The dynamic space allocation problem: Applying hybrid GRASP and Tabu search metaheuristics

This work is devoted to the Dynamic Space Allocation Problem, where project duration is divided into a number of consecutive periods, each of them associated with a number of activities. The resources required by the activities have to be available in the corresponding workspaces and those sitting idle during a period have to be stored. This problem contains the Quadratic Assignment Problem (QAP) as a particular case, which puts it in the NP-hard class. In this context, the difficulty of identifying optimal solutions, even for instances of medium size, justifies the use of heuristic techniques. This work proposes a construction and a hybrid algorithm (HGT) based on the GRASP and Tabu search metaheuristics. Comparisons are presented for values obtained by HGT, pure GRASP versions, Tabu search and literature results. Computational results show the proposed methods to be competitive in relation to instances in the literature and to existing techniques.     

A Tabu search approach for designing a non-hierarchical video-on-demand network architecture

In this paper, we present a tabu search to design a non-hierarchical and decentralized video-on-demand (VOD) network architecture. To optimize the VOD network resource, we consider optimization of both video server locations and storage allocation subject to the tradeoffs among installation cost for video servers, program storage cost, and transmission (or communication) cost. In applying a tabu search technique to the problem, neighborhood structure and search strategy are elaborated to improve solution quality and to reduce computation time. We report the results of the computational experiments to demonstrate the performance of the proposed tabu search. A comparative study shows that our algorithm is promising.     

A tabu search approach for the minimum sum-of-squares clustering problem

In this paper, a tabu search based clustering approach called TS-Clustering is proposed to deal with the minimum sum-of-squares clustering problem. In the TS-Clustering algorithm, five improvement operations and three neighborhood modes are given. The improvement operation is used to enhance the clustering solution obtained in the process of iterations, and the neighborhood mode is used to create the neighborhood of tabu search. The superiority of the proposed method over some known clustering techniques is demonstrated for artificial and real life data sets.     

An adaptive tabu search approach for buffer allocation problem in unreliable non-homogenous production lines

The buffer allocation problem, i.e. how much buffer storage to allow and where to place it within the line, is an important research issue in designing production lines. In this study, a novel adaptive tabu search approach is proposed for solving buffer allocation problem in unreliable and non-homogeneous production lines. The objective is to maximize the throughput of the line, which is constrained by the capacity of each buffer space and also the total buffer capacity to allocate to these spaces. Besides proposing a new strategy to tune the parameters of tabu search adaptively during the search, an experimental study is carried out to select an intelligent initial solution scheme among three alternatives so as to decrease the search effort to obtain the best solutions. The performance of the proposed approach is evaluated by computational tests and very promising results are obtained.     

An adaptive tabu search algorithm for the capacitated clustering problem

In the Capacitated Clustering Problem, a given set of customers with distinct demands must be partitioned into p clusters with limited capacities. The objective is to find p customers, called medians, from which the sum of the distances to all other customers in the cluster is minimized. In this article, a new adaptive tabu search approach is applied to solve the problem. Initial solutions are obtained by four constructive heuristics that use weights and distances as optimization criteria. Two neighborhood generation mechanisms are used by the local search heuristic: pairwise interchange and insertion . Computational results from 20 instances found in the literature indicate that the proposed method outperforms alternative metaheuristics developed for solving this problem.     

Breakout local search for the multi-objective gate allocation problem

The problem of assigning gates to arriving and departing flights is one of the most important problems in airport operations. We take into account the real multi-criteria nature of the problem by optimizing a total of nine gate allocation objectives that are oriented both on convenience for airport/airline services and passenger comfort. As far as we are aware, this is the largest number of objectives jointly optimized in the GAP literature. Given the complexity of the considered problem, we propose a heuristic approach based on the Breakout Local Search (BLS) framework. BLS is a recent variant of the Iterated Local Search (ILS) with a particular focus on the perturbation strategy. Based on some relevant information on search history, it tries to introduce an appropriate degree of diversification by determining adaptively the number and type of moves for the next perturbation phase. Moreover, we use a new memory-based greedy constructive heuristic to generate a starting point for BLS. Benchmark instances used for our experiments and comparisons are based on information provided by Manchester Airport.     

