1,753 research outputs found
Stability and resource allocation in project planning.
The majority of resource-constrained project scheduling efforts assumes perfect information about the scheduling problem to be solved and a static deterministic environment within which the pre-computed baseline schedule is executed. In reality, project activities are subject to considerable uncertainty, which generally leads to numerous schedule disruptions. In this paper, we present a resource allocation model that protects a given baseline schedule against activity duration variability. A branch-and-bound algorithm is developed that solves the proposed resource allocation problem. We report on computational results obtained on a set of benchmark problems.Constraint satisfaction; Information; Model; Planning; Problems; Project management; Project planning; Project scheduling; Resource allocati; Scheduling; Stability; Uncertainty; Variability;
Models for robust resource allocation in project scheduling.
The vast majority of resource-constrained project scheduling efforts assumes complete information about the scheduling problem to be solved and a static deterministic environment within which the pre-computed baseline schedule will be executed. In reality, however, project activities are subject to considerable uncertainty which generally leads to numerous schedule disruptions. In this paper, we present a resource allocation model that protects the makespan of a given baseline schedule against activity duration variability. A branch-and-bound algorithm is developed that solves the proposed robust resource allocation problem in exact and approximate formulations. The procedure relies on constraint propagation during its search. We report on computational results obtained on a set of benchmark problems.Model; Resource allocation; Scheduling;
A Constraint-based Model for Multi-objective Repair Planning
This work presents a constraint based model for the
planning and scheduling of disconnection and connection
tasks when repairing faulty components in a system.
Since multi-mode operations are considered, the
problem involves the ordering and the selection of the
tasks and modes from a set of alternatives, using the
shared resources efficiently. Additionally, delays due to
change of configurations and transportation are considered.
The goal is the minimization of two objective functions:
makespan and cost. The set of all feasible plans
are represented by an extended And/Or graph, that embodies
all of the constraints of the problem, allowing non
reversible and parallel plans. A simple branch-and-bound
algorithm has been used for testing the model with different
combinations of the functions to minimize using the
weighted-sum approach.Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia DIP2006-15476-C02-0
Comparative study of pheromone control heuristics in ACO algorithms for solving RCPSP problems
Constraint Satisfaction Problems (CSP) belong to a kind of traditional NP-hard problems with a high impact on both research and industrial domains. The goal of these problems is to find a feasible assignment for a group of variables where a set of imposed restrictions is satisfied. This family of NP-hard problems demands a huge amount of computational resources even for their simplest cases. For this reason, different heuristic methods have been studied so far in order to discover feasible solutions at an affordable complexity level. This paper elaborates on the application of Ant Colony Optimization (ACO) algorithms with a novel CSP-graph based model to solve Resource-Constrained Project Scheduling Problems (RCPSP). The main drawback of this ACO-based model is related to the high number of pheromones created in the system. To overcome this issue we propose two adaptive Oblivion Rate heuristics to control the number of pheromones: the first one, called Dynamic Oblivion Rate, takes into account the overall number of pheromones produced in the system, whereas the second one inspires from the recently contributed Coral Reef Optimization (CRO) solver. A thorough experimental analysis has been carried out using the public PSPLIB library, and the obtained results have been compared to those of the most relevant contributions from the related literature. The performed experiments reveal that the Oblivion Rate heuristic removes at least 79% of the pheromones in the system, whereas the ACO algorithm renders statistically better results than other algorithmic counterparts from the literature
Working Notes from the 1992 AAAI Spring Symposium on Practical Approaches to Scheduling and Planning
The symposium presented issues involved in the development of scheduling systems that can deal with resource and time limitations. To qualify, a system must be implemented and tested to some degree on non-trivial problems (ideally, on real-world problems). However, a system need not be fully deployed to qualify. Systems that schedule actions in terms of metric time constraints typically represent and reason about an external numeric clock or calendar and can be contrasted with those systems that represent time purely symbolically. The following topics are discussed: integrating planning and scheduling; integrating symbolic goals and numerical utilities; managing uncertainty; incremental rescheduling; managing limited computation time; anytime scheduling and planning algorithms, systems; dependency analysis and schedule reuse; management of schedule and plan execution; and incorporation of discrete event techniques
