Map API-Based Evacuation Route Guidance System for Floods

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report (Previous Reviewer 2)

This study was revised so I have no other new comments. Good luck with future research.

Author Response

Please check the pdf file for the reply to the reviewer.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 2 Report (Previous Reviewer 1)

A review comment has been provided to the Editor.

Author Response

Please check the pdf file for the reply to the reviewer.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 3 Report (Previous Reviewer 3)

General comments

 This is the second time I have reviewed this manuscript. Last time, I had found some problems (see my report) and suggested acceptance after minor revisions. The authors have tried to improve the manuscript better. They have added additional text and made some changes. But it is still not suitable for publication in its present form. It needs more work and effort before it can be published. See the comments below.

 Specifically:

 I strongly recommend that authors have the manuscript proofread by an English language expert to ensure correct grammar, use of language and clarity of the text.

 

The manuscript has to be written according to the instructions for Authors of the MDPI Applied Sciences Journal (https://www.mdpi.com/journal/applsci/instructions).

 A general check of the references is needed (References list).

 References have to be written in accordance with the Instructions for Authors of the journal (https://www.mdpi.com/journal/applsci/instructions).

a.         Pay attention to the Journal Name, which should be in italic and abbreviated form (see Instructions for Authors) and the year in bold.

b.         According to the “Reference List and Citations: Style Guide for MDPI Journals”:

For every Author, list the last name first, then the first letter of the first name and, if available, the first letter of the middle name.

Last names should be separated from first and middle name by a comma, first and middle names should end with a period: Lastname, F.M.; Lastname, F.M.; etc.

 Grammar needs to be remedied at various places of the manuscript. The final text has to be prepared with more care. It includes linguistic errors, that sometimes make it difficult to follow. I would respectfully recommend that Authors have their manuscript professionally edited before resubmitting it or proofreading it with a colleague whose native language is English.

 Figures 3, 4, 5, 7, 11, 13, 14, 15, 16, 19 require in higher analysis.

 The Introduction of the manuscript is weak and needs improvement. In particular, it should (a) place the study in a broader context and emphasize why it is important, (b) describe its objectives, (c) define the purpose of the study and its significance, (d) carefully examine the current state of the research field and the main publications cited, (e) summarize the main objective of the study, and finally, (f) highlight the main conclusions. Specifically, in the introduction, the authors' focus is more on natural disasters, especially floods, and the damage they cause. The interest of the work, however, lies in the development of an evacuation system based on a route guidance system in case of flooding. Evacuation systems using various algorithms have been developed. Authors should consider the current state of research. They should cite the most important publications and highlight the main conclusions. In general, the introduction must provide a comprehensive overview of the research content, methodology and technology roadmap, clearly.

 In fact, the discussion in subsection 4.2 (Lines 363 – 379) is a review of the study. But that's not a discussion. Therefore, it needs to be clearly rewritten in correct English and include the significance of the findings of the study.

 The chapter “5. Conclusions” should be clearly written in correct . It should state the main conclusions or interpretations of the study. The part of the main text from the Line 393 to Line 401 should be moved to the introduction. Part of the remaining text could be moved to the subsection 4.2 Discussion.

I think the manuscript would be more comprehensible to the reader if the authors converted:

(a) Figure 1 into a table and added a column showing the difference in % of the number of disasters by type between the two periods 1980-1999 and 2000-2019. In this case, it is particularly important to note the changes (increase or decrease) of the different types of disasters between the two periods (1980-1999 and 2000-2019).

(b) Figure 2 into a table and added a column with the difference in % of disaster impact between the two periods 1980-1999 and 2000-2019. In this case, it is particularly important to note the changes (increase or decrease) in the impact of disasters between the two periods (1980-1999 and 2000-2019).

 

The citation [4] (Lim, J. D., Kim, J. J., Hong, D., & Jung, H. Deep learning….) does not appear in the main text.

 

The citations [16-19] appear in the main text (Line 58) before the citations [13-15] (Line 60).

 Figure 15 (Line 327) should be inserted in the main text after the paragraph in which its first cited (Line 331).