最短路径问题的禁忌搜索求解方法

针对网络优化算法中的最短路径（Shortest Path,SP）问题,建立了有约束条件的SP问题模型,并探讨了使用禁忌搜索（Tabu Search,TS）算法对其求解的算法框架及关键步骤。该求解方法寻优能力强,结构简明,能方便处理问题约束,具有智能计算方法的优点。最后,通过实例进行测试和比较,证明算法收敛速度快,并能够获得满足约束条件的优解集合,能适应较差网络条件下的多条路径选择,算法是可行和有效的。     

A Tabu search algorithm for the network pricing problem

In this paper, we propose an efficient Tabu Search procedure for solving the NP-hard network pricing problem. By exploiting the problem's features, the algorithm allows the near-optimal solution of problem instances that are out of reach of exact combinatorial methods.     

一种求解TSP问题的改进禁忌搜索算法

禁忌搜索算法作为一种新兴的智能搜索算法,已被广泛应用于各类优化问题。本文综合解向量的分量变化和目标值变化,提出一种新的候选解和当前解选择策略,并用改进的新算法求解TSP问题。实验表明新的算法具有良好的性能。     

A tabu search based hybrid evolutionary algorithm for the max-cut problem

This paper presents a tabu search based hybrid evolutionary algorithm (TSHEA) for solving the max-cut problem. The proposed algorithm integrates a distance-and-quality based solution combination operator and a tabu search procedure based on neighborhood combination of one-flip and constrained exchange moves. Comparisons with leading reference algorithms from the literature disclose that the proposed algorithm discovers new best solutions for 15 out of 91 instances, while matching the best known solutions on all but 4 instances. Analysis indicates that the neighborhood combination and the solution combination operator play key roles to the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.     

Two approaches for solving the buffer allocation problem in unreliable production lines

This paper presents an integrated approach to solve the buffer allocation problem in unreliable production lines so as to maximize the throughput rate of the line with minimum total buffer size. The proposed integrated approach has two control loops; the inner loop and the outer loop. While the inner loop control includes an adaptive tabu search algorithm proposed by Demir et al. [8], binary search and tabu search are proposed for the outer loop. These nested loops aim at minimizing the total buffer size to achieve the desired throughput level. To improve the efficiency of the proposed tabu search, alternative neighborhood generation mechanisms are developed. The performances of the proposed algorithms are evaluated by extensive computational experimentation, and the results are reported.     

禁忌搜索与固定变量结合的启发式算法求解UBQP

提出了将固定变量与禁忌搜索结合的启发式算法来求解UBQP。此算法包含两个阶段：采用禁忌搜索得到一个参考解;根据该参考解固定或释放若干变量。选择固定变量还是释放变量由搜索的历史信息决定。此算法动态地在禁忌搜索与固定或释放变量这两个阶段之间交替进行,直到停机条件满足为止。用提出的算法对国际文献中公认的15个难算例进行实算测试,得到了全部测试算例的最优解。实验结果表明,该算法是求解UBQP的一个高效求解算法。     

Tabu search with path relinking for an integrated production–distribution problem

This paper deals with the problem of integrating production and distribution planning over periods of a finite horizon. We consider a capacity-constrained plant that produces a number of items distributed by a fleet of homogenous vehicles to customers with known demand for each item in each period. The production planning defines the amount of each item produced in every period, while the distribution planning defines when customers should be visited, the amount of each item that should be delivered to customers, and the vehicle routes. The objective is to minimize production and inventory costs at the plant, inventory costs at the customers and distribution costs. We propose two tabu search variants for this problem, one that involves construction and a short-term memory, and one that incorporates a longer term memory used to integrate a path relinking procedure to the first variant. The proposed tabu search variants are tested on generated instances with up to ten items and on instances from the literature involving a single item.     

A PSO and a Tabu search heuristics for the assembly scheduling problem of the two-stage distributed database application

The assembly flowshop scheduling problem has been addressed recently in the literature. There are many problems that can be modeled as assembly flowshop scheduling problems including queries scheduling on distributed database systems and computer manufacturing. The problem has been addressed with respect to either makespan or total completion time criterion in the literature. In this paper, we address the problem with respect to a due date-based performance measure, i.e., maximum lateness. We formulate the problem and obtain a dominance relation. Moreover, we propose three heuristics for the problem: particle swarm optimization (PSO), Tabu search, and EDD. PSO has been used in the areas of function optimization, artificial neural network training, and fuzzy system control in the literature. In this paper, we show how it can be used for scheduling problems. We have conducted extensive computational experiments to compare the three heuristics along with a random solution. The computational analysis indicates that Tabu outperforms the others for the case when the due dates range is relatively wide. It also indicates that the PSO significantly outperforms the others for difficult problems, i.e., tight due dates. Moreover, for difficult problems, the developed dominance relation helps reduce error by 65%.     