CSP channels for CAN-bus connected embedded control systems
Closed loop control system typically contains multitude of sensors and actuators operated simultaneously. So they are parallel and distributed in its essence. But when mapping this parallelism to software, lot of obstacles concerning multithreading communication and synchronization issues arise. To overcome this problem, the CT kernel/library based on CSP algebra has been developed. This project (TES.5410) is about developing communication extension to the CT library to make it applicable in distributed systems. Since the library is tailored for control systems, properties and requirements of control systems are taken into special consideration. Applicability of existing middleware solutions is examined. A comparison of applicable fieldbus protocols is done in order to determine most suitable ones and CAN fieldbus is chosen to be first fieldbus used. Brief overview of CSP and existing CSP based libraries is given. Middleware architecture is proposed along with few novel ideas
Quantitative Analysis and Performance Study of Ant Colony Optimization Models Applied to Multi-Mode Resource Constraint Project Scheduling Problem
Constraint Satisfaction Problems (CSP) belongs to this kind of traditional NP-hard problems with a high impact in both, research and industrial domains. However, due to the complexity that CSP problems exhibit, researchers are forced to use heuristic algorithms for solving the problems in a reasonable time. One of the most famous heuristic al- gorithms is Ant Colony Optimization (ACO) algorithm. The possible utilization of ACO algorithms to solve CSP problems requires the de- sign of a decision graph where the ACO is executed. Nevertheless, the classical approaches build a graph where the nodes represent the vari- able/value pairs and the edges connect those nodes whose variables are different. In order to solve this problem, a novel ACO model have been recently designed. The goal of this paper is to analyze the performance of this novelty algorithm when solving Multi-Mode Resource-Constraint Satisfaction Problems. Experimental results reveals that the new ACO model provides competitive results whereas the number of pheromones created in the system is drastically reduced
Progress in AI Planning Research and Applications
Planning has made significant progress since its inception in the 1970s, in terms both of the efficiency and sophistication of its algorithms and representations and its potential for application to real problems. In this paper we sketch the foundations of planning as a sub-field of Artificial Intelligence and the history of its development over the past three decades. Then some of the recent achievements within the field are discussed and provided some experimental data demonstrating the progress that has been made in the application of general planners to realistic and complex problems. The paper concludes by identifying some of the open issues that remain as important challenges for future research in planning
A new ant colony optimization model for complex graph-based problems
Tesis doctoral inédita leída en la Universidad Autónoma de Madrid. Escuela Politécnica Superior, Departamento de Ingeniería Informática. Fecha de lectura: julio de 2014Nowadays, there is a huge number of problems that due to their complexity have
employed heuristic-based algorithms to search for near-to-optimal (or even optimal)
solutions. These problems are usually NP-complete, so classical algorithms are not
the best candidates to address these problems because they need a large amount of
computational resources, or they simply cannot find any solution when the problem
grows. Some classical examples of these kind of problems are the Travelling Salesman
Problem (TSP) or the N-Queens problem. It is also possible to find examples in real and
industrial domains related to the optimization of complex problems, like planning,
scheduling, Vehicle Routing Problems (VRP), WiFi network Design Problem (WiFiDP)
or behavioural pattern identification, among others.
Regarding to heuristic-based algorithms, two well-known paradigms are Swarm
Intelligence and Evolutionary Computation. Both paradigms belongs to a subfield
from Artificial Intelligence, named Computational Intelligence that also contains
Fuzzy Systems, Artificial Neural Networks and Artificial Immune Systems areas.
Swarm Intelligence (SI) algorithms are focused on the collective behaviour of selforganizing
systems. These algorithms are characterized by the generation of collective
intelligence from non-complex individual behaviour and the communication schemes
amongst them. Some examples of SI algorithms are particle swarm optimization, ant
colony optimization (ACO), bee colony optimization o bird flocking.
Ant Colony Optimization (ACO) are based on the foraging behaviour of these insects.
