This research monograph essentially handles early emergency warning management and decision making in severe accidents. The authors consider specific examples of toxic gas leakages in China. The overall analysis and design study is good, with a perfect balance between theory and practice.

Some of the chapters are very interesting and effective, for instance, “a multi-objective optimization modeling and algorithm for emergency path selection as well as evacuation risk assessment.” As another example, for solving a multi-objective optimization problem for a route planning model, the authors use a heuristic algorithm. Section 5.4.2, “Dynamic Heuristic Algorithm to Solve Model I Based on D* Algorithm,” is a very nice discussion.

The detailed case studies and discussions are mostly based on urban areas in China. The simulation study on alerting models for individual households is also very appealing. Normally, gas leakage accidents with large-scale effects are represented by their low occurrence, insufficient precursors, serious damages, and lasting impact. Such situations usually cannot be handled with conventional disaster management systems.

The book’s technical content is notable, as “it is often difficult to come up with scenario ... analysis, risk assessment, and early warning decisions.” Researchers and scholars in the field will benefit from the six chapters, which include “the design of early warning systems, communication and dissemination mechanisms for early warning information, evacuation warning assessment, multi-objective optimization [for] emergency paths, and evacuation risk assessment.” Such design studies should be further applied in several other major accident phenomena.

Graduate students and researchers in related areas can utilize this book, which basically presents a new direction for disaster management. It may be used in the development of emergency warning and decision support systems.