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Optimization Tradecraft: Hard-Won Insights from Real-World Decision Support

Author

Listed:
  • Gerald G. Brown

    (Department of Operations Research, Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, California 93943)

  • Richard E. Rosenthal

    (Department of Operations Research, Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, California 93943,)

Abstract

Practitioners of optimization-based decision support advise commerce and government on how to coordinate the activities of millions of people who employ assets worth trillions of dollars. The contributions of these practitioners substantially improve planning methods that benefit our security and welfare. The success of real-world optimization applications depends on a few trade secrets that are essential, but that rarely, if at all, appear in textbooks. This paper summarizes a set of these secrets and uses examples to discuss each.“Thou shalt never get such a secret from me but by a parable.”Shakespeare, The Two Gentlemen of Verona

Suggested Citation

  • Gerald G. Brown & Richard E. Rosenthal, 2008. "Optimization Tradecraft: Hard-Won Insights from Real-World Decision Support," Interfaces, INFORMS, vol. 38(5), pages 356-366, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:inm:orinte:v:38:y:2008:i:5:p:356-366
    DOI: 10.1287/inte.1080.0382
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Gerald G. Brown & Glenn W. Graves & David Ronen, 1987. "Scheduling Ocean Transportation of Crude Oil," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 33(3), pages 335-346, March.
    2. Gerald G. Brown & Robert F. Dell & Alexandra M. Newman, 2004. "Optimizing Military Capital Planning," Interfaces, INFORMS, vol. 34(6), pages 415-425, December.
    3. Gerald G. Brown & Robert F. Dell, 2007. "Formulating Integer Linear Programs: A Rogues' Gallery," INFORMS Transactions on Education, INFORMS, vol. 7(2), pages 153-159, January.
    4. Arthur M. Geoffrion & Richard F. Powers, 1980. "Facility Location Analysis is Just the Beginning (If you Do It Right)," Interfaces, INFORMS, vol. 10(2), pages 22-30, April.
    5. Gerald G. Brown & Robert F. Dell & R. Kevin Wood, 1997. "Optimization and Persistence," Interfaces, INFORMS, vol. 27(5), pages 15-37, October.
    6. Gerald Brown & Matthew Carlyle & Javier Salmerón & Kevin Wood, 2006. "Defending Critical Infrastructure," Interfaces, INFORMS, vol. 36(6), pages 530-544, December.
    7. Arthur M. Geoffrion, 1976. "The Purpose of Mathematical Programming is Insight, Not Numbers," Interfaces, INFORMS, vol. 7(1), pages 81-92, November.
    8. Gerald G. Brown & Glenn W. Graves & Maria D. Honczarenko, 1987. "Design and Operation of a Multicommodity Production/Distribution System Using Primal Goal Decomposition," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 33(11), pages 1469-1480, November.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Gregory S. Parnell & Christopher M. Smith & Frederick I. Moxley, 2010. "Intelligent Adversary Risk Analysis: A Bioterrorism Risk Management Model," Risk Analysis, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 30(1), pages 32-48, January.
    2. Alexandra M. Newman & Martin Weiss, 2013. "A Survey of Linear and Mixed-Integer Optimization Tutorials," INFORMS Transactions on Education, INFORMS, vol. 14(1), pages 26-38, September.
    3. Julie Ann Stuart Williams & Randall Reid & Kristine Gallamore & Maxwell Rankin, 2018. "Introducing Troubleshooting for Model Formulation, Spreadsheet Development, and Memo Communication with Feedforward," INFORMS Transactions on Education, INFORMS, vol. 18(2), pages 102-115, January.
    4. Julie Ann Stuart Williams & Maxwell Rankin & Kristine Gallamore & Randall Reid, 2016. "Beyond Model Formulation: Assessment of Novices Graphing, Interpreting, and Writing About Their Model and Solution," INFORMS Transactions on Education, INFORMS, vol. 17(1), pages 13-19, September.
    5. David L. Alderson & Gerald G. Brown & W. Matthew Carlyle, 2015. "Operational Models of Infrastructure Resilience," Risk Analysis, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 35(4), pages 562-586, April.

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