 Figure 16 (Line 330) should be inserted in the main text after the paragraph in which its first cited (Line 347).

 Specific comments

Lines 30+31

“These natural disasters are only a foreshadowing of greater dangers to be expected in the future”

COMMENT: This sentence is unclear, it is not understood.

Lines 35 – 40

“There are also many social and structural causes involved, such as heavy rainfall. In Korea, July to September is the rainy season. As a result, precipitation and flood damage greatly increase, leading to the disappearance of forest areas due to the size and urbanization of cities. as a result, the nearby Han River overflows due to heavy rain or the city is flooded due to the topographical structure”.

COMMENT: This text is unclear, it is not understood

Lines 41 - 43

“In addition, low pressure areas such as those in the north face seawater from the sea and back to coincide with the tsunami, thus resulting in coastal inundation [7] and abrupt inundation in forests or mountainous areas [8,9]”.

COMMENT: This text is unclear, it is not understood

Line 41

“….low pressure areas such as those in the north face seawater…”

COMMENT: Clarify what do you mean by “low pressure areas”

Line 45

“…published by the UNDRR, were…”

should be

“…published by the UNDRR [12], were…”

Lines 71 & 72

“We propose a study of evacuation systems through data analysis based on these predictive models [29]”.

COMMENT: Please clarify what you mean by "these predictive models". Mention them in the text.

Lines 90+91

“Public data provided by the Ministry of Public Administration and Security [Add citation], which…”

Figure 2, 2^nd y-axis

“Total rainfall damage recovery amount(Unit:1million $)”

should be

“Total rainfall damage recovery amount (x 10⁶ $)” or “Total rainfall damage recovery amount (x 10^6 $)”

Figure 3

There are 7 cities and 9 provinces on x-axis. Please, indicate whether these 7 cities are included in the 9 provinces. If not, comment on your choice (cities + provinces). It would be advisable to facilitate the understanding of the subject by the foreign reader who is not familiar with Korea.

Lines 106 – 111

“The Gyeonggi-do region, which is expected to be affected by significant damage due to heavy rain or flooding (Figure 4), was selected based on the statistics of the upper and lower reaches of the Yeoju Reservoir in Yeoju-si, Gyeonggi-do as the final testbed for the preliminary survey and evacuation route search system as it comprised a surveying facility.”

COMMENT: This text does not correspond to Figures 3 and 4.  What are Gyeonggi-do, Yeoju-si and Gyeonggi-do? Which provinces do they belong to?

Lines 121 - 125

“The Ministry of Public Administration and Security of Korea has a flood risk area, weather forecast, veterinary; Relevant information, such as observational data, is collected and analyzed to assess the degree of risk. This evaluation is performed considering the possibility of flooding, the scope of impact, and the degree of damage. This determines which regions or infrastructures are most at risk”

COMMENT: This text is unclear, it is not understood

Line 134

Delete the footnote “1” of Table 1 “Source: Ministry of Public Administration and Security, 2021 Disaster Yearbook (units: KRW million; price for the current year)”. Add the citation number.

Line 137

Delete the footnote “2” of Table 2 “Source: Ministry of Public Administration and Security, 2021 Disaster Yearbook (unit: persons)”. Add the citation number.

Lines 138+139

“The current status of casualties due to heat waves in 2019-2021 was prepared based on Statistics on Causes of Death by the National Statistical Office (Add citation)”

Lines 141 – 144

“Statistics compiled by the Ministry of Public Administration and Security show the status of damage, restoration costs, and casualties over the past 10 years (2012–2021) [COMMENT 1]. Property damage amounted to KRW 3,691.3 billion, accounting for most of the total damage. Additionally, human fatality due to heavy rains and typhoons is considerable”.

COMMENT 1: Add citation

COMMENT 2: The following sentence “Additionally, human fatality due to heavy rains and typhoons is considerable” is unclear. How considerable is the human fatality? Clarify.