In these kind of algorithms, the ants take different decisions during their execution
that allows them to build their own solution to the problem. Once any ant has
finished its execution, the ant goes back through the followed path and it deposits,
in the environment, pheromones that contains information about the built solution.
These pheromones will influence the decision of future ants, so there is an indirect
communication through the environment called stigmergy.
When an ACO algorithm is applied to any of the optimization problems just described,
the problem is usually modelled into a graph. Nevertheless, the classical graph-based
representation is not the best one for the execution of ACO algorithms because it
presents some important pitfalls. The first one is related to the polynomial, or even
exponential, growth of the resulting graph. The second pitfall is related to those
problems that needs from real variables because these problems cannot be modelled
using the classical graph-based representation.
On the other hand, Evolutionary Computation (EC) are a set of population-based
algorithms based in the Darwinian evolutionary process. In this kind of algorithms
there is one (or more) population composed by different individuals that represent a
possible solution to the problem. For each iteration, the population evolves by the use
of evolutionary procedures which means that better individuals (i.e. better solutions)
are generated along the execution of the algorithm. Both kind of algorithms, EC
and SI, have been traditionally applied in previous NP-hard problems. Different
population-based strategies have been developed, compared and even combined to
design hybrid algorithms.
This thesis has been focused on the analysis of classical graph-based representations
and its application in ACO algorithms into complex problems, and the development of
a new ACO model that tries to take a step forward in this kind of algorithms. In this
new model, the problem is represented using a reduced graph that affects to the ants
behaviour, which becomes more complex. Also, this size reduction generates a fast
growth in the number of pheromones created. For this reason, a new metaheuristic
(called Oblivion Rate) has been designed to control the number of pheromones stored
in the graph.
In this thesis different metaheuristics have been designed for the proposed system
and their performance have been compared. One of these metaheuristics is the
Oblivion Rate, based on an exponential function that takes into account the number
of pheromones created in the system. Other Oblivion Rate function is based on a bioinspired
swarm algorithm that uses some concepts extracted from the evolutionary
algorithms. This bio-inspired swarm algorithm is called Coral Reef Opmization (CRO)
algorithm and it is based on the behaviour of the corals in a reef.
Finally, to test and validate the proposed model, different domains have been used
such as the N-Queens Problem, the Resource-Constraint Project Scheduling Problem,
the Path Finding problem in Video Games, or the Behavioural Pattern Identification
in users. In some of these domains, the performance of the proposed model has been
compared against a classical Genetic Algorithm to provide a comparative study and
perform an analytical comparison between both approaches.En la actualidad, existen un gran número de problemas que debido a su complejidad
necesitan algoritmos basados en heurísticas para la búsqueda de solucionas subóptimas
(o incluso óptimas). Normalmente, estos problemas presentan una complejidad
NP-completa, por lo que los algoritmos clásicos de búsqueda de soluciones no son
apropiados ya que necesitan una gran cantidad de recursos computacionales, o simplemente,
no son capaces de encontrar alguna solución cuando el problema crece. Ejemplos
clásicos de este tipo de problemas son el problema del vendedor viajero (o TSP
del inglés Travelling Salesman Problem) o el problema de las N-reinas. También se
pueden encontrar ejemplos en dominios reales o industriales que generalmente están
ligados a temas de optimización de sistemas complejos, como pueden ser problemas de
planificación, scheduling, problemas de enrutamiento de vehículos (o VRP del inglés
Vehicle Routing Problem), el diseño de redes Wifi abiertas (o WiFiDP del inglés WiFi
network Design Problem), o la identificación de patrones de comportamiento, entre
otros.
En lo referente a los algoritmos basados en heuristicas, dos paradigmas muy
conocidos son los algoritmos de enjambre (Swarm Intelligence) y la computación
evolutiva (Evolutionary Computation). Ambos paradigmas pertencen al subárea de la
Inteligencia Artificial denominada Inteligencia Computacional, que además contiene
los sistemas difusos, redes neuronales y sistemas inmunológicos artificiales.
Los algoritmos de inteligencia de enjambre, o Swarm Intelligence, se centran en
el comportamiento colectivo de sistemas auto-organizativos. Estos algoritmos se
caracterizan por la generación de inteligencia colectiva a partir del comportamiento,
no muy complejo, de los individuos y los esquemas de comunicación entre ellos.
