A dissertation project for Jack Steel. Some configs such as db connection strings have been ommited.

This project presents a successful proof of concept design and a successful implementation of the A* pathfinding algorithm incorporating pedestrian congestion. The University of Lincoln’s campus and student timetable data was used to develop this system. It has been shown that considering congestion during the pathfinding process can provide better results for those wishing to navigate the campus more efficiently. Congestion adjusted routes can achieve a time-saving of over 70% for a user navigating the campus on common routes. Analysing the congestion around campus using a heatmap also provides insight into the locations of bottlenecks on pedestrian movement. This project has laid the groundwork for future developments in this area and highlighted several key areas for further work, including further automation of the pathfinding graph generation and investigations into student behaviours to improve the model’s accuracy. Importantly, this project has shown that the improved routing algorithm is capable of being processed within an acceptable timeframe for interactive use. All development was completed with reuse and extension in mind for any further work or adaptation.