A Stochastic Optimization Model for Designing Last Mile Relief Networks

In this study, we introduce a distribution network design problem that determines the locations and capacities of the relief distribution points in the last mile network, while considering demand- and network-related uncertainties in the post-disaster environment. The problem addresses the critical concerns of relief organizations in designing last mile networks, which are providing accessible and … Read more

Algorithmic innovations and software for the dual decomposition method applied to stochastic mixed-integer programs

We develop algorithmic innovations for the dual decomposition method to address two-stage stochastic programs with mixed-integer recourse and provide a parallel software implementation that we call DSP. Our innovations include the derivation of valid inequalities that tighten Lagrangian subproblems and that allow the guaranteed recovery of feasible solutions for problems without (relative) complete recourse. We … Read more

Quantitative Stability Analysis of Stochastic Quasi-Variational Inequality Problems and Applications

We consider a parametric stochastic quasi-variational inequality problem (SQVIP for short) where the underlying normal cone is de ned over the solution set of a parametric stochastic cone system. We investigate the impact of variation of the probability measure and the parameter on the solution of the SQVIP. By reformulating the SQVIP as a natural equation … Read more

Quadratically Perturbed Chance Constrained Programming with Fitted Distribution: t-Distribution vs. Gaussian

For chance-constrained programming (CCP) with non-Gaussian uncertainty, the optimization is generally intractable owing to the complicated probability density function (PDF). Using a simple fitted distribution with Kullback-Leibler (KL) divergence to represent the PDF mismatch is a systematic way to tackle CCP with non-Gaussian uncertainty. However, the essential difficulty of this methodology is to choose the … Read more

Probabilistic optimization via approximate p-efficient points and bundle methods

For problems when decisions are taken prior to observing the realization of underlying random events, probabilistic constraints are an important modelling tool if reliability is a concern. A key concept to numerically dealing with probabilistic constraints is that of p-efficient points. By adopting a dual point of view, we develop a solution framework that includes … Read more

Distributionally Robust Optimization with Matrix Moment Constraints: Lagrange Duality and Cutting Plane Methods

A key step in solving minimax distributionally robust optimization (DRO) problems is to reformulate the inner maximization w.r.t. probability measure as a semiinfinite programming problem through Lagrange dual. Slater type conditions have been widely used for zero dual gap when the ambiguity set is defined through moments. In this paper, we investigate effective ways for … Read more

Risk-Averse Two-Stage Stochastic Program with Distributional Ambiguity

In this paper, we develop a risk-averse two-stage stochastic program (RTSP) which explicitly incorporates the distributional ambiguity covering both discrete and continuous distributions. Starting from a set of historical data samples, we construct a confidence set for the ambiguous probability distribution through nonparametric statistical estimation of its density function. We then formulate RTSP from the … Read more

Two approaches to constrained stochastic optimal control problems

In this article, we study and compare two approaches to solving stochastic optimal control problems with an expectation constraint on the final state. The case of a probability constraint is included in this framework. The first approach is based on a dynamic programming principle and the second one uses Lagrange relaxation. These approaches can be … Read more

Data-Driven Risk-Averse Stochastic Optimization with Wasserstein Metric

The traditional two-stage stochastic program approach is to minimize the total expected cost with the consideration of parameter uncertainty, and the distribution of the random parameters is assumed to be known. However, in most practices, the actual distribution of the random parameters is not known, and only a certain amount of historical data are available. … Read more

Data-Driven Distributionally Robust Optimization Using the Wasserstein Metric: Performance Guarantees and Tractable Reformulations

We consider stochastic programs where the distribution of the uncertain parameters is only observable through a finite training dataset. Using the Wasserstein metric, we construct a ball in the space of (multivariate and non-discrete) probability distributions centered at the uniform distribution on the training samples, and we seek decisions that perform best in view of … Read more