On multimodality of obnoxious faclity location models

Obnoxious single facility location models are models that have the aim to find the best location for an undesired facility. Undesired is usually expressed in relation to the so-called demand points that represent locations hindered by the facility. Because obnoxious facility location models as a rule are multimodal, the standard techniques of convex analysis used for locating desirable facilities in the plane may be trapped in local optima instead of the desired global optimum. It is assumed that having more optima coincides with being harder to solve. In this thesis the multimodality of obnoxious single facility location models is investigated in order to know which models are challenging problems in facility location problems and which are suitable for site selection. Selected for this are the obnoxious facility models that appear to be most important in literature. These are the maximin model, that maximizes the minimum distance from demand point to the obnoxious facility, the maxisum model, that maximizes the sum of distance from the demand points to the facility and the minisum model, that minimizes the sum of damage of the facility to the demand points. All models are measured with the Euclidean distances and some models also with the rectilinear distance metric. Furthermore a suitable algorithm is selected for testing multimodality. Of the tested algorithms in this thesis, Multistart is most appropriate. A small numerical experiment shows that Maximin models have on average the most optima, of which the model locating an obnoxious linesegment has the most. Maximin models have few optima and are thus not very hard to solve. From the Minisum models, the models that have the most optima are models that take wind into account. In general can be said that the generic models have less optima than the weighted versions. Models that are measured with the rectilinear norm do have more solutions than the same models measured with the Euclidean norm. This can be explained for the maximin models in the numerical example because the shape of the norm coincides with a bound of the feasible area, so not all solutions are different optima. The difference found in number of optima of the Maxisum and Minisum can not be explained by this phenomenon

Localização de serviços semiobnóxios: uma proposta de sistema de apoio à decisão

A localização de serviços semiobnóxios é caracterizada por critérios contraditórios, que podem ser expressos como forças de atracção e repulsão. Os serviços semiobnóxios definem-se como sendo desejáveis para as comunidades pelos benefícios que geram, mas que por outro lado são indesejáveis pelos efeitos negativos (obnóxios) que lhes estão associados. Exemplos de serviços semiobnóxios são: aeroportos, estações de tratamento de resíduos sólidos, estações de tratamento de águas e certos tipos de indústrias. Os agentes de decisão são assim confrontados com a necessidade de localizar esses serviços de modo a servir melhor as comunidades, simultaneamente reduzindo os impactos negativos. Outros factores tidos em conta, na localização de serviços semiobnóxios, são os custos relacionados com a distância dos serviços às comunidades que se pretendem mínimos. Pretende-se então, maximizar a acessibilidade aos serviços conjuntamente com a minimização dos efeitos obnóxios. Os modelos desenvolvidos para a resolução deste tipo de problemas são frequentemente apresentados numa linguagem mais orientada para especialistas em Investigação Operacional (IO) e menos adequada para os decisores nas diferentes organizações, quer sejam governamentais, autárquicas ou empresariais. O objectivo deste trabalho é o desenvolvimento de um Sistema de Apoio à Decisão para Problemas de Localização de Serviços Semiobnóxios. Com transferência de algum conhecimento científico da IO para os agentes de decisão, facilitando a escolha das localizações dos serviços ao apresentar alternativas de qualidade, tendo presente a simplicidade e a facilidade de utilizaçãoThe location of semi-obnoxious services is characterized by opposing criteria, which can be expressed as attraction and repulsion forces. The semi- obnoxious services can be defined as being desirable to the communities for the benefits they generate, but on the other side, are undesirable for their associated obnoxious effects. Examples of semi-obnoxious services are: airports, solid waste treatment facilities, water or effluent treatment facilities and certain types of industries. Therefore, the decision agents are faced with the need to locate those services in a way that they serve best the communities, while simultaneously reducing the negative effects. Other factors to hold in account in the location of semi-obnoxious services, are the costs concerning the distances between the services and the communities. Those costs are to minimize, which is equivalent to maximize the accessibility. Consequently, the problem becomes to maximize the accessibility while minimizing the obnoxious effects. It is frequent that the developed models to solve this type of problems are presented in an “Operations Research” (OR) experts oriented language. This may not be suitable for the decision agents at governmental or private organizations. The main goal of this work is to develop a Decision Support System for the Problem of Locating Semi-obnoxious Services. This way some of the OR scientific knowledge is transferred to the decision agents, allowing a usable system that provides quality location alternatives, making easier to select the best locations for the servicesMestrado em Gestã

Multicriteria semi-obnoxious network location problems (MSNLP) with sum and center objectives

info:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

OR models in urban service facility location : a critical review of applications and future developments

