How to generate benchmarks for rich routing problems?

Abstract

In this paper, we show how to generate challenging benchmark tests for rich vehicle routing problems (VRPs) using a new heuristic algorithm (termed HeBeG—Heuristic Benchmark Generator). We consider a modified VRP with time windows, in which the depot does not define its time window. Additionally, the taxicab metric is utilized to determine the distance between travel points, instead of a standard Euclidean metric. HeBeG was used to create a test set for the qualifying round of Deadline24—an international 24-hour programming marathon. Finally, we compare the best results submitted to the server during the qualifying round of the contest with the routing schedules elaborated using other algorithms, including a new heuristics proposed in this paper.