Algorithm Engineering

Algorithms are essential building blocks of computer applications. However, advancements in computer hardware, which render traditional computer models more and more unrealistic, and an ever increasing demand for efficient solution to actual real world problems have led to a rising gap between classical algorithm theory and algorithmics in practice. The emerging discipline of Algorithm Engineering aims at bridging this gap. Driven by concrete applications, Algorithm Engineering complements theory by the benefits of experimentation and puts equal emphasis on all aspects arising during a cyclic solution process ranging from realistic modeling, design, analysis, robust and efficient implementations to careful experiments. This tutorial - outcome of a GI-Dagstuhl Seminar held in Dagstuhl Castle in September 2006 - covers the essential aspects of this process in ten chapters on basic ideas, modeling and design issues, analysis of algorithms, realistic computer models, implementation aspects and algorithmic software libraries, selected case studies, as well as challenges in Algorithm Engineering. Both researchers and practitioners in the field will find it useful as a state-of-the-art survey.

The ALENEX workshop provides a forum for the presentation of original research in the implementation and experimental evaluation of algorithms and data structures. This volume collects extended versions of the 12 papers that were selected for presentation.

Algorithm Engineering is a methodology for algorithmic research that combines theory with implementation and experimentation in order to obtain better algorithms with high practical impact. Traditionally, the study of algorithms was dominated by mathematical (worst-case) analysis. In Algorithm Engineering, algorithms are also implemented and experiments conducted in a systematic way, sometimes resembling the experimentation processes known from fields such as biology, chemistry, or physics. This helps in counteracting an otherwise growing gap between theory and practice.

This volume contains the papers accepted for the 4th Workshop on Algorithm Engineering (WAE 2000) held in Saarbruc ̈ ken, Germany, during 5–8 September 2000, together with the abstract of the invited lecture given by Karsten Weihe. The Workshop on Algorithm Engineering covers research on all aspects of the subject. The goal is to present recent research results and to identify and explore directions for future research. Previous meetings were held in Venice (1997), Saarbruc ̈ ken (1998), and London (1999). Papers were solicited describing original research in all aspects of algorithm engineering, including: – Development of software repositories and platforms which allow the use of and experimentation with e?cient discrete algorithms. – Novel uses of discrete algorithms in other disciplines and the evaluation of algorithms for realistic environments. – Methodological issues including standards in the context of empirical - search on algorithms and data structures. – Methodological issues regarding the process of converting user requirements into e?cient algorithmic solutions and implementations. The program committee accepted 16 from a total of 30 submissions. The program committee meeting was conducted electronically. The criteria for sel- tion were originality, quality, and relevance to the subject area of the workshop. Considerable e?ort was devoted to the evaluation of the submissions and to p- viding the authors with feedback. Each submission was reviewed by at least four program committee members (assisted by subreferees). A special issue of the ACM Journal of Experimental Algorithmics will be devoted to selected papers from WAE 2000.

Compact DFA representation for fast regular expression search / Gonzalo Navarro / - The Max-Shift algorithm for approximate string matching / Costas S. Iliopoulos / - Fractal matrix multiplication : a case study on portability of cache performance / Gianfranco Bilardi / - Experiences with the design and implementation of space-efficient deques / Jyrki Katajainen / - Designing and implementing a general purpose halfedge data structure / Hervé Brönnimann / - Optimised predecessor data structures for internal memory / Naila Rahman / - An adaptable and expensible geometry kernel / Susan Hert / - Efficient resource allocation with noisy functions / Arne Andersson / - Improving the efficiency of branch and bound algorithms for the simple plant location problem / Boris Goldengorin / - Exploiting partial knowledge of satisfying assignments / Kazuo Iwama / - Using PRAM algorithms on a uniform-memory-access shared-memory architecture / David A. Bader / - An experimental study of basic communicat ...

This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 5th Workshop on Algorithm Engineering, WAE 2001, held in Aarhus, Denmark, in August 2001. The 15 revised full papers presented were carefully reviewed and selected from 25 submissions. Among the topics addressed are implementation, experimental testing, and fine-tuning of discrete algorithms; novel use of discrete algorithms in other disciplines; empirical research on algorithms and data structures; and methodological issues regarding the process of converting user requirements into efficient algorithmic solutions and implemenations.

This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the Third International Workshop on Algorithm Engineering, WAE'99, held in London, UK in July 1999. The 24 revised full papers presented were carefully reviewed and selected from a total of 46 submissions. The papers present original research results in all aspects of algorithm engineering including implementation, experimental testing, fine-tuning of discrete algorithms, development of repositories of software, methodological issues such as standards for empirical research on algorithms and data structures, and issues in the process of converting user requirements into efficient algorithmic solutions and implementations.

This book covers algorithmic problems in big data applications, presenting solutions over hierarchical-memory systems along with pseudocode.