Time-reliability optimization for the stochastic traveling salesman problem

Abstract

This paper presents a novel approach to addressing the Stochastic Traveling Salesman Problem (STSP), a classical problem in combinatorial optimization, by integrating travel time and reliability factors into the decision-making process. Traditional TSP models primarily focus on minimizing the total travel distance or cost without considering the reliability of each route. In real-world situations, especially in logistics and network design, it's just as important to have reliable routes. A reliable route means there's a good chance it will be completed successfully and on time. Our research extends the conventional STSP framework by incorporating a reliability metric for each route, alongside the standard travel time metric. A tri-objective optimization model is proposed to minimize the mean and standard deviation of travel time and maximize route reliability simultaneously. A new algorithm called Permutation Binary-Addition-Tree (BAT) is proposed to solve the problem more efficiently when there is uncertainty. Our approach marks a significant step towards more realistic and practical solutions for route optimization problems in dynamic and uncertain environments. We also present a complexity analysis of our model against traditional cost-only TSP solutions, demonstrating the efficacy of considering reliability in route planning.