Tuning a Parametric Clarke-Wright Heuristic for the Vehicle Routing Through a Genetic Algorithm

Maria Battarra, Bruce Golden, Daniele Vigo

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

23 Citations (SciVal)

Abstract

Almost all heuristic optimization procedures require the presence of a well-tuned set of parameters. The tuning of these parameters is usually a critical issue and may entail intensive computational requirements. We propose a fast and effective approach composed of two distinct stages. In the first stage, a genetic algorithm is applied to a small subset of representative problems to determine a few robust parameter sets. In the second stage, these sets of parameters are the starting points for a fast local search procedure, able to more deeply investigate the space of parameter sets for each problem to be solved. This method is tested on a parametric version of the Clarke and Wright algorithm and the results are compared with an enumerative parameter-setting approach previously proposed in the literature. The results of our computational testing show that our new parameter-setting procedure produces results of the same quality as the enumerative approach, but requires much shorter computational time.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1568-1572
JournalJournal of the Operational Research Society
Volume59
Issue number11
Early online date29 Aug 2007
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2008

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Tuning a Parametric Clarke-Wright Heuristic for the Vehicle Routing Through a Genetic Algorithm'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this