IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/ejores/v239y2014i1p70-79.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

A priori orienteering with time windows and stochastic wait times at customers

Author

Listed:
  • Zhang, Shu
  • Ohlmann, Jeffrey W.
  • Thomas, Barrett W.

Abstract

In the pharmaceutical industry, sales representatives visit doctors to inform them of their products and encourage them to become an active prescriber. On a daily basis, pharmaceutical sales representatives must decide which doctors to visit and the order to visit them. This situation motivates a problem we more generally refer to as a stochastic orienteering problem with time windows (SOPTW), in which a time window is associated with each customer and an uncertain wait time at a customer results from a queue of competing sales representatives. We develop a priori routes with the objective of maximizing expected sales. We operationalize the sales representative’s execution of the a priori route with relevant recourse actions and derive an analytical formula to compute the expected sales from an a priori tour. We tailor a variable neighborhood search heuristic to solve the problem. We demonstrate the value of modeling uncertainty by comparing the solutions to our model to solutions of a deterministic version using expected values of the associated random variables. We also compute an empirical upper bound on our solutions by solving deterministic instances corresponding to perfect information.

Suggested Citation

  • Zhang, Shu & Ohlmann, Jeffrey W. & Thomas, Barrett W., 2014. "A priori orienteering with time windows and stochastic wait times at customers," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 239(1), pages 70-79.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:ejores:v:239:y:2014:i:1:p:70-79
    DOI: 10.1016/j.ejor.2014.04.040
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0377221714003828
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.ejor.2014.04.040?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Uri Yechiali, 1971. "On Optimal Balking Rules and Toll Charges in the GI / M /1 Queuing Process," Operations Research, INFORMS, vol. 19(2), pages 349-370, April.
    2. Justin C. Goodson & Jeffrey W. Ohlmann & Barrett W. Thomas, 2013. "Rollout Policies for Dynamic Solutions to the Multivehicle Routing Problem with Stochastic Demand and Duration Limits," Operations Research, INFORMS, vol. 61(1), pages 138-154, February.
    3. Uri Yechiali, 1972. "Customers' Optimal Joining Rules for the GI/M/s Queue," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 18(7), pages 434-443, March.
    4. Apostolos Burnetas, 2013. "Customer equilibrium and optimal strategies in Markovian queues in series," Annals of Operations Research, Springer, vol. 208(1), pages 515-529, September.
    5. Marius M. Solomon, 1987. "Algorithms for the Vehicle Routing and Scheduling Problems with Time Window Constraints," Operations Research, INFORMS, vol. 35(2), pages 254-265, April.
    6. H Tang & E Miller-Hooks, 2005. "Algorithms for a stochastic selective travelling salesperson problem," Journal of the Operational Research Society, Palgrave Macmillan;The OR Society, vol. 56(4), pages 439-452, April.
    7. Ann Campbell & Michel Gendreau & Barrett Thomas, 2011. "The orienteering problem with stochastic travel and service times," Annals of Operations Research, Springer, vol. 186(1), pages 61-81, June.
    8. Dominique Feillet & Pierre Dejax & Michel Gendreau, 2005. "Traveling Salesman Problems with Profits," Transportation Science, INFORMS, vol. 39(2), pages 188-205, May.
    9. Vansteenwegen, Pieter & Souffriau, Wouter & Oudheusden, Dirk Van, 2011. "The orienteering problem: A survey," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 209(1), pages 1-10, February.
    10. Kanta, Spyridoula & D'Auria, Bernardo, 2011. "Equilibrium strategies in a tandem queue under various levels of information," DES - Working Papers. Statistics and Econometrics. WS ws113325, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid. Departamento de Estadística.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Huizing, Dylan & Schäfer, Guido & van der Mei, Rob D. & Bhulai, Sandjai, 2020. "The median routing problem for simultaneous planning of emergency response and non-emergency jobs," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 285(2), pages 712-727.
    2. Verbeeck, C. & Vansteenwegen, P. & Aghezzaf, E.-H., 2016. "Solving the stochastic time-dependent orienteering problem with time windows," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 255(3), pages 699-718.
    3. Shiri, Davood & Akbari, Vahid & Hassanzadeh, Ali, 2024. "The Capacitated Team Orienteering Problem: An online optimization framework with predictions of unknown accuracy," Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, Elsevier, vol. 185(C).
    4. Maskooki, Alaleh & Kallio, Markku, 2023. "A bi-criteria moving-target travelling salesman problem under uncertainty," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 309(1), pages 271-285.
    5. Zhang, Shu & Ohlmann, Jeffrey W. & Thomas, Barrett W., 2020. "Multi-period orienteering with uncertain adoption likelihood and waiting at customers," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 282(1), pages 288-303.
    6. Qinxiao Yu & Chun Cheng & Ning Zhu, 2022. "Robust Team Orienteering Problem with Decreasing Profits," INFORMS Journal on Computing, INFORMS, vol. 34(6), pages 3215-3233, November.
    7. John E. Fontecha & Oscar O. Guaje & Daniel Duque & Raha Akhavan-Tabatabaei & Juan P. Rodríguez & Andrés L. Medaglia, 2020. "Combined maintenance and routing optimization for large-scale sewage cleaning," Annals of Operations Research, Springer, vol. 286(1), pages 441-474, March.
