A new algorithm for a dynamic vehicle routing problem based on ant colony system

Abstract

Most of the literature available on vehicle routing problems is about static problems, where all data are known in advance. The technological advances of the last few years rise a new class of problems about dynamic vehicle routing, where new orders are received as time progresses and must be dynamically incorporated into an evolving schedule. In this work an algorithm for this problem, based on the Ant Colony System paradigm, is proposed. Computational results on some problems derived from widely-available benchmarks confirm the efficiency of the method we propose. A realistic case study, based on the road network of the city of Lugano (Switzerland) will be finally presented.