Value interchangeability in scenario generation

Abstract

Several types of symmetry have been identified and exploited in Constraint Programming, leading to large reductions in search time. We present a novel application of one such form of symmetry: detecting dynamic value interchangeability in the random variables of a 2-stage stochastic problem. We use a real-world problem from the literature: finding an optimal investment plan to strengthen a transportation network, given that a future earthquake probabilistically destroys links in the network. Detecting interchangeabilities enables us to bundle together many equivalent scenarios, drastically reducing the size of the problem and allowing the exact solution of cases previously considered intractable and solved only approximately. © 2013 Springer-Verlag.