Implementation of the A Star Heuristic Search Algorithm in Determining the Shortest Path

Abstract

Finding the shortest path in a graph can be applied to various fields of shortest distance costs in routes, computer games, robotics or navigation. This study implements the A star heuristic search algorithm in determining the shortest path using the Visual Basic programming language and MySQL database. A star heuristic algorithm is implemented to find the shortest path between two vertices in a two-way weighted graph. We use a heuristic method to estimate the remaining cost from the start node to the destination point. This condition gives the A star algorithm the opportunity to choose the next closest node and optimize the search for the shortest route. Various experiments have been carried out with various graph conditions and with different complicated graphs to test the A star algorithm. The experimental results show that this algorithm succeeds in finding the shortest path efficiently in various situations. Our findings confirm that the A star algorithm has great potential in solving the shortest path search problem with an advantage in combining various information and remaining cost estimates, thereby minimizing the number of explored nodes and producing the shortest path efficiently.