Following Behaviors: A Model for Computing Following Distances

Following is a very common type of interaction between individuals observed in crowds. For example, in streets or in corridors, following occurs as soon as one's motion is constrained in the sagittal plane, while overtaking possibilities are constrained as well by walls or people coming in counter flow. In this paper, the authors present a new model to simulate following behaviors. The authors explore the distance at which followers try to match the leaders’ speed. In the model, the following distance is dynamic and changes according to the follower's speed and the prediction of the leader's future position. The authors evaluate the model using real data and the authors also compare it with other following models showing the improvements.