In this note we present an improved approximation algorithm for the (uncapacitated) metric facility location problem. This algorithm uses the idea of cost scaling, the greedy algorithm of \cite{JMS}, and the greedy augmentation procedure of \cite{CG,GK}. CitationWorking Paper, MIT and the University of IowaArticleDownload View PDF
Wireless communication is used in many different situations such as mobile telephony, radio and TV broadcasting, satellite communication, and military operations. In each of these situations a frequency assignment problem arises with application specific characteristics. Researchers have developed different modeling ideas for each of the features of the problem, such as the handling of interference … Read more
The Dedicated Aircraft Recovery Problem (DARP) involves decisions concerning aircraft to flight assignments in situations where unforeseen events have disrupted the existing flight schedule, e.g. bad weather causing flight delays. The dedicated aircraft recovery problem aims to recover these flight schedules through a series of reassignments of aircraft to flights, delaying of flights and cancellations … Read more
For a large number of applications Operations Research has a proven track record: it can deliver high quality solutions for planning problems. Important examples can be found in the airline industry, logistics and production management. This report will describe real-world examples of a novel way of applying Operations Research: As plans have to be adjusted … Read more
This paper presents the results of the application of a non-differentiable optimization method in connection with the Vehicle Routing Problem with Time Windows (VRPTW). The VRPTW is an extension of the Vehicle Routing Problem. In the VRPTW the service at each customer must start within an associated time window. The Shortest Path decomposition of the … Read more
In the job shop scheduling problem (JSP), a finite set of jobs is processed on a finite set of machines. Each job is required to complete a set of operations in a fixed order. Each operation is processed on a specific machine for a fixed duration. A machine can process no more than one job … Read more
The classical non-linear mixed integer formulation of the transmission network expansion problem cannot guarantee finding the optimal solution due to its non-convex nature. We propose an alternative mixed integer linear disjunctive formulation, which has better conditioning properties than the standard disjunctive model. The mixed integer program is solved by a commercial Branch and Bound code, … Read more
In 1961 Leon Steinberg formulated a “backboard wiring” problem that has resisted solution for 40 years. Steinberg’s wiring problem is to determine the locations of 34 computer components on a 4 by 9 grid so as to minimize the total length of the wiring required to interconnect them. The problem is an example of a … Read more
With the growth of the Internet, Internet Service Providers (ISPs) try to meet the increasing traffic demand with new technology and improved utilization of existing resources. Routing of data packets can affect network utilization. Packets are sent along network paths from source to destination following a protocol. Open Shortest Path First (OSPF) is the most … Read more
We present a stochastic programming approach to capacity planning under demand uncertainty in semiconductor manufacturing. Given multiple demand scenarios together with associated probabilities, our aim is to arrive at a set of tools that does well across all of these scenarios. We formulate the problem as a mixed-integer program in which expected value of the … Read more