Optimization Advanced Options
The advanced features related to optimization process of LesCaS can be found in the Optimization panel.
The most commonly used options for the optimization is the number of solvers to be deployed in an optimization process. The choice affects the solution quality and the computational cost of the optimization process. LesCaS offers the following options:
- Multi Solvers - Evaluate: when this option is selected, LesCaS deploys a set of solvers (Memetic Algorithm, Simple Heuristic, Tabu Search, Simulated Annealing, Ant Colony Optimization). Each of these solvers is initialized with a random set of configuration parameters. At the end of the optimization, the result of the best solver is output as the solution. This option usually produce best result in terms of solution quality. However, it also normally takes more time to compute compared to other options.
- Single Solver - Evaluate: when this option is selected, a single solver is used for optimization. This solver can be one of the solvers (Memetic Algorithm, Simple Heuristic, Tabu Search, Simulated Annealing, Ant Colony Optimization). The configuration of the single solver is set through the Solver Options button. The result can be obtained relatively quickly using this option, with usually satisfactory result.
- Single Solver: when this option is selected, the solver simply outputs the routing optimized solution, but does not go through the process of evaluation on the operation termination time. It takes even less time, but the evaluation stats such as Commander Window will not be available.
In the optimization configuration dialog, several rule configurations can be performed on the single or multiple solvers for optimization, including:
- Optimizer Type: this specifies the type of optimizer used for optimization. For the optimization solver, user can select among Memetic Algorithm, Tabu Search, Simulated Annealing, Ant Colony Optimization. Each of these solvers is configurable, by clicking the Config button next to Optimizer Type which brings up the optimizer configuration dialog.
- Optimizer Command Window Style: this specifies the behavior of the optimizer during running. Default is Normal, which will launch a console window that shows the optimizer being run during optimization. If user chooses Hidden, the solver will run in background and automatically pass the result to LesCaS GUI.
- Number of solvers to be used for the Multi Solver - Evaluate option
- Objective evaluation speed for the optimizer
Each individual solver can also be configured manually by clicking one of the buttons at the bottom of the Optimization panel.