Lines 145 – 160

“Despite these studies, heavy-rain advisories are issued annually because of heavy rains and increasing damage. The course of a flash flood depends on the intensity, duration, and local characteristics of heavy rains. In forested areas, when rainfall increases, the be precipitation absorbed by the ground absorbs into the subterranean bedrock and coincides with the groundwater. As the surface current increases, it floods and damages the surrounding areas. To solve this problem, the government is attempting to establish flooding measures that allow nearby users or people to be evaluated safely during flooding. Therefore, we herein propose a route search system using a map API for use during flash flooding, which is based on a flood discrimination model performed in a preliminary study.

Because information regarding the location of flash floods must be acquired for evacuation purposes, it is typically obtained by contacting the parties affected by the disaster. To identify an evacuation route, a testbed area must be selected; therefore, a testbed area was visualized on the map using the T-Map API, and a dataset was created by selecting a building in the testbed area as a shelter. The database obtains and stores geolocation, recreational forest, GPX, and terrain data”.

COMMENT: This part of the main text is not well written. It needs to be rewritten clearly in proper English.

Lines 165 – 167

“A survey that satisfied all three requirements was conducted in Gangwon-do or the affected area; however, no demonstration site satisfied these three requirements”.

COMMENT: This sentence is unclear. It is not understood. What does it mean, “conducted in Gangwon-do or the affected area”?

Figure 6

The caption is not understood.

Figure 6b

State what the two orange straight lines and also, the continuous orange line means. To be mentioned in the main text

Lines 191 - 197

Evacuation strategies should be improved by comparing evacuation times indoors and outdoors. Factors influencing evacuation time, existing research findings, etc. should be explored. In this method, the requirements of the test-bed area are identified. If it is indoors, it is to grasp the structure and if it is outdoors, it is to grasp the topography. Therefore, in this study, the topography was identified through a field survey of the test bed area. Data using public data was used to analyze outdoor evacuation time in the testbed, and the data was converted into GeoJSON format through a pre-processing process”.

COMMENT: This part of the main text is unclear, it is not understood. It needs to be rewritten clearly in correct English

Lines 214 - 216

Authors state “The data obtained and stored in the data- base converts user location information, recreational forest information, and GPS data into GPX to store terrain da-ta integrated into streets, buildings, and ecosystems”

COMMENT: Authors must define the process for converting the data (tools, methods, etc.)

Lines 241 – 242

“After the selection, an area graph was constructed based on the testbed”.

COMMENT: The process for constructing the testbed area graph must be described by the authors.

Lines 393 -401

“Recently, disasters such as earthquakes, floods, and landslides occurring worldwide have increased the human fatalities and property damage. In fact, 43.4% of all disasters between 1998 and 2017 were caused by flooding, which includes the case in Korea, a country that is experiencing rapid changes in terms of climate emergencies and crises. Korea is affected by severe flood damage caused by typhoons in the summer or during the rainy season from July to September. Flooding can be classified into four main categories: urban, coastal, fluvial, and flash. Evacuation areas, such as flooding areas in cities, coasts, and rivers, are wide, and movement is not restricted therein. However, flash floods occur as landslides in narrow valleys, rivers, and steep slopes in forested mountainous areas. These flash floods increase the land surface area, as rain from the monsoon season or typhoons absorbs into the surrounding soil. “

COMMENT: This part of the main text should be moved to the introduction.

Lines 402 – 403

“Therefore, we herein propose a path-detection system based on the shortest-distance algorithm for flash flooding”.

should be

“We herein propose a path-detection system based on the shortest-distance algorithm for flash flooding”.

Lines 456+457, 469

“Natural hazards” should be “Nat Hazards”

Line 456

“SIMONOVIC, Slobodan P.; AHMAD, Sajjad”

should be

“Simonovic, S.P.; Ahmad, S.”

Line 459, 460, 478

“Journal of the Korea Institute of Information and Communication Engineering”

should be

“J Korea Inst  Inf  Commun Eng”

Line 471, 473, 493

“Safety science”

should be

“Saf Sci”

Line 483

“Cartography and Geographic Information Science”

should be

“Cartogr Geogr Inf Sci”

Line 489

“Spatial Information Research”

should be

“Spat Inf Res”

Line 491

“Fire Safety Journal”

should be

“Fire Saf J”

Line 495

“Applied Soft Computing”

should be

“Appl Soft Comput”

I strongly recommend that authors have the manuscript proofread by an English language expert to ensure correct grammar, use of language and clarity of the text.