    8. Gunawan, Aldy & Lau, Hoong Chuin & Vansteenwegen, Pieter, 2016. "Orienteering Problem: A survey of recent variants, solution approaches and applications," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 255(2), pages 315-332.
    9. Roozbeh, Iman & Hearne, John & Abbasi, Babak & Ozlen, Melih, 2021. "Decision support for wildfire asset protection: A two-stage stochastic programming approach," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 155(C).
    10. Shu Zhang & Jeffrey W. Ohlmann & Barrett W. Thomas, 2018. "Dynamic Orienteering on a Network of Queues," Transportation Science, INFORMS, vol. 52(3), pages 691-706, June.
    11. Dolinskaya, Irina & Shi, Zhenyu (Edwin) & Smilowitz, Karen, 2018. "Adaptive orienteering problem with stochastic travel times," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 109(C), pages 1-19.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Shu Zhang & Jeffrey W. Ohlmann & Barrett W. Thomas, 2018. "Dynamic Orienteering on a Network of Queues," Transportation Science, INFORMS, vol. 52(3), pages 691-706, June.
    2. Gunawan, Aldy & Lau, Hoong Chuin & Vansteenwegen, Pieter, 2016. "Orienteering Problem: A survey of recent variants, solution approaches and applications," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 255(2), pages 315-332.
    3. Bian, Zheyong & Liu, Xiang, 2018. "A real-time adjustment strategy for the operational level stochastic orienteering problem: A simulation-aided optimization approach," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 115(C), pages 246-266.
    4. Lei, Chao & Lin, Wei-Hua & Miao, Lixin, 2014. "A multicut L-shaped based algorithm to solve a stochastic programming model for the mobile facility routing and scheduling problem," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 238(3), pages 699-710.
    5. Dolinskaya, Irina & Shi, Zhenyu (Edwin) & Smilowitz, Karen, 2018. "Adaptive orienteering problem with stochastic travel times," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 109(C), pages 1-19.
    6. Zhang, Shu & Ohlmann, Jeffrey W. & Thomas, Barrett W., 2020. "Multi-period orienteering with uncertain adoption likelihood and waiting at customers," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 282(1), pages 288-303.
    7. Racha El-Hajj & Rym Nesrine Guibadj & Aziz Moukrim & Mehdi Serairi, 2020. "A PSO based algorithm with an efficient optimal split procedure for the multiperiod vehicle routing problem with profit," Annals of Operations Research, Springer, vol. 291(1), pages 281-316, August.
    8. Balcik, Burcu, 2017. "Site selection and vehicle routing for post-disaster rapid needs assessment," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 101(C), pages 30-58.
    9. Rahma Lahyani & Mahdi Khemakhem & Frédéric Semet, 2017. "A unified matheuristic for solving multi-constrained traveling salesman problems with profits," EURO Journal on Computational Optimization, Springer;EURO - The Association of European Operational Research Societies, vol. 5(3), pages 393-422, September.
    10. Evers, L. & Glorie, K.M. & van der Ster, S. & Barros, A.I. & Monsuur, H., 2012. "The Orienteering Problem under Uncertainty Stochastic Programming and Robust Optimization compared," Econometric Institute Research Papers EI 2012-21, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Erasmus School of Economics (ESE), Econometric Institute.
    11. Yu, Qinxiao & Fang, Kan & Zhu, Ning & Ma, Shoufeng, 2019. "A matheuristic approach to the orienteering problem with service time dependent profits," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 273(2), pages 488-503.
    12. Wouter Souffriau & Pieter Vansteenwegen & Greet Vanden Berghe & Dirk Van Oudheusden, 2013. "The Multiconstraint Team Orienteering Problem with Multiple Time Windows," Transportation Science, INFORMS, vol. 47(1), pages 53-63, February.
    13. Verbeeck, C. & Vansteenwegen, P. & Aghezzaf, E.-H., 2016. "Solving the stochastic time-dependent orienteering problem with time windows," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 255(3), pages 699-718.
    14. Shiri, Davood & Akbari, Vahid & Hassanzadeh, Ali, 2024. "The Capacitated Team Orienteering Problem: An online optimization framework with predictions of unknown accuracy," Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, Elsevier, vol. 185(C).
    15. Ann Campbell & Michel Gendreau & Barrett Thomas, 2011. "The orienteering problem with stochastic travel and service times," Annals of Operations Research, Springer, vol. 186(1), pages 61-81, June.
    16. Qinxiao Yu & Chun Cheng & Ning Zhu, 2022. "Robust Team Orienteering Problem with Decreasing Profits," INFORMS Journal on Computing, INFORMS, vol. 34(6), pages 3215-3233, November.
    17. Kobeaga, Gorka & Rojas-Delgado, Jairo & Merino, María & Lozano, Jose A., 2024. "A revisited branch-and-cut algorithm for large-scale orienteering problems," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 313(1), pages 44-68.
    18. Stacy A. Voccia & Ann Melissa Campbell & Barrett W. Thomas, 2019. "The Same-Day Delivery Problem for Online Purchases," Service Science, INFORMS, vol. 53(1), pages 167-184, February.
    19. Azi, Nabila & Gendreau, Michel & Potvin, Jean-Yves, 2010. "An exact algorithm for a vehicle routing problem with time windows and multiple use of vehicles," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 202(3), pages 756-763, May.
    20. Zhang, Jian & Woensel, Tom Van, 2023. "Dynamic vehicle routing with random requests: A literature review," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 256(C).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:ejores:v:239:y:2014:i:1:p:70-79. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/eor .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.