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Less is more: discrete starting solutions in the planar p-median problem

Author

Listed:
  • Pawel Kalczynski

    (California State University-Fullerton)

  • Jack Brimberg

    (The Royal Military College of Canada)

  • Zvi Drezner

    (California State University-Fullerton)

Abstract

This paper examines the performance of improvement search as a function of the quality of the starting solution in the planar (or continuous) p-median problem. We show that using optimal solutions of the analogue discrete p-median problem as the starting solution for heuristic improvement algorithms, as recommended in the literature, can actually lead to inferior performance. That is, good starting solutions obtained in the discrete space with a fraction of the effort can actually be better, a counter-intuitive result that illustrates in a different context the less is more principle recently advocated in the literature.

Suggested Citation

  • Pawel Kalczynski & Jack Brimberg & Zvi Drezner, 2022. "Less is more: discrete starting solutions in the planar p-median problem," TOP: An Official Journal of the Spanish Society of Statistics and Operations Research, Springer;Sociedad de Estadística e Investigación Operativa, vol. 30(1), pages 34-59, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:topjnl:v:30:y:2022:i:1:d:10.1007_s11750-021-00599-w
    DOI: 10.1007/s11750-021-00599-w
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Richard L. Church & Zvi Drezner & Pawel Kalczynski, 2023. "Extensions to the planar p-median problem," Annals of Operations Research, Springer, vol. 326(1), pages 115-135, July.

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