[EN] Facility location models are well established in various application areas with more than a century of history in academia. Since the 1970s the trend has been shifting from manufacturing to service industries. Due to their nature, service industries are frequently located in or near urban areas that results in additional assumptions, objectives and constraints other than those in more traditional manufacturing location models. This survey focuses on the location of service facilities in urban areas. We studied 110 research papers across different journals and disciplines. We have analyzed these papers on two levels. On the first, we take an Operations Research perspective to investigate the papers in terms of types of decisions, location space, main assumptions, input parameters, objective functions and constraints. On the second level, we compare and contrast the papers in each of these applications categories: (a) Waste management systems (WMS), (b) Large-scale disaster (LSD), (c) Small-scale emergency (SSE), (d) General service and infrastructure (GSI), (e) Non-emergency healthcare systems (NEH) and (f) Transportation systems and their infrastructure (TSI). Each of these categories is critically analyzed in terms of application, assumptions, decision variables, input parameters, constraints, objective functions and solution techniques. Gaps, research opportunities and trends are identified within each category. Finally, some general lessons learned based on the practicality of the models is synthesized to suggest avenues of future research.Ruben Ruiz is partially supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, under the project "SCHEYARD - Optimization of Scheduling Problems in Container Yards (No. DPI2015-65895-R) financed by FEDER funds.Farahani, RZ.; Fallah, S.; Ruiz García, R.; Hosseini, S.; Asgari, N. (2019). OR Models in Urban Service Facility Location: A Critical Review of Applications and Future Developments. European Journal of Operational Research. 276(1):1-27. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejor.2018.07.036S127276

OPTIMIZATION OF RAILWAY TRANSPORTATION HAZMATS AND REGULAR COMMODITIES

Transportation of dangerous goods has been receiving more attention in the realm of academic and scientific research during the last few decades as countries have been increasingly becoming industrialized throughout the world, thereby making Hazmats an integral part of our life style. However, the number of scholarly articles in this field is not as many as those of other areas in SCM. Considering the low-probability-and-high-consequence (LPHC) essence of transportation of Hazmats, on the one hand, and immense volume of shipments accounting for more than hundred tons in North America and Europe, on the other, we can safely state that the number of scholarly articles and dissertations have not been proportional to the significance of the subject of interest. On this ground, we conducted our research to contribute towards further developing the domain of Hazmats transportation, and sustainable supply chain management (SSCM), in general terms. Transportation of Hazmats, from logistical standpoint, may include all modes of transport via air, marine, road and rail, as well as intermodal transportation systems. Although road shipment is predominant in most of the literature, railway transportation of Hazmats has proven to be a potentially significant means of transporting dangerous goods with respect to both economies of scale and risk of transportation; these factors, have not just given rise to more thoroughly investigation of intermodal transportation of Hazmats using road and rail networks, but has encouraged the competition between rail and road companies which may indeed have some inherent advantages compared to the other medium due to their infrastructural and technological backgrounds. Truck shipment has ostensibly proven to be providing more flexibility; trains, per contra, provide more reliability in terms of transport risk for conveying Hazmats in bulks. In this thesis, in consonance with the aforementioned motivation, we provide an introduction into the hazardous commodities shipment through rail network in the first chapter of the thesis. Providing relevant statistics on the volume of Hazmat goods, number of accidents, rate of incidents, and rate of fatalities and injuries due to the incidents involving Hazmats, will shed light onto the significance of the topic under study. As well, we review the most pertinent articles while putting more emphasis on the state-of-the-art papers, in chapter two. Following the discussion in chapter 3 and looking at the problem from carrier company’s perspective, a mixed integer quadratically constraint problem (MIQCP) is developed which seeks for the minimization of transportation cost under a set of constraints including those associating with Hazmats. Due to the complexity of the problem, the risk function has been piecewise linearized using a set of auxiliary variables, thereby resulting in an MIP problem. Further, considering the interests of both carrier companies and regulatory agencies, which are minimization of cost and risk, respectively, a multiobjective MINLP model is developed, which has been reduced to an MILP through piecewise linearization of the risk term in the objective function. For both single-objective and multiobjective formulations, model variants with bifurcated and nonbifurcated flows have been presented. Then, in chapter 4, we carry out experiments considering two main cases where the first case presents smaller instances of the problem and the second case focuses on a larger instance of the problem. Eventually, in chapter five, we conclude the dissertation with a summary of the overall discussion as well as presenting some comments on avenues of future work

A review of network location theory and models

Cataloged from PDF version of article.In this study, we review the existing literature on network location problems. The study has a broad scope that includes problems featuring desirable and undesirable facilities, point facilities and extensive facilities, monopolistic and competitive markets, and single or multiple objectives. Deterministic and stochastic models as well as robust models are covered. Demand data aggregation is also discussed. More than 500 papers in this area are reviewed and critical issues, research directions, and problem extensions are emphasized.Erdoğan, Damla SelinM.S

Problemas de localização-distribuição de serviços semiobnóxios: aproximações e apoio à decisão