 

Author Response

Please check the pdf file for the reply to the reviewer.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Round 2

Reviewer 3 Report (Previous Reviewer 3)

This is the third time that I have reviewed this manuscript. In the previous rounds (1st+2nd) I had identified some problems (see my review reports) and have proposed acceptance of the manuscript after some revisions (minor in the first round and major in the second). The authors have made considerable efforts to improve the manuscript and have succeeded in doing so. I have no further comments. I think the manuscript is suitable for publication in its present form. However, I think that a little editing is needed on 4 points, namely:

Point 1: Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 17 are required in a higher analysis.

Point 2: “SIMONOVIC, Slobodan P.; AHMAD, Sajjad” should be “Simonovic, S.P.; Ahmad, S.” (Line 459)

Point 3: Table 1

“Difference in total number of accidents by type between 1980-1999 and 2000-2019 (increase or decrease)”

should be

“Difference in total number of accidents by type between 1980-1999 and 2000-2019 (%)”

COMMENT: Write down the differences in per cent (%).

Point 4: Table 2

“Change in disaster impact (increase or decrease)”

should be

“Change in disaster impact (%)”

COMMENT: Write down the differences in per cent (%).

This manuscript is a resubmission of an earlier submission. The following is a list of the peer review reports and author responses from that submission.

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

Comment for the view point of authors:

1.     Your design requires a significant amount of data sourced from the government and accessed through the internet. It would be helpful if you outlined your strategy for promoting it to the public.

2.      How do you manage the acquisition of up-to-date data?

3.      Since there are numerous decision-making processes involved in such a system, how do you propose the official department should utilize it?

 

4.      Dealing with data uncertainty is a challenge. How do you plan to overcome it?

 

Reviewer 2 Report

applsci-2462083 - Review v1

 

1.     Proposing outdoor evacuation guidance strategies for scenarios of heavy rain caused by climate change is of significant practical importance, as the results can serve as references for subsequent real-life applications.

2.     The logical premise in the context of indoor evacuation is that the available evacuation time is greater than the required evacuation time. Regarding the analysis of times for outdoor evacuation, we recommend providing additional information in the "2. Research Methodology" section.

3.     Maintaining the normal operation of the power system during natural disasters is crucial. In this study, all the equipment used requires electricity. Therefore, we recommend that you include appropriate prerequisite conditions or limitations.

4.     Whether this study is verified through computer simulations or actual experiments, additional explanations should be provided.

5.     In a real-world environment where there are numerous uncontrollable variables, it is important to include them in the prerequisite conditions. For example, factors such as climate and dense vegetation can affect GPS signals. Additionally, exploratory experiments should be noted to account for any potential exclusions.

6.     Has the terrain condition, including uphill and downhill slopes, of the actual paths been taken into consideration? Have real conditions such as path usability after heavy rain been considered or excluded?

7.     In what way is path availability information conveyed to users? Do the users need to possess certain abilities to interpret the path information?

8.     Section 4.2 provides preliminary simulation results. Are there any corresponding recommendations for who should manage them in the future?

9.     Can the conclusion provide more explicit quantitative explanations, such as the required notification time, evacuation preparation time, evacuation (travel) time, allowable evacuation time, and other numerical values?

 

