A hybrid heuristic algorithm with application to a graphical interface for vehicle routing optimization in an agricultural cooperative

TL;DR

This paper presents a hybrid heuristic approach combining insertion and simulated annealing algorithms, along with a graphical interface, to efficiently optimize vehicle routes for an agricultural cooperative's distribution system.

Contribution

The paper introduces a novel hybrid heuristic method with a user-friendly graphical interface for vehicle routing in agricultural logistics.

Findings

Effective route optimization for agricultural distribution

Significant reduction in computational time

User-friendly graphical interface implemented

Abstract

This work considers the problem of optimize the routes of the vehicles used by a real agricultural cooperative that distributes animal feed among the partners. Because solving the exact model is computationally burdensome, we propose to implement heuristic algorithms. Thus, firstly an initial solution is obtained through an insertion heuristic algorithm. Secondly, we design a simulated annealing algorithm for possible improvements on the initial solution. Finally, we built a graphical interface to quickly and easily interact with the system.