Martin Grötschel


Title of Presentation: Solving Transportation Problems by Integer Programming

ALIO 2006

Montevideo, Uruguay

November 2006


Abstract:

Transportation problems occuring in practice (such as: public mass transport by bus, train, or plane , dial-a-ride, track routing, scheduling of service vehicles, logistics, …) are much more complex tasks than what is usually called a “transportation problem” in the mathematical programming terminology. In this talk I will present an overview of some of the problems of this type that have been attacked using integer programming techniques by the transportation research group at the Konrad Zuse Zentrum and the DFG Research Center Matheon in Berlin. I will present solutions of very large scale instances from practice and indicate the savings that can result from the use of advanced mathematical solution technology. In my computational report I will particularly focus on vehicle scheduling and driver assignment in public transport.


Bio

Martin Grötschel is currently professor of mathematics at Technische Universität Berlin, Institut für Mathematik, Vice President of Konrad-Zuse-Zentrum für Informationstechnik Berlin, and Chair of the DFG Research Center Matheon “Mathematics for key technologies”. His mathematical research interests include optimization, discrete mathematics, and operations research. He has authored and edited 8 books and written more than 100 papers. He has deep interest in applications of mathematics and has been engaged in more than twenty projects with industry in areas such as telecommunication, electronics, software, logistics, traffic, transportation, and production technology. Martin Grotschel has also been involved in various projects on scientific information and communication. His awards include Honorary Doctoral Degrees of the University of Karlsruhe and the Vietnamese Academy of Science and Technology, the Dantzig Prize and the John von Neumann Prize for his contributions to mathematical programming, the Leibniz Prize for fundamental research and the Beckurts Prize for transfer of research to industry. Martin Grötschel was the President of the German Mathematical Society (DMV) from 1993-1994, he was the President of the Organizing Committee of the International Congress of Mathematicians 1998 in Berlin, and he is currently the Secretary of the International Mathematical Union (IMU).