Algunos ejemplos son particle swarm optimization, ant colony optimization (ACO),
bee colony optimization o bird flocking.
Los algoritmos de colonias de hormigas (o ACO del inglés Ant Colony Optimization)
se basan en el comportamiento de estos insectos en el proceso de recolección de
comida. En este tipo de algoritmos, las hormigas van tomando decisiones a lo largo
de la simulación que les permiten construir su propia solución al problema. Una
vez que una hormiga termina su ejecución, deshace el camino andado depositando en
el entorno feronomas que contienen información sobre la solución construida. Estas
feromonas influirán en las decisiones de futuras hormigas, por lo que produce una
comunicación indirecta utilizando el entorno. A este proceso se le llama estigmergia.
Cuando un algoritmo de hormigas se aplica a alguno de los problemas de optimización
descritos anteriormente, se suele modelar el problema como un grafo sobre el cual
se ejecutarán las hormigas. Sin embargo, la representación basada en grafos
clásica no parece ser la mejor para la ejecución de algoritmos de hormigas porque
presenta algunos problemas importantes. El primer problema está relacionado con
el crecimiento polinómico, o incluso expnomencial, del grafo resultante. El segundo
problema tiene que ver con los problemas que necesitan de variables reales, o de coma
flotante, porque estos problemas, con la representación tradicional basada en grafos,
no pueden ser modelados.
Por otro lado, los algoritmos evolutivos (o EC del inglés Evolutionary Computation)
son un tipo de algoritmos basados en población que están inspirados en el
proceso evolutivo propuesto por Darwin. En este tipo de algoritmos, hay una, o
varias, poblaciones compuestas por individuos diferentes que representan problems
solutiones al problema modelado. Por cada iteración, la población evoluciona mediante
el uso de procedimientos evolutivos, lo que significa que mejores individuos (mejores
soluciones) son creados a lo largo de la ejecución del algoritmo. Ambos tipos de
algorithmos, EC y SI, han sido tradicionalmente aplicados a los problemas NPcompletos
descritos anteriormente. Diferentes estrategias basadas en población han
sido desarrolladas, comparadas e incluso combinadas para el diseño de algoritmos
híbridos.
Esta tesis se ha centrado en el análisis de los modelos clásicos de representación
basada en grafos de problemas complejos para la posterior ejecución de algoritmos
de colonias de hormigas y el desarrollo de un nuevo modelo de hormigas que pretende
suponer un avance en este tipo de algoritmos. En este nuevo modelo, los problemas
son representados en un grafo más compacto que afecta al comportamiento de las
hormigas, el cual se vuelve más complejo. Además, esta reducción en el tamaño
del grafo genera un rápido crecimiento en el número de feronomas creadas. Por
esta razón, una nueva metaheurística (llamada Oblivion Rate) ha sido diseñada para
controlar el número de feromonas almacenadas en el grafo.
En esta tesis, varias metaheuristicas han sido diseñadas para el sistema propuesto y
sus rendimientos han sido comparados. Una de estas metaheurísticas es la Oblivion
Rate basada en una función exponencial que tiene en cuenta el número de feromonas
creadas en el sistema. Otra Oblivion Rate está basada en un algoritmo de enjambre
bio-inspirado que usa algunos conceptos extraídos de la computación evolutiva. Este
algoritmo de enjambre bio-inspirado se llama Optimización de arrecifes de corales (o
CRO del inglés Coral Reef Optimization) y está basado en el comportamiento de los
corales en el arrecife.
Finalmente, para validar y testear el modelo propuesto, se han utilizado diversos
dominios de aplicación como son el problema de las N-reinas, problemas de
planificación de proyectos con restricciones de recursos, problemas de búsqueda de
caminos en entornos de videojuegos y la identificación de patrones de comportamiento
de usuarios. En algunos de estos dominios, el rendimiento del modelo propuesto
ha sido comparado contra un algoritmo genético clásico para realizar un estudio
comparativo, y analítico, entre ambos enfoques
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