Optimization And Decision Science

This book collects selected contributions from the international conference “Optimization and Decision Science” (ODS2020), which was held online on November 19, 2020, and organized by AIRO, the Italian Operations Research Society. The book offers new and original contributions on optimization, decisions science and prescriptive analytics from both a methodological and applied perspective, using models and methods based on continuous and discrete optimization, graph theory and network optimization, analytics, multiple criteria decision making, heuristics, metaheuristics, and exact methods. In addition to more theoretical contributions, the book chapters describe models and methods for addressing a wide diversity of real-world applications, spanning health, transportation, logistics, public sector, manufacturing, and emergency management. Although the book is aimed primarily at researchers and PhD students in the Operations Research community, the interdisciplinary content makes it interesting for practitioners facing complex decision-making problems in the afore-mentioned areas, as well as for scholars and researchers from other disciplines, including artificial intelligence, computer sciences, economics, mathematics, and engineering.

The contributions included in the volume are drawn from presentations at ODS2019 – International Conference on Optimization and Decision Science, which was the 49th annual meeting of the Italian Operations Research Society (AIRO) held at Genoa, Italy, on 4-7 September 2019. This book presents very recent results in the field of Optimization and Decision Science. While the book is addressed primarily to the Operations Research (OR) community, the interdisciplinary contents ensure that it will also be of very high interest for scholars and researchers from many scientific disciplines, including computer sciences, economics, mathematics, and engineering. Operations Research is known as the discipline of optimization applied to real-world problems and to complex decision-making fields. The focus is on mathematical and quantitative methods aimed at determining optimal or near-optimal solutions in acceptable computation times. This volume not only presents theoretical results but also covers real industrial applications, making it interesting for practitioners facing decision problems in logistics, manufacturing production, and services. Readers will accordingly find innovative ideas from both a methodological and an applied perspective.

This volume collects peer-reviewed short papers presented at the Optimization and Decision Science conference (ODS 2022) held in Florence (Italy) from August 30th to September 2nd, 2022, organized by the Global Optimization Laboratory within the University of Florence and AIRO (the Italian Association for Operations Research). The book includes contributions in the fields of operations research, optimization, problem solving, decision making and their applications in the most diverse domains. Moreover, a special focus is set on the challenging theme Operations Research: inclusion and equity. The work offers 30 contributions, covering a wide spectrum of methodologies and applications. Specifically, they feature the following topics: (i) Variational Inequalities, Equilibria and Games, (ii) Optimization and Machine Learning, (iii) Global Optimization, (iv) Optimization under Uncertainty, (v) Combinatorial Optimization, (vi) Transportation and Mobility, (vii) Health Care Management, and (viii) Applications. This book is primarily addressed to researchers and PhD students of the operations research community. However, due to its interdisciplinary content, it will be of high interest for other closely related research communities.

This proceedings volume highlights the state-of-the-art knowledge related to optimization, decisions science and problem solving methods, as well as their application in industrial and territorial systems. It includes contributions tackling these themes using models and methods based on continuous and discrete optimization, network optimization, simulation and system dynamics, heuristics, metaheuristics, artificial intelligence, analytics, and also multiple-criteria decision making. The number and the increasing size of the problems arising in real life require mathematical models and solution methods adequate to their complexity. There has also been increasing research interest in Big Data and related challenges. These challenges can be recognized in many fields and systems which have a significant impact on our way of living: design, management and control of industrial production of goods and services; transportation planning and traffic management in urban and regional areas; energy production and exploitation; natural resources and environment protection; homeland security and critical infrastructure protection; development of advanced information and communication technologies. The chapters in this book examine how to deal with new and emerging practical problems arising in these different fields through the presented methodologies and their applications. The chapter topics are applicable for researchers and practitioners working in these areas, but also for the operations research community. The contributions were presented during the international conference “Optimization and Decision Science” (ODS2017), held at Hilton Sorrento Palace Conference Center, Sorrento, Italy, September 4 – 7, 2017. ODS 2017, was organized by AIRO, Italian Operations Research Society, in cooperation with DIETI (Department of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology) of University “Federico II” of Naples.

