Recoverable robust shortest path problems

In this article, we investigate two different recoverable robust (RR) models to deal with cost uncertainties in a shortest path problem. RR extends the classical concept of robustness to deal with uncertainties by incorporating limited recovery actions after the full data are revealed. Our first mod...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Networks Vol. 59; no. 1; pp. 181 - 189
Main Author: Büsing, Christina
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Hoboken Wiley Subscription Services, Inc., A Wiley Company 01.01.2012
Subjects:
ISSN:0028-3045, 1097-0037
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:In this article, we investigate two different recoverable robust (RR) models to deal with cost uncertainties in a shortest path problem. RR extends the classical concept of robustness to deal with uncertainties by incorporating limited recovery actions after the full data are revealed. Our first model focuses on the case where the recovery actions are quite restricted: after a simple path is fixed in the first stage, in the second stage, after all data are revealed, any path containing at most k new arcs may be chosen. Thus, the parameter k can be interpreted as a mediator between robust optimization—no changes allowed—and optimization on the fly—an arbitrary solution can be chosen. Considering three classical scenario sets, which model uncertainties in the cost function, we show that this new problem is strongly NP‐hard in all these cases and is not approximable, unless P = NP. This is in contrast to the robust shortest path problem, where, for example, an optimal solution can be computed efficiently for interval and Γ ‐scenarios. For series‐parallel graphs and interval scenarios, we present a polynomial time algorithm for this RR setting. In our second model, the recovery set, that is, the set of paths selectable in the second stage is not limited, but deviating from the previous choice comes at extra cost. Thus, a path chosen in the first stage produces renting costs modeled as an α ‐fraction of the scenario cost. For an arc taken in the second stage, the remaining cost needs to be paid in addition to some extra inflation cost modeled by a β ‐fraction of the scenario cost, if the arc was not reserved beforehand. The complexity status of this problem is similar to the robust case. Yet, for Γ ‐scenarios, the problem is again strongly NP ‐hard, but can be approximated with a \documentclass{article}\usepackage{mathrsfs, amsmath, amssymb}\pagestyle{empty}\begin{document}$\min\{2+\beta,\frac{1}{\alpha}\}$\end{document} factor. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. NETWORKS, 2012
Bibliography:Research Training Group "Methods for Discrete Structures" - No. DFG-GRK 1408
istex:BE8F19DF52018D256ACEBA1DB081803EEE5DB178
ark:/67375/WNG-MCWG1C81-H
Berlin Mathematical School
ArticleID:NET20487
ISSN:0028-3045
1097-0037
DOI:10.1002/net.20487