Doutoramento em Gestão IndustrialA presente tese resulta de um trabalho de investigação cujo objectivo se centrou no problema de localização-distribuição (PLD) que pretende abordar, de forma integrada, duas actividades logísticas intimamente relacionadas: a localização de equipamentos e a distribuição de produtos. O PLD, nomeadamente a sua modelação matemática, tem sido estudado na literatura, dando origem a diversas aproximações que resultam de diferentes cenários reais. Importa portanto agrupar as diferentes variantes por forma a facilitar e potenciar a sua investigação. Após fazer uma revisão e propor uma taxonomia dos modelos de localização-distribuição, este trabalho foca-se na resolução de alguns modelos considerados como mais representativos. É feita assim a análise de dois dos PLDs mais básicos (os problema capacitados com procura nos nós e nos arcos), sendo apresentadas, para ambos, propostas de resolução. Posteriormente, é abordada a localização-distribuição de serviços semiobnóxios. Este tipo de serviços, ainda que seja necessário e indispensável para o público em geral, dada a sua natureza, exerce um efeito desagradável sobre as comunidades contíguas. Assim, aos critérios tipicamente utilizados na tomada de decisão sobre a localização destes serviços (habitualmente a minimização de custo) é necessário adicionar preocupações que reflectem a manutenção da qualidade de vida das regiões que sofrem o impacto do resultado da referida decisão. A abordagem da localização-distribuição de serviços semiobnóxios requer portanto uma análise multi-objectivo. Esta análise pode ser feita com recurso a dois métodos distintos: não interactivos e interactivos. Ambos são abordados nesta tese, com novas propostas, sendo o método interactivo proposto aplicável a outros problemas de programação inteira mista multi-objectivo. Por último, é desenvolvida uma ferramenta de apoio à decisão para os problemas abordados nesta tese, sendo apresentada a metodologia adoptada e as suas principais funcionalidades. A ferramenta desenvolvida tem grandes preocupações com a interface de utilizador, visto ser direccionada para decisores que tipicamente não têm conhecimentos sobre os modelos matemáticos subjacentes a este tipo de problemas.This thesis main objective is to address the location-routing problem (LRP) which intends to tackle, using an integrated approach, two highly related logistics activities: the location of facilities and the distribution of materials. The LRP, namely its mathematical formulation, has been studied in the literature, and several approaches have emerged, corresponding to different real-world scenarios. Therefore, it is important to identify and group the different LRP variants, in order to segment current research and foster future studies. After presenting a review and a taxonomy of location-routing models, the following research focuses on solving some of its variants. Thus, a study of two of the most basic LRPs (capacitated problems with demand either on the nodes or on the arcs) is performed, and new approaches are presented. Afterwards, the location-routing of semi-obnoxious facilities is addressed. These are facilities that, although providing useful and indispensible services, given their nature, bring about an undesirable effect to adjacent communities. Consequently, to the usual objectives when considering their location (cost minimization), new ones must be added that are able to reflect concerns regarding the quality of life of the communities impacted by the outcome of these decisions. The location-routing of semi-obnoxious facilities therefore requires to be analysed using multi-objective approaches, which can be of two types: noninteractive or interactive. Both are discussed and new methods proposed in this thesis; the proposed interactive method is suitable to other multi-objective mixed integer programming problems. Finally, a newly developed decision-support tool to address the LRP is presented (being the adopted methodology discussed, and its main functionalities shown). This tool has great concerns regarding the user interface, as it is directed at decision makers who typically don’t have specific knowledge of the underlying models of this type of problems

Localización simple de servicios deseados y no deseados en redes con múltiples criterios

Análisis y desarrollo de varios modelos de localización de servicios deseados y no deseados en redes con múltiples criterios. Asimismo, se han propuesto algunas mejoras en modelos de localización de servicios no deseados en redes con un solo criterio. Por consiguiente, con respecto a la localización de servicios deseados sobre redes, se propone un algoritmo polinomial para solucionar el problema del cent-dian biobjetivo. También se ha estudiado la localización de un servicio en una red con múltiples objetivos tipo mediana. Asimismo, se ha desarrollado un algoritmo polinomial para solucionar el problema cent-dian multicriterio en redes con múltiples pesos por nodo y múltiples longitudes por arista. Con respecto a los problemas de localización de servicios no deseados, primero tratamos el problema de localización del 1-centro no deseado en redes. Demostramos que las cotas superiores ya propuestas en trabajos anteriores pueden ser ajustadas. Por medio de una formulación más adecuada del problema, se ha desarrollado un nuevo algoritmo polinomial el cual es más sencillo y computacionalmente más rápido que los ya divulgados en la literatura. También se ha analizado el problema de localizar una mediana no deseada en una red, obteniendo una nueva y mejor cota superior. Se presenta un nuevo algoritmo para solucionar este problema. Por otra parte, siguiendo la resolución del problema maxian, también se ha propuesto un nuevo algoritmo para solucionar el problema del anti-cent-dian en redes. Finalmente, se han estudiado los problemas del centro no deseado y de la mediana no deseada en redes multicriterio, estableciendo nuevas propiedades y reglas para eliminar aristas ineficientes. También se presenta el modelo anti-cent-dian como combinación convexa de los dos últimos problemas. Se propone una regla eficaz para quitar aristas que contienen puntos ineficientes, así como un algoritmo polinomial. Además, este modelo se puede modificar ligeramente para generalizar otros modelos presentados en la literatura