Adaptive multiple crossover genetic algorithm to solve Workforce Scheduling and Routing Problem

The Workforce Scheduling and Routing Problem refers to the assignment of personnel to visits, across various geographical locations. Solving this problem demands tackling numerous scheduling and routing constraints while aiming to minimise the operational cost. One of the main obstacles in designing...

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Main Authors: Algethami, Haneen, Martinez-Gavara, Anna, Landa-Silva, Dario
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Springer 2018
Online Access:https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/53048/
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author Algethami, Haneen
Martinez-Gavara, Anna
Landa-Silva, Dario
author_facet Algethami, Haneen
Martinez-Gavara, Anna
Landa-Silva, Dario
author_sort Algethami, Haneen
building Nottingham Research Data Repository
collection Online Access
description The Workforce Scheduling and Routing Problem refers to the assignment of personnel to visits, across various geographical locations. Solving this problem demands tackling numerous scheduling and routing constraints while aiming to minimise the operational cost. One of the main obstacles in designing a genetic algorithm for this problem is selecting the best set of operators that enable better performance in a Genetic Algorithm (GA). This paper presents an adaptive multiple crossover genetic algorithm to tackle the combined setting of scheduling and routing problems. A mix of problem-specific and traditional crossovers are evaluated by using an online learning process to measure the operator's effectiveness. Best performing operators are given high application rates and low rates are given to the worse performing ones. Application rates are dynamically adjusted according to the learning outcomes in a non-stationary environment. Experimental results show that the combined performances of all the operators works better than using one operator in isolation. This study makes a contribution to advance our understanding of how to make effective use of crossover operators on this highly-constrained optimisation problem.
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spelling nottingham-530482020-05-07T18:30:42Z https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/53048/ Adaptive multiple crossover genetic algorithm to solve Workforce Scheduling and Routing Problem Algethami, Haneen Martinez-Gavara, Anna Landa-Silva, Dario The Workforce Scheduling and Routing Problem refers to the assignment of personnel to visits, across various geographical locations. Solving this problem demands tackling numerous scheduling and routing constraints while aiming to minimise the operational cost. One of the main obstacles in designing a genetic algorithm for this problem is selecting the best set of operators that enable better performance in a Genetic Algorithm (GA). This paper presents an adaptive multiple crossover genetic algorithm to tackle the combined setting of scheduling and routing problems. A mix of problem-specific and traditional crossovers are evaluated by using an online learning process to measure the operator's effectiveness. Best performing operators are given high application rates and low rates are given to the worse performing ones. Application rates are dynamically adjusted according to the learning outcomes in a non-stationary environment. Experimental results show that the combined performances of all the operators works better than using one operator in isolation. This study makes a contribution to advance our understanding of how to make effective use of crossover operators on this highly-constrained optimisation problem. Springer 2018-06-22 Article PeerReviewed application/pdf en https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/53048/1/dls_joh2018.pdf Algethami, Haneen, Martinez-Gavara, Anna and Landa-Silva, Dario (2018) Adaptive multiple crossover genetic algorithm to solve Workforce Scheduling and Routing Problem. Journal of Heuristics . ISSN 1381-1231 (In Press)
spellingShingle Algethami, Haneen
Martinez-Gavara, Anna
Landa-Silva, Dario
Adaptive multiple crossover genetic algorithm to solve Workforce Scheduling and Routing Problem
title Adaptive multiple crossover genetic algorithm to solve Workforce Scheduling and Routing Problem
title_full Adaptive multiple crossover genetic algorithm to solve Workforce Scheduling and Routing Problem
title_fullStr Adaptive multiple crossover genetic algorithm to solve Workforce Scheduling and Routing Problem
title_full_unstemmed Adaptive multiple crossover genetic algorithm to solve Workforce Scheduling and Routing Problem
title_short Adaptive multiple crossover genetic algorithm to solve Workforce Scheduling and Routing Problem
title_sort adaptive multiple crossover genetic algorithm to solve workforce scheduling and routing problem
url https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/53048/