2015 VeRoLog Solver Challenge winner named

The winner of the Vehicle Routing and Logistics Optimisation (VeRoLog) Solver’s Challenge was announced by PTV Group announced at the 2015 VeRoLog conference in Vienna. The competition was initiated by PTV Group and the Association of the European Operational Research Societies (Euro) Working Group on VeRoLog, with the aim of solving a specific transport planning problem derived from practice. Sixteen teams from Europe, India, South America and Africa participated in this year's challenge. First prize was
July 24, 2015 Read time: 2 mins

The winner of the Vehicle Routing and Logistics Optimisation (VeRoLog) Solver’s Challenge was announced by 3264 PTV Group announced at the 2015 VeRoLog conference in Vienna.

The competition was initiated by PTV Group and the Association of the European Operational Research Societies (Euro) Working Group on VeRoLog, with the aim of solving a specific transport planning problem derived from practice.

Sixteen teams from Europe, India, South America and Africa participated in this year's challenge. First prize was won by Professor Dr Martin J. Geiger, University of the Federal Armed Forces in Hamburg, head of the Department of Business Administration. In addition to the Solver trophy, the winner also received a prize of US$1,000.  Second prize winner was Abdelghani Bekrar from France.

The VeRoLog Working Group deals with numerous transport planning and logistics optimisation issues. It consists of 1,000 members worldwide and is a part of Euro (Association of the European Operational Research Societies).

The competition saw 16 teams tackle the challenge of solving a specific route planning problem related to coach tours, Coach Trip with Shuttle Service Problems (CTSSP), suggested by PTV.

The task was to find a solution that allowed passengers to get from different stops to a central point for a coach trip by taking multiple restrictions into account, in a way that was the most efficient for both coach operators and passengers. The most challenging task was to deploy the coaches and a number of different vehicles for shuttle services as efficiently as possible in order to ensure optimum passenger pick-up. This involved complex trip structures which had not yet been modelled as part of standard approaches or which are not yet computable.

According to the Professor Geiger, many logistics planning issues have not yet been solved satisfactorily. New developments, such as the inclusion of existing road networks, a real-time solution for larger instances and the integration of complex, practically applicable restraints, would make it necessary to search for, implement and test new innovative algorithms.

Geiger said: "Our contribution related to the optimisation problem proved to be successful. In addition to new data structures that are completely adjusted to the optimisation issue, we were able to present an approach which also solves major instances satisfactorily."

Related Content

  • April 26, 2013
    ITS asset management matters
    Maintenance of on-road ITS kit needs to become more sophisticated; while new technologies can deliver better road maintenance. David Crawford investigates both sides of the issue "Good information is key to effective ITS asset maintenance,” says Ian Routledge of the Ian Routledge Consultancy (IRC), whose Imtrac (Information Management for TRAffic Control) system is poised for European expansion. Developed as an ‘intelligent filing cabinet’ for storing information about on-road equipment, the online database
    Read More
  • March 22, 2012
    First Smart Mobility Challenge winners announced
    Vice-President Siim Kallas, European Commissioner for mobility and transport, has announced the winners of the first Smart Mobility Challenge on European multi-modal journey planners, to promote the development of all-in-one journey planners, going beyond national borders and offering travel options combining different transport modes. In the category of 'operational journey planners' the two winners are Idos and Trenitalia, and in the category of 'innovative ideas' the winners are Penelope Ventures and SNC
    Read More
  • February 11, 2013
    Public transport study: What moves the sector?
    A new study by transportation software provider PTV Group concludes that scarcity of resources and demographic change are determining the future of public transport. The study illustrates which topics are moving the public transport sector and how stakeholders are dealing with them. The study involved around 300 participants from around the world, including transport operators, associations, consultants and engineering companies. The majority (81 per cent) stated fewer resources and climate change as the l
    Read More
  • February 2, 2012
    A carbon free and accident free Europe by 2015?
    By 2050, the Europe Commission aims to make transport in Europe carbon- and accident-free. Between now and then, however, a significant technological development and deployment effort is needed. Here, Neelie Kroes, European Commission Vice-President for the Digital Agenda, talks about what's being done. In many respects, COOPERS, CVIS and SAFESPOT, set up by the European Commission (EC) to explore the potential of cooperative infrastructure systems, are already legacy projects. Between them, the three devel
    Read More

Highlighted Content