Parameterized Algorithms for the Drone Delivery Problem

TL;DR

This paper studies the computational complexity of the Drone Delivery Problem, showing hardness results and developing fixed-parameter tractable algorithms based on structural properties of agent intersection graphs.

Contribution

It resolves an open problem on approximation hardness and introduces FPT algorithms parameterized by intersection graph properties for the drone delivery routing problem.

Findings

No polynomial-time approximation within any polynomial factor unless P=NP.

FPT algorithm for path graphs parameterized by treewidth.

Polynomial-time algorithm when the intersection graph is a tree.

Abstract

Timely delivery and optimal routing remain fundamental challenges in the modern logistics industry. Building on prior work that considers single-package delivery across networks using multiple types of collaborative agents with restricted movement areas (e.g., drones or trucks), we examine the complexity of the problem under structural and operational constraints. Our focus is on minimizing total delivery time by coordinating agents that differ in speed and movement range across a graph. This problem formulation aligns with the recently proposed Drone Delivery Problem with respect to delivery time (DDT), introduced by Erlebach et al. [ISAAC 2022]. We first resolve an open question posed by Erlebach et al. [ISAAC 2022] by showing that even when the delivery network is a path graph, DDT admits no polynomial-time approximation within any polynomially encodable factor $a(n)$, unless P=NP. Additionally, we identify the intersection graph of the agents, where nodes represent agents and edges indicate an overlap of the movement areas of two agents, as an important structural concept. For path graphs, we show that DDT becomes tractable when parameterized by the treewidth $w$ of the intersection graph, and we present an exact FPT algorithm with running time $f(w)\cdot\text{poly}(n,k)$, for some computable function $f$. For general graphs, we give an FPT algorithm with running time $f(\Delta,w)\cdot\text{poly}(n,k)$, where $\Delta$ is the maximum degree of the intersection graph. In the special case where the intersection graph is a tree, we provide a simple polynomial-time algorithm.