Search results for "Combinatorial Optimization"
showing 10 items of 59 documents
Heuristics for the Constrained Incremental Graph Drawing Problem
2019
Abstract Visualization of information is a relevant topic in Computer Science, where graphs have become a standard representation model, and graph drawing is now a well-established area. Within this context, edge crossing minimization is a widely studied problem given its importance in obtaining readable representations of graphs. In this paper, we focus on the so-called incremental graph drawing problem, in which we try to preserve the user’s mental map when obtaining successive drawings of the same graph. In particular, we minimize the number of edge crossings while satisfying some constraints required to preserve the position of vertices with respect to previous drawings. We propose heur…
Packing a trunk - Now with a twist!
2005
In an industry project with a German car manufacturer we are faced with the challenge of placing a maximum number of uniform rigid rectangular boxes in the interior of a car trunk. The problem is of practical importance due to a European industry norm which requires car manufacturers to state the trunk volume according to this measure. No really satisfactory automated solution for this problem has been known in the past. In spite of its NP hardness, combinatorial optimization techniques, which consider only grid-aligned placements, produce solutions which are very close to the one achievable by a human expert in several hours of tedious work. The remaining gap is mostly due to the constrain…
On Optimal Solutions for the Optimal Communication Spanning Tree Problem
2009
This paper presents an experimental investigation into the properties of the optimal communication spanning tree (OCST) problem. The OCST problem seeks a spanning tree that connects all the nodes and satisfies their communication requirements at a minimum total cost. The paper compares the properties of random trees to the properties of the best solutions for the OCST problem that are found using an evolutionary algorithm. The results show, on average, that the optimal solution and the minimum spanning tree (MST) share a higher number of links than the optimal solution and a random tree. Furthermore, optimal solutions for OCST problems with randomly chosen distance weights share a higher n…
Greedy and K-Greedy algoritmhs for multidimensional data association
2011
[EN] The multidimensional assignment (MDA) problem is a combinatorial optimization problem arising in many applications, for instance multitarget tracking (MTT). The objective of an MDA problem of dimension $d\in\Bbb{N}$ is to match groups of $d$ objects in such a way that each measurement is associated with at most one track and each track is associated with at most one measurement from each list, optimizing a certain objective function. It is well known that the MDA problem is NP-hard for $d\geq3$. In this paper five new polynomial time heuristics to solve the MDA problem arising in MTT are presented. They are all based on the semi-greedy approach introduced in earlier research. Experimen…
Using penalties instead of rewards: Solving OCST problems with guided local search
2012
Abstract This paper considers the optimal communication spanning tree (OCST) problem. Previous work analyzed features of high-quality solutions and found that edges in optimal solutions have low weight and point towards the center of a tree. Consequently, integrating this problem-specific knowledge into a metaheuristic increases its performance for the OCST problem. In this paper, we present a guided local search (GLS) approach which dynamically changes the objective function to guide the search process into promising areas. In contrast to traditional approaches which reward promising solution features by favoring edges with low weights pointing towards the tree’s center, GLS penalizes low-…
Reactive GRASP for the strip-packing problem
2008
This paper presents a greedy randomized adaptive search procedure (GRASP) for the strip packing problem, which is the problem of placing a set of rectangular pieces into a strip of a given width and infinite height so as to minimize the required height. We investigate several strategies for the constructive and improvement phases and several choices for critical search parameters. We perform extensive computational experiments with well-known instances which have been previously reported, first to select the best alternatives and then to compare the efficiency of our algorithm with other procedures. The results show that the GRASP algorithm outperforms recently reported metaheuristics.
Hybridizing the cross-entropy method: An application to the max-cut problem
2009
Cross-entropy has been recently proposed as a heuristic method for solving combinatorial optimization problems. We briefly review this methodology and then suggest a hybrid version with the goal of improving its performance. In the context of the well-known max-cut problem, we compare an implementation of the original cross-entropy method with our proposed version. The suggested changes are not particular to the max-cut problem and could be considered for future applications to other combinatorial optimization problems.
A review on discrete diversity and dispersion maximization from an OR perspective
2022
Abstract The problem of maximizing diversity or dispersion deals with selecting a subset of elements from a given set in such a way that the distance among the selected elements is maximized. The definition of distance between elements is customized to specific applications, and the way that the overall diversity of the selected elements is computed results in different mathematical models. Maximizing diversity by means of combinatorial optimization models has gained prominence in Operations Research (OR) over the last two decades, and constitutes nowadays an important area. In this paper, we review the milestones in the development of this area, starting in the late eighties when the first…
Black-Box solvers in combinatorial optimization
2015
Black box optimizers have a long tradition in the field of operations research. These procedures treat the objective function evaluation as a black box and therefore do not take advantage of its specific structure. Black-box optimization refers to the process in which there is a complete separation between the evaluation of the objective function —and perhaps other functions used to enforce constraints— and the solution procedure. The challenge of optimizing black boxes is to develop methods that can produce outcomes of reasonable quality without taking advantage of problem structure and employing a computational effort that is adequate for the context.
The berth allocation problem in terminals with irregular layouts
2019
As international trade thrives, terminals attempt to obtain higher revenue while coping with an increased complexity with regard to terminal management operations. One of the most prevalent problems such terminals face is the Berth Allocation Problem (BAP), which concerns allocating vessels to a set of berths and time slots while simultaneously minimizing objectives such as total stay time or total assignment cost. Complex layouts of real terminals introduce spatial constraints which limit the mooring and departure of vessels. Although significant research has been conducted regarding the BAP, these real-world restrictions have not been taken into account in a general way. The present work …