Path-relinking Tabu search for the multi-objective flexible job shop scheduling problem

The multi-objective flexible job shop scheduling problem is solved using a novel path-relinking algorithm based on the state-of-the-art Tabu search algorithm with back-jump tracking. A routing solution is identified by problem-specific neighborhood search, and is then further refined by the Tabu search algorithm with back-jump tracking for a sequencing decision. The resultant solution is used to maintain the medium-term memory where the best solutions are stored. A path-relinking heuristics is designed to generate diverse solutions in the most promising areas. An improved version of the algorithm is then developed by incorporating an effective dimension-oriented intensification search to find solutions that are located near extreme solutions. The proposed algorithms are tested on benchmark instances and its experimental performance is compared with that of algorithms in the literature. Comparison results show that the proposed algorithms are competitive in terms of its computation performance and solution quality.     

Tabu search algorithm for routing,modulation and spectrum allocation in elastic optical network with anycast and unicast traffic

The paper presents a novel method based on the standard tabu search (TS) approach, dedicated to solve the routing, modulation and spectrum allocation (RMSA) problem in elastic optical networks (EONs). The considered formulation of the RMSA problem covers simultaneously unicast (one-to-one) and anycast (one-to-one-of-many) traffic demands. This is a very important issue taking into account the fact that anycasting gains more and more importance in contemporary Internet due the growing popularity of services like cloud computing, content delivery networks, and video streaming. In this paper, we formulate RMSA as an integer linear programming (ILP) problem and we study four different objective functions, which are related to, respectively, cost, power consumption, maximum and average spectrum usage. We evaluate the performance of our TS method based on the comparison with both optimal results yielded by the CPLEX solver and the results obtained by reference heuristic algorithms proposed in the literature. Moreover, we evaluate benefits of the use of anycasting in EONs. The performed simulation experiments demonstrate that the proposed algorithm outperforms other reference methods. What is more, we show that the anycast transmission can provide significant savings compared to the typical unicast transmission.     

A great deluge and tabu search hybrid with two-stage memory support for quadratic assignment problem

A two-stage memory architecture is maintained within the framework of great deluge algorithm for the solution of single-objective quadratic assignment problem. Search operators exploiting the accumulated experience in memory are also implemented to direct the search towards more promising regions of the solution space. The level-based acceptance criterion of the great deluge algorithm is applied for each best solution extracted in a particular iteration. The use of short- and long-term memory-based search supported by effective move operators resulted in a powerful combinatorial optimization algorithm. A successful variant of tabu search is employed as the local search method that is only applied over a few randomly selected memory elements when the second stage memory is updated. The success of the presented approach is illustrated using sets of well-known benchmark problems and evaluated in comparison to well-known combinatorial optimization algorithms. Experimental evaluations clearly demonstrate that the presented approach is a competitive and powerful alternative for solving quadratic assignment problems.     

An adaptive large neighborhood search for the discrete and continuous Berth allocation problem

The Berth Allocation Problem (BAP) consists of assigning ships to berthing positions along a quay in a port. The choice of where and when the ships should move is the main decision to be made in this problem. Considering the berthing positions, there are restrictions related to the water depth and the size of the ships among others. There are also restrictions related to the berthing time of the ships which are modeled as time windows. In this work the ships are represented as rectangles to be placed into a space ×time area, avoiding overlaps and satisfying time window constraints. We consider discrete and continuous models for the BAP and we propose an Adaptive Large Neighborhood Search heuristic to solve the problem. Computational experiments indicate that the proposed algorithm is capable of generating high-quality solutions and outperforms competing algorithms for the same problem. In most cases the improvements are statistically significant.     

物流动态车辆调度问题的混合禁忌搜索算法

在分析动态车辆调度问题的基础上,建立了基于时间轴的动态模型;接着针对该问题在实际中的应用,设计了基于并行节约法和禁忌搜索的混合算法以对动态车辆调度问题进行求解;最后给出算法实现和算例模拟,验证了该算法的有效性。