data-set for high-rise construction sites. Elsevier. In: , , , . Elsevier, Fire Safety Journal, 120: 103118 ISSN: 0379-7112 (Print), 1873-7226 (Online) (doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.firesaf.2020.103118).

Woolley, Anthony , Ewer, John, Lawrence, Peter, Deere, Steven , Travers, Anthony , Whitehouse, Tom , Galea, Edwin Richard (2020), A naval damage incident recoverability toolset: Assessing naval platform recoverability after a fire event. Elsevier. In: , , , . Elsevier, Ocean Engineering, 207: 107351 ISSN: 0029-8018 (Print), (doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.oceaneng.2020.107351) NB Item availability restricted.

Hunt, Aoife L. E. , Galea, Edwin R., Lawrence, Peter J., Frost, Ian R. , Gwynne, Steve M. V. (2020), Simulating movement devices used in hospital evacuation. Springer. In: , , , . Springer, Fire Technology, 56 (5) . pp. 2209-2240 ISSN: 0015-2684 (Print), 1572-8099 (Online) (doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10694-020-00971-5).

Chooramun, Nitish , Lawrence, Peter J., Galea, Edwin R. (2018), Investigating the application of a hybrid space discretisation for urban scale evacuation simulation. Springer US. In: , , , . Springer US, Fire Technology . pp. 1-23 ISSN: 0015-2684 (Print), 1572-8099 (Online) (doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10694-018-0742-y).

Veeraswamy, Anand , Galea, Edwin R., Filippidis, Lazaros, Lawrence, Peter J. , Haasanen, Simo , Gazzard, Robert J. , Smith, Thomas E.L. (2017), The simulation of urban-scale evacuation scenarios with application to the Swinley forest fire. Elsevier. In: , , , . Elsevier, Safety Science, 102 . pp. 178-193 ISSN: 0925-7535 (Print), (doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssci.2017.07.015).

Grandison, Angus , Deere, Steven, Lawrence, Peter, Galea, Edwin Richard (2017), The use of confidence intervals to determine convergence of the total evacuation time for stochastic evacuation models. Elsevier Ltd.. In: , , , . Elsevier Ltd., Ocean Engineering, 146 . pp. 234-245 ISSN: 0029-8018 (Print), (doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.oceaneng.2017.09.047).

Grandison, A. , Cavanagh, Y., Lawrence, P. J., Galea, E. R. (2017), Increasing the simulation performance of large-scale evacuations using parallel computing techniques based on domain decomposition. Springer US. In: , , , . Springer US, Fire Technology, 53 (3) . pp. 1399-1438 ISSN: 0015-2684 (Print), 1572-8099 (Online) (doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10694-016-0645-8).

Galea, E.R. , Wang, Z., Jia, F., Lawrence, P.J. , Ewer, J. (2016), Fire safety assessment of open wide gangway underground trains in tunnels using coupled fire and evacuation simulation. Wiley. In: , , , . Wiley, Fire and Materials, 41 (6) . pp. 716-737 ISSN: 0308-0501 (Print), 1099-1018 (Online) (doi: https://doi.org/10.1002/fam.2413) NB Item availability restricted.

Book section

Filippidis, Lazaros , Lawrence, Peter, Blackshields, Darren, Ewer, John (2023), Trapped on the seashore, seaborne evacuation, impact of exposure to PM2.5: demonstration of the urbanEXODUS evacuation model. Nova Science Publishers. In: , , In: Michail Chalaris (ed.), The Challenges of Disaster Planning Management, and Resilience. Nova Science Publishers, New York (1st) . pp. 339-457 . ISBN: 9798886972290 (doi: https://doi.org/10.52305/QURT7964) NB Item availability restricted.

Conference item

Filippidis, Lazaros , Lawrence, Peter, Blackshields, Darren, Ewer, John (2022), Trapped on the seashore, seaborne evacuation, and impact of exposure to PM2.5: Live demonstration of the urbanEXODUS large-scale evacuation model. Department of Chemistry, Research Division on Risk, Hazards, Crises, and Safety at “Hephaestus” Advanced research Laboratory School of Science, International Hellenic University. In: Proceedings of the International Conference on Planning, Challenges of Disaster Management and Resilience (ICPCDMR), 11th - 13th February 2022, Athens and online In: Michail Chalaris (ed.), Proceedings of the International Conference on Planning, Challenges of Disaster Management and Resilience(ICPCDMR). Department of Chemistry, Research Division on Risk, Hazards, Crises, and Safety at “Hephaestus” Advanced research Laboratory School of Science, International Hellenic University, Kavala, Greece INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON PLANNING, CHALLENGES OF DISASTER MANAGEMENT AND RESILIENCE (ICPCDMR) (1st) . pp. 59-59 . ISBN: 9786185630089 (doi: https://www.idafk.com/icpcdmr-2022/indexEN.html).

Filippidis, Lazaros , Lawrence, Peter, Hulse, Lynn, Veeraswamy, Anand , Blackshields, Darren (2021), Large-scale evacuations: they worked last time. Will they work again?. SafeGreece. In: SafeGreece 2021: 8th International Conference on Civil Protection & New Technologies, 24th - 26th November 2021, Greece and online In: Katerina – Navsika Katsetsiadou (ed.), SafeGreece 2021 – 8th International Conference on Civil Protection & New Technologies. SafeGreece, Greece, online SafeGreece 2021 (1st) . pp. 85-88 2654-1823 (Online) (doi: https://safegreece.org/safegreece2021/images/docs/safegreece2021_proceedings.pdf) NB Item availability restricted.

Conference proceedings

Lawrence, Peter , Pellacini, Veronica, Filippidis, Lazaros, Blackshields, Darren (2022), The development of pedestrian gap acceptance and midblock pedestrian road crossing behavior utilizing SUMO. TIB Open Publishing (Technische Informationsbibliothek) - DLR Institute of Transportation Systems. In: SUMO User Conference 2021, 13th to 15th September 2021, online In: Pablo Alvarez Lopez, Olaf Angelo Banse Bueno, Maria Giuliana Armellini, Michael Behrisch, Laura Bieker-Walz, Erdmann Jacob, Yun-Pang Flötteröd, Robert Hilbrich, Ronald Nippold, Johannes Rummel (eds.), SUMO User Conference 2021. 13 – 15 September 2021, Virtual Event. TIB Open Publishing (Technische Informationsbibliothek) - DLR Institute of Transportation Systems, Hannover, Germany , 2 (1st) . pp. 33-51 2750-4425 (Online) (doi: https://doi.org/10.52825/scp.v2i.90).

Lawrence, Peter , Pellacini, Veronica, Galea, Edwin (2020), The modelling of pedestrian vehicle interaction for post-exiting behaviour. Central Library, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH. In: , , , Proceedings of Pedestrian and Evacuation Dynamics 2018. Central Library, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, , 5 . pp. 271-279 ISSN: 2366-8539 (Print), (doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.17815/CD.2020.60).

Monograph

Siddiqui, Asim Ahmed , Lawrence, Peter, Kneidl, Angelika, Abualdenien, Jimmy , Thompson, Peter , Könnecke, Rainer (2023), OpenBIM for Occupant Movement Analysis industry report: a perspective from the Building Room. buildingSMART International Ltd.. In: , , , . buildingSMART International Ltd., Hertfordshire (1st) (doi: https://app.box.com/s/3ehxb7yhqa0p0m46p4mtev4rww44t4k2).