Large Scale Nonlinear Optimization

This book reviews and discusses recent advances in the development of methods and algorithms for nonlinear optimization and its applications, focusing on the large-dimensional case, the current forefront of much research. Individual chapters, contributed by eminent authorities, provide an up-to-date overview of the field from different and complementary standpoints, including theoretical analysis, algorithmic development, implementation issues and applications.

This book reviews and discusses recent advances in the development of methods and algorithms for nonlinear optimization and its applications, focusing on the large-dimensional case, the current forefront of much research. Individual chapters, contributed by eminent authorities, provide an up-to-date overview of the field from different and complementary standpoints, including theoretical analysis, algorithmic development, implementation issues and applications.

LANCELOT is a software package for solving large-scale nonlinear optimization problems. This book is our attempt to provide a coherent overview of the package and its use. This includes details of how one might present examples to the package, how the algorithm tries to solve these examples and various technical issues which may be useful to implementors of the software. We hope this book will be of use to both researchers and practitioners in nonlinear programming. Although the book is primarily concerned with a specific optimization package, the issues discussed have much wider implications for the design and im plementation of large-scale optimization algorithms. In particular, the book contains a proposal for a standard input format for large-scale optimization problems. This proposal is at the heart of the interface between a user's problem and the LANCE LOT optimization package. Furthermore, a large collection of over five hundred test ex amples has already been written in this format and will shortly be available to those who wish to use them. We would like to thank the many people and organizations who supported us in our enterprise. We first acknowledge the support provided by our employers, namely the the Facultes Universitaires Notre-Dame de la Paix (Namur, Belgium), Harwell Laboratory (UK), IBM Corporation (USA), Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (UK) and the University of Waterloo (Canada). We are grateful for the support we obtained from NSERC (Canada), NATO and AMOCO (UK).

In this book, theory of large scale optimization is introduced with case studies of real-world problems and applications of structured mathematical modeling. The large scale optimization methods are represented by various theories such as Benders’ decomposition, logic-based Benders’ decomposition, Lagrangian relaxation, Dantzig –Wolfe decomposition, multi-tree decomposition, Van Roy’ cross decomposition and parallel decomposition for mathematical programs such as mixed integer nonlinear programming and stochastic programming. Case studies of large scale optimization in supply chain management, smart manufacturing, and Industry 4.0 are investigated with efficient implementation for real-time solutions. The features of case studies cover a wide range of fields including the Internet of things, advanced transportation systems, energy management, supply chain networks, service systems, operations management, risk management, and financial and sales management. Instructors, graduate students, researchers, and practitioners, would benefit from this book finding the applicability of large scale optimization in asynchronous parallel optimization, real-time distributed network, and optimizing the knowledge-based expert system for convex and non-convex problems.

This book reviews and discusses recent advances in the development of methods and algorithms for nonlinear optimization and its applications, focusing on the large-dimensional case, the current forefront of much research. Individual chapters, contributed by eminent authorities, provide an up-to-date overview of the field from different and complementary standpoints, including theoretical analysis, algorithmic development, implementation issues and applications.

In its thousands of years of history, mathematics has made an extraordinary ca reer. It started from rules for bookkeeping and computation of areas to become the language of science. Its potential for decision support was fully recognized in the twentieth century only, vitally aided by the evolution of computing and communi cation technology. Mathematical optimization, in particular, has developed into a powerful machinery to help planners. Whether costs are to be reduced, profits to be maximized, or scarce resources to be used wisely, optimization methods are available to guide decision making. Opti mization is particularly strong if precise models of real phenomena and data of high quality are at hand - often yielding reliable automated control and decision proce dures. But what, if the models are soft and not all data are around? Can mathematics help as well? This book addresses such issues, e. g. , problems of the following type: - An elevator cannot know all transportation requests in advance. In which order should it serve the passengers? - Wing profiles of aircrafts influence the fuel consumption. Is it possible to con tinuously adapt the shape of a wing during the flight under rapidly changing conditions? - Robots are designed to accomplish specific tasks as efficiently as possible. But what if a robot navigates in an unknown environment? - Energy demand changes quickly and is not easily predictable over time. Some types of power plants can only react slowly.

This book presents the theoretical details and computational performances of algorithms used for solving continuous nonlinear optimization applications imbedded in GAMS. Aimed toward scientists and graduate students who utilize optimization methods to model and solve problems in mathematical programming, operations research, business, engineering, and industry, this book enables readers with a background in nonlinear optimization and linear algebra to use GAMS technology to understand and utilize its important capabilities to optimize algorithms for modeling and solving complex, large-scale, continuous nonlinear optimization problems or applications. Beginning with an overview of constrained nonlinear optimization methods, this book moves on to illustrate key aspects of mathematical modeling through modeling technologies based on algebraically oriented modeling languages. Next, the main feature of GAMS, an algebraically oriented language that allows for high-level algebraic representation of mathematical optimization models, is introduced to model and solve continuous nonlinear optimization applications. More than 15 real nonlinear optimization applications in algebraic and GAMS representation are presented which are used to illustrate the performances of the algorithms described in this book. Theoretical and computational results, methods, and techniques effective for solving nonlinear optimization problems, are detailed through the algorithms MINOS, KNITRO, CONOPT, SNOPT and IPOPT which work in GAMS technology.