Reviewer 3 Report

The manuscript focuses on the development of an evacuation system based on a route
guidance system in case of flooding. This topic is of interest to many areas facing problems
caused by natural disasters. However, the manuscript is not well written. It needs a lot of work
to make it publishable.
Specifically:
The manuscript has to be written according to the instructions for Authors of the MDPI
Applied Sciences Journal (https://www.mdpi.com/journal/applsci/instructions).
A general check of the references is needed (References list).
References have to be written in accordance with the Instructions for Authors of the journal.
a. Pay attention to the Journal Name, which should be in italic and abbreviated form (see
Instructions for Authors) and the year in bold.
b. According to the “Reference List and Citations: Style Guide for MDPI Journals”:
For every Author, list the last name first, then the first letter of the first name and, if
available, the first letter of the middle name.
Last names should be separated from first and middle name by a comma, first and middle
names should end with a period: Lastname, F.M.; Lastname, F.M.; etc.
Grammar needs to be remedied at various places of the manuscript. The final text has
to be prepared with more care. It includes linguistic errors, that sometimes make it
difficult to follow. I would respectfully recommend that Authors have their manuscript
professionally edited before resubmitting it or proofreading it with a colleague whose
native language is English.
The figures are wrong numbered. For example, there are two different figures for the number
11. Specifically: “Figure 11. Dataset visualization and marker creation” (Line 140); Figure 11.
Model configuration diagram designed and implemented as a preliminary study [32]” (Line
270).
Figures 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 11 (1+2), 13, 14, 15, 16, 18 require in higher analysis.
English, not Korean, must be used for notes on Figures 5, 13, 15, 16.
In my opinion, the authors should help the reader to understand their study and add a chapter
on how to create an API map by using the T‐Map API. They should also provide some
information about the T‐Map API.
How are Naver Map, Kakao Map and T‐Map created? It requires more information.
I counted 6 times the phrase "in this study" in the manuscript. I don't think it needs to be
repeated. Obviously, what's reported applies to this study. I would suggest that the authors
to try to eliminate or reduce the repetition of this expression in the main text.
The Introduction of the manuscript is weak and needs improvement. In particular, it should
(a) place the study in a broader context and emphasize why it is important, (b) describe its
objectives, (c) define the purpose of the study and its significance, (d) carefully examine the
current state of the research field and the main publications cited, (e) summarize the main
objective of the study, and finally, (f) highlight the main conclusions. Specifically, in the
introduction, the authors' focus is more on natural disasters, especially floods, and the
damage they cause. The interest of the work, however, lies in the development of an
evacuation system based on a route guidance system in case of flooding. Evacuation systems
using various algorithms have been developed. Authors should consider the current state of
research. They should cite the most important publications and highlight the main
conclusions.
In my opinion, the sub‐chapter entitled “4.2 Review” (Lines 366‐ 377) is unnecessary and
should be removed from the main text. Authors can add whatever they feel is necessary in
the abstract or introduction.
In Chapter “5. Discussion and Conclusion”, the part between the lines 394‐400 must be
deleted or moved to the Introduction.
Specific comments
Lines 28 – 29
“These natural disasters are only a preview of larger‐scale dangers anticipated in the future.”
COMMENT: Please explain the reasons for the expected hazards on a large scale to be
expected in the future.
Lines 30 ‐33
“These modern societies are under indemnification and are increasingly subject to indemnity
because of their sharp climate windows [4]. In Korea, flood damage is primarily caused by an
increase in precipitation due to heavy rainfall during the summer and monsoon seasons”
COMMENT: This part of the main text is unclear. It is not understood.
Lines 34 ‐ 36
The authors refer “Additionally, many social and structural causes are involved, such as
heavy rain, spring snow‐melt, and contact”.
COMMENT: However, the heavy rains and spring snowmelt are neither social nor structural
causes.
Lines 36 – 39
“In Korea, the rainy season occurs between July and September. Consequently, the amount
of precipitation and flood damage has increased significantly, thus resulting in river and urban
flooding due to the renovation and urbanization of cities and buildings.”
COMMENT: This part of the main text is unclear. It is not understood. It needs to be rewritten
clearly in correct English.
Line 39
COMMENT: Clarify what do you mean by low pressure areas
Line 43
“….published by the UNDRR (Add citation), were the highest…”
Line 47
“Figure 1. Total disaster event by type: 1980–1999 vs. 2000–2019 [12]”.
should be
“Figure 1. Total number of disasters by type: 1980‐1999 vs. 2000‐2019 [12]”.
Figure 1
“Droight” should be “Drought”
Lines 59 – 60
“As for existing evacuation systems [20‐22], researchers are currently attempting to 59
develop evacuation systems using the shortest distance algorithm [23‐26].”
COMMENT: This part of the main text is unclear, it is not understood. It needs to be rewritten
clearly in correct English.
Lines 62 ‐ 63
