A Node Current-based 2-Index Formulation for the Fixed-Destination Multi-Depot Travelling Salesman Problem

Reference

M. Burger, Z. Su, and B. De Schutter, "A Node Current-based 2-Index Formulation for the Fixed-Destination Multi-Depot Travelling Salesman Problem," European Journal of Operational Research, vol. 265, no. 2, pp. 463-477, Mar. 2018.

Abstract

The travelling salesman problem forms a basis for many optimisation problems in logistics, finance, and engineering. Several variants exist to accommodate for different problem types. In this article we discuss the fixed-destination, multi-depot travelling salesman problem, where several salesmen will start from different depots, and they are required to return to the depot they originated from. We propose a novel formulation for this problem using 2-index binary variables and node currents, and compare it to other 2-index formulations from the literature. This novel formulation requires less binary variables and continuous variables to formulate a problem, resulting in lower computation times. Using a large benchmark the effectiveness of the new formulation is demonstrated.

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Bibtex entry

@article{BurSu:17-013,
author={M. Burger and Z. Su and B. {D}e Schutter},
title={A Node Current-based 2-Index Formulation for the Fixed-Destination Multi-Depot Travelling Salesman Problem},
journal={European Journal of Operational Research},
volume={265},
number={2},
pages={463--477},
month=mar,
year={2018},
doi={10.1016/j.ejor.2017.07.056}
}

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