The Integrated Vehicle and Pollster Routing Problem

TL;DR

This paper introduces a new routing problem that optimizes both vehicle and pollster routes for efficient store visits in Ecuador's consumer price monitoring surveys, using an integer programming model and a three-phase algorithm.

Contribution

It formulates the integrated routing problem, develops an integer programming model, and proposes a three-phase algorithm tested on real-world data.

Findings

The problem is computationally complex.

The three-phase algorithm improves routing efficiency.

Real-world instances demonstrate practical effectiveness.

Abstract

The National Statistics Bureau of Ecuador carries out monthly polls to monitor the evolution of the Consumer Price Index, a metric measuring consumer prices of essential commodities. These surveys are administered across a designated set of stores, with a fleet of vehicles transporting pollsters from the bureau headquarters to the chosen locations. Moreover, pollsters move between stores using pedestrian paths or using a vehicle to shorten the travel time. This paper introduces the Integrated Vehicle and Pollster Routing Problem and presents an integer programming model to effectively schedule pollster visits to selected stores while optimizing the routing of the vehicle fleet. Results on the computational complexity, a three-phase algorithm, and computational experience based on real-world instances are provided.