Using LEL and scenarios to derive mathematical programming models. Application in a fresh tomato packing problem

[EN] Mathematical programming models are invaluable tools at decision making, assisting managers to uncover otherwise unattainable means to optimize their processes. However, the value they provide is only as good as their capacity to capture the process domain. This information can only be obtained from stakeholders, i.e., clients or users, who can hardly communicate the requirements clearly and completely. Besides, existing conceptual models of mathematical programming models are not standardized, nor is the process of deriving the mathematical programming model from the concept model, which remains ad hoc. In this paper, we propose an agile methodology to construct mathematical programming models based on two techniques from requirements engineering that have been proven effective at requirements elicitation: the language extended lexicon (LEL) and scenarios. Using the pair of LEL + scenarios allows to create a conceptual model that is clear and complete enough to derive a mathematical programming model that effectively captures the business domain. We also define an ontology to describe the pair LEL + scenarios, which has been implemented with a semantic mediawiki and allows the collaborative construction of the conceptual model and the semi-automatic derivation of mathematical programming model elements. The process is applied and validated in a known fresh tomato packing optimization problem. This proposal can be of high relevance for the development and implementation of mathematical programming models for optimizing agriculture and supply chain management related processes in order to fill the current gap between mathematical programming models in the theory and the practice.This work was supported by the European Commission, project RUC-APS, grant number 691249, funded by the European Union's research and innovation programme under the H2020 Marie SklodowskaCurie Actions; and the Argentinian National Agency for Scientific and Technical Promotion (ANPCyT), grant number PICT-2015-3000.Garrido, A.; Antonelli, L.; Martin, J.; Alemany Díaz, MDM.; Mula, J. (2020). Using LEL and scenarios to derive mathematical programming models. Application in a fresh tomato packing problem. Computers and Electronics in Agriculture. 170:1-14. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compag.2020.105242S114170Alemany, M., Ortiz, A., & Fuertes-Miquel, V. S. (2018). 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Using LEL and scenarios to derive mathematical programming models: application in a fresh tomato packing problem

Mathematical programming models are invaluable tools at decision making, assisting managers to uncover otherwise 12 unattainable means to optimize their processes. However, the value they provide is only as good as their capacity to 13 capture the process domain. This information can only be obtained from stakeholders, i.e., clients or users, who can 14 hardly communicate the requirements clearly and completely. Besides, existing conceptual models of mathematical 15 programming models are not standardized, nor is the process of deriving the mathematical programming model from 16 the concept model, which remains ad hoc. In this paper, we propose an agile methodology to construct mathematical 17 programming models based on two techniques from requirements engineering that have been proven effective at 18 requirements elicitation: the language extended lexicon (LEL) and scenarios. Using the pair of LEL + scenarios allows 19 to create a conceptual model that is clear and complete enough to derive a mathematical programming model that 20 effectively captures the business domain. We also define an ontology to describe the pair LEL + scenarios, which has 21 been implemented with a semantic mediawiki and allows the collaborative construction of the conceptual model and 22 the semi-automatic derivation of mathematical programming model elements. The process is applied and validated in 23 a known fresh tomato packing optimization problem. This proposal can be of high relevance for the development and 24 implementation of mathematical programming models for optimizing agriculture and supply chain management 25 related processes in order to fill the current gap between mathematical programming models in the theory and the 26 practice.Laboratorio de Investigación y Formación en Informática Avanzad

Robotic Picking of Tangle-prone Materials (with Applications to Agriculture).

The picking of one or more objects from an unsorted pile continues to be non-trivial for robotic systems. This is especially so when the pile consists of individual items that tangle with one another, causing more to be picked out than desired. One of the key features of such tangling-prone materials (e.g., herbs, salads) is the presence of protrusions (e.g., leaves) extending out from the main body of items in the pile.This thesis explores the issue of picking excess mass due to entanglement such as occurs in bins composed of tangling-prone materials (TPs), especially in the context of a one-shot mass-constrained robotic bin-picking task. Specifically, it proposes a human-inspired entanglement reduction method for making the picking of TPs more predictable. The primary approach is to directly counter entanglement through pile interaction with an aim of reducing it to a level where the picked mass is predictable, instead of avoiding entanglement by picking from collision or entanglement-free points or regions. Taking this perspective, several contributions are presented that (i) improve the understanding of the phenomenon of entanglement and (ii) reduce the picking error (PE) by effectively countering entanglement in a TP pile.First, it studies the mechanics of a variety of TPs improving the understanding of the phenomenon of entanglement as observed in TP bins. It reports experiments with a real robot in which picking TPs with different protrusion lengths (PLs) results in up to a 76% increase in picked mass variance, suggesting PL be an informative feature in the design of picking strategies. Moreover, to counter the inherent entanglement in a TP pile, it proposes a new Spread-and-Pick (SnP) approach that significantly reduces entanglement, making picking more consistent. Compared to prior approaches that seek to pick from a tangle-free point in the pile, the proposed method results in a decrease in PE of up to 51% and shows good generalisation to previously unseen TPs

Fuelling the zero-emissions road freight of the future: routing of mobile fuellers

The future of zero-emissions road freight is closely tied to the sufficient availability of new and clean fuel options such as electricity and Hydrogen. In goods distribution using Electric Commercial Vehicles (ECVs) and Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicles (HFCVs) a major challenge in the transition period would pertain to their limited autonomy and scarce and unevenly distributed refuelling stations. One viable solution to facilitate and speed up the adoption of ECVs/HFCVs by logistics, however, is to get the fuel to the point where it is needed (instead of diverting the route of delivery vehicles to refuelling stations) using "Mobile Fuellers (MFs)". These are mobile battery swapping/recharging vans or mobile Hydrogen fuellers that can travel to a running ECV/HFCV to provide the fuel they require to complete their delivery routes at a rendezvous time and space. In this presentation, new vehicle routing models will be presented for a third party company that provides MF services. In the proposed problem variant, the MF provider company receives routing plans of multiple customer companies and has to design routes for a fleet of capacitated MFs that have to synchronise their routes with the running vehicles to deliver the required amount of fuel on-the-fly. This presentation will discuss and compare several mathematical models based on different business models and collaborative logistics scenarios