The authors state “…human casualties can be reduced by providing more accurate evacuation
routes compared with using existing system.”
COMMENT: Clarify what do you mean by existing system.
Lines 67 – 72
“Flood forecasting involves hydrological and data‐driven intelligent models. The hydrological
model physically expresses the discharge flow rate based on the characteristics of the sluice
gate, whereas the data‐based intelligence model predicts the water level and runoff amount
via data analysis based on observational data, thus limiting evacuation system studies [29].
Different results have been obtained based on the GPS error margin and the shortest distance
algorithm [30], where level and meteorological data were as input data.”
COMMENT: This part of the main text is unclear, it is not understood. It needs to be rewritten
clearly in correct English
Lines 86 – 87
“…Public data provided by the Ministry of Public Administration and Security [Add citation],
which…”
Lines 97 – 99
The authors state “The level of damage restoration performed in Gyeonggi‐do was the second
highest among domestic cities, and rainfall occurred frequently in all cities. In addition,
Gyeonggi‐do surrounds the capital of Korea, which has the highest density; therefore, its
population is relatively large.”
COMMENT: Authors should make it easier for the international reader to understand their
work. For example, the x‐axis in Figure 3 says Gyeongi province, not Gyeonggi‐do. Then (Line
102) the authors write "The Gyeonggi‐do region..."
Figure 4
y‐axis (left):
“population(Unit:1000 people)” should be “Population (x1000)
Lines 121 ‐ 122
“Table 1 shows the state of loss and restoration costs over the past 10 years, and…”
should be
“Table 1 shows the state of loss and restoration costs in KRW (South Korean Won) expressed
in this year's prices (COMMENT: 2023?? Define it) over the past 10 years,…”
Lines 122 ‐ 123
COMMENT: Clarify what do you mean by “state of human damage”. Does it mean the death
of people?
Line 127
Delete the footnote "1 Source: Ministry of Public Administration and Security, 2021 Disaster
Yearbook (units: KRW million; price for the current year)". It's redundant. The caption of Table
1 includes the citations [31, 33].
Line 131
Delete the footnote "2 Source: Ministry of Public Administration and Security, 2021 Disaster
Yearbook (unit: persons)”. It's redundant. The caption of Table 2 includes the citations [31,
33].
Line 134
“Statistics compiled by the Ministry of Public Administration and Security [Add citation] show
the…”
Line 141
“…precipitation ab‐sorbed by the…”
should be
“…precipitation absorbed by the…”
Line 146
“….herein pro‐pose a route…”
should be
“….herein propose a route…”
Line 151
“using the T‐Map API [Add citation], and a dataset…”
Lines 150 ‐ 153
“To identify an evacuation route, a testbed area must be selected; therefore, a testbed area
was visualized on the map using the T‐Map API, and a dataset was created by selecting a
building in the testbed area as a shelter. The database obtains and stores geolocation,
recreational forest, GPX, and terrain data.”
COMMENT: This part of the main text needs to be rewritten clearly in correct English
Lines 172 – 173
“…pedestrians. Google Maps and Open‐StreetMap [Add citations] are available in Korea”.
Line 188
“The T‐Map API was used to print the T‐Map API”
COMMENT: Is that information needed?
Figure 8
“send current localtion”
should be
“send current location”
Line 244
Add the abbreviation “JSON” in the Appendix A
Line 263
“3.3. Flood prediction model [32]”
should be
“3.3. Flood prediction model”
Lines 296 ‐301
Information regarding the Korean coordinate system was prepared using seven variables of
the Bursa–Wolf model of the “National Coordinate Conversion Factor” implemented by the
National Geographic Information Institute (No. 2002‐433) in December 2002 for ellipsoid
transformation, among which EPSG:5178 (which is a coordinate system) was selected and
used. In the KATEC series, the UTM‐K (Bessel) coordinate system 300 representing the entire
Korean Peninsula can be used as a new address map.
COMMENT: Sentence too long. It is not understood. It needs to be rewritten clearly in correct
English.
Lines 400 ‐ 401
“Therefore, we herein propose a path‐detection system based on the shortest‐distance
algorithm for flash flooding.”
should be
“We herein propose a path‐detection system based on the shortest‐distance algorithm for
flash flooding”.
Lines 464 – 465
“J. H. Lee, G. M. Yuk, H. T. Moon and Y. I. Moon, "Integrated Flood Forecasting and Warning
System against Flash Rainfall in 464 the Small‐Scaled Urban Stream," Atmosphere vol. 11,
no. 9, pp. 971, Dec. 2020”
should be
“Lee, J.W; Yuk, G.M.; Moon H.T.; Moon Y.‐II Integrated Flood Forecasting and Warning System
against Flash Rainfall in the Small‐Scaled Urban Stream. Atmosphere 2020, 11, 971;
doi:10.3390/atmos11090971”
Lines 466‐ 467
“B. Thapa, T. Watanabe and D. Regmi, “Flood Assessment and Identification of Emergency
Evacuation Routes in Seti River 466 Basin, Nepal,” Land, vol. 11, no. 1, pp. 2073‐445X, Dec.
2021, https://doi.org/10.3390/land11010082”
should be
“Thapa, B.; Watanabe, T.; Regmi, D. Flood Assessment and Identification of Emergency
Evacuation Routes in Seti River Basin, Nepal. Land 2022, 11, 82.
https://doi.org/10.3390/land11010082”
Lines 468 – 469
“M. B. B. Lim, H. R. Lim, M. Piantanakulchai, "A household‐level flood evacuation decision
model in Quezon City, Philip‐468 pines," Nat Hazards, vol. 80, pp. 1539–1561 Feb. 2016,
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11069‐015‐2038‐6 “
should be
Lim M.B.B.; Lim Jr, H.R.; Piantanakulchai, M. Uy, F.A. A household‐level flood evacuation
decision model in Quezon City, Philippines. Nat Hazards 2016, 80, 1539–1561.

