In this paper, we present the online tool salaplanejada.unifesp.br developed to assist the layout planning of classrooms considering the social distance in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. We address both the allocation problem in rooms where seats are fixed as well as the problem in rooms where seats can be moved freely. For the first case, we use two integer optimization models and discussed some curiosities about the solutions found. For the case of mobile seats, we handle the problem with circle packing techniques using continuous non-linear optimization. For these problems we propose a new model and algorithms to solve the problem, similar to other packing problems in the literature. In addition, we propose a heuristic that provides not only a good starting point for the optimization procedure but also a configuration ensuring the students positions in lines, that may be of interest to the user. Some computational results are presented to illustrate the numerical behavior of the algorithms and models.
Citation
Bortolete, J.C., Bueno, L.F., Butkeraites, R. et al. A support tool for planning classrooms considering social distancing between students. Comp. Appl. Math. 41, 22 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40314-021-01718-w