Enhancing flexibility and efficiency for urban waterlogging response scenarios simulation: an open-ended approach involving user participation

The current urban waterlogging response simulations prioritise the professional developers’ perspective, with limited user participation, focusing mainly on the mapping and transforming the physical and information space of waterlogging. Such simulation results are fixed in content and lack the necessary response information, which cannot satisfy multiple users’ risk perception and response requirements. This study proposes an open-ended method for scenario simulation involving user participation to address these shortcomings. We first established an information transmission model to guide waterlogging response scenario template designs. We then designed scenario templates based on the coupling between waterlogging and the response information (inundated points, evacuation routes, etc) to constrain the scenario expansion. Subsequently, a scenario editor was generated using Unity Annotation Programming, providing an interface for users to participate in simulations. Finally, we designed two controlled experiments for response tasks in developer-provided and end-users-generated scenarios, with participants divided according to their experience of using 3D software and experiencing waterlogging, respectively, to evaluate the proposed simulation method. According to the experimental results, we inferred that the method proposed in this study increases the flexibility and efficiency of scenario simulation and enhances end-users understanding of urban waterlogging risk information and response methods.