The manuscript focuses on the development of an evacuation system based on a route
guidance system in case of flooding. This topic is of interest to many areas facing problems
caused by natural disasters. In general, I feel that the manuscript is not clearly written and
cannot be published in its current state. It needs a lot of work to make it publishable. Please,
see my recommendations for authors.

Reviewer 4 Report

I have thoroughly reviewed the manuscript and believe that the research content presented lacks clarity and is unsuitable for publication in this esteemed journal. Therefore, I would like to provide the following suggestions for refinement:

1. I recommend that the authors refine the abstract to effectively highlight the innovative aspects and the necessity of their research.

2. It is crucial to address the key issues associated with planning escape routes after floods using API - based maps. Additionally, the manuscript should clearly outline the main characteristics of the research results achieved. The introduction should provide a comprehensive overview of the research content, methodology, and technological roadmap, avoiding any ambiguity.

3. It is imperative to have the manuscript proofread by an expert in the English language to ensure proper grammar, language usage, and clarity.

4. I strongly suggest that the authors include a dedicated discussion section. This section should be improved to encompass aspects such as "comparison with other experts," "limitations of this study," and "future prospects." Furthermore, relevant references should be incorporated.

5. In the Conclusions section, it would be greatly appreciated if the authors could explicitly elucidate the additional contributions of their research compared to previous studies.

I have thoroughly reviewed the manuscript and believe that the research content presented lacks clarity and is unsuitable for publication in this esteemed journal. Therefore, I would like to provide the following suggestions for refinement:

1. I recommend that the authors refine the abstract to effectively highlight the innovative aspects and the necessity of their research.

2. It is crucial to address the key issues associated with planning escape routes after floods using API - based maps. Additionally, the manuscript should clearly outline the main characteristics of the research results achieved. The introduction should provide a comprehensive overview of the research content, methodology, and technological roadmap, avoiding any ambiguity.

3. It is imperative to have the manuscript proofread by an expert in the English language to ensure proper grammar, language usage, and clarity.

4. I strongly suggest that the authors include a dedicated discussion section. This section should be improved to encompass aspects such as "comparison with other experts," "limitations of this study," and "future prospects." Furthermore, relevant references should be incorporated.

5. In the Conclusions section, it would be greatly appreciated if the authors could explicitly elucidate the additional contributions of their research compared to previous studies.