A heuristic algorithm for the set multicover problem with generalized upper bound constraints

Abstract

We consider an extension of the set covering problem (SCP) introducing (i) multicover and (ii) generalized upper bound (GUB) constraints that arise in many real applications of SCP. For this problem, we develop a 2-flip neighborhood local search algorithm with a heuristic size reduction algorithm, in which a new evaluation scheme of variables is introduced taking account of GUB constraints. According to computational comparison with the latest version of a mixed integer programming solver, our algorithm performs quite effectively for various types of instances, especially for very large-scale instances. © 2013 Springer-Verlag.