This volume collects peer-reviewed short papers presented at the Optimization and Decision Science conference (ODS 2022) held in Florence (Italy) from August 30th to September 2nd, 2022, organized by the Global Optimization Laboratory within the University of Florence and AIRO (the Italian Association for Operations Research). The book includes contributions in the fields of operations research, optimization, problem solving, decision making and their applications in the most diverse domains. Moreover, a special focus is set on the challenging theme Operations Research: inclusion and equity. The work offers 30 contributions, covering a wide spectrum of methodologies and applications. Specifically, they feature the following topics: (i) Variational Inequalities, Equilibria and Games, (ii) Optimization and Machine Learning, (iii) Global Optimization, (iv) Optimization under Uncertainty, (v) Combinatorial Optimization, (vi) Transportation and Mobility, (vii) Health Care Management, and (viii) Applications. This book is primarily addressed to researchers and PhD students of the operations research community. However, due to its interdisciplinary content, it will be of high interest for other closely related research communities.

The large and complex challenges the world is facing, the growing prevalence of huge data sets, and the new and developing ways for addressing them (artificial intelligence, data science, machine learning, etc.), means it is increasingly vital that academics and professionals from across disciplines have a basic understanding of the mathematical underpinnings of effective, optimized decision-making. Without it, decision makers risk being overtaken by those who better understand the models and methods, that can best inform strategic and tactical decisions. Introduction to Optimization-Based Decision-Making provides an elementary and self-contained introduction to the basic concepts involved in making decisions in an optimization-based environment. The mathematical level of the text is directed to the post-secondary reader, or university students in the initial years. The prerequisites are therefore minimal, and necessary mathematical tools are provided as needed. This lean approach is complemented with a problem-based orientation and a methodology of generalization/reduction. In this way, the book can be useful for students from STEM fields, economics and enterprise sciences, social sciences and humanities, as well as for the general reader interested in multi/trans-disciplinary approaches. Features Collects and discusses the ideas underpinning decision-making through optimization tools in a simple and straightforward manner Suitable for an undergraduate course in optimization-based decision-making, or as a supplementary resource for courses in operations research and management science Self-contained coverage of traditional and more modern optimization models, while not requiring a previous background in decision theory

The large and complex challenges the world is facing, the growing prevalence of huge data sets, and the new and developing ways for addressing them (artificial intelligence, data science, machine learning, etc.), means it is increasingly vital that academics and professionals from across disciplines have a basic understanding of the mathematical underpinnings of effective, optimized decision-making. Without it, decision makers risk being overtaken by those who better understand the models and methods, that can best inform strategic and tactical decisions. Introduction to Optimization-Based Decision-Making provides an elementary and self-contained introduction to the basic concepts involved in making decisions in an optimization-based environment. The mathematical level of the text is directed to the post-secondary reader, or university students in the initial years. The prerequisites are therefore minimal, and necessary mathematical tools are provided as needed. This lean approach is complemented with a problem-based orientation and a methodology of generalization/reduction. In this way, the book can be useful for students from STEM fields, economics and enterprise sciences, social sciences and humanities, as well as for the general reader interested in multi/trans-disciplinary approaches. Features Collects and discusses the ideas underpinning decision-making through optimization tools in a simple and straightforward manner Suitable for an undergraduate course in optimization-based decision-making, or as a supplementary resource for courses in operations research and management science Self-contained coverage of traditional and more modern optimization models, while not requiring a previous background in decision theory

Decision science is the discipline that is concerned with the development and applications of quantitative methods and techniques to support decision making processes. This extensively revised edition of two former versions of the book discusses the general principles and often used optimization techniques such as linear programming, integer programming, dynamic programming, non-linear programming, network theory, simulation and stochastic programming. This book aims to fill in the gap between theory and practice. It discusses the theoretical background of important quantitative methods and techniques as well as how they can be applied to practical decision making problems. Therefore, the modeling process is illustrated with examples of firms, consumers, governments and other non-profit organizations in agriculture related sectors. The authors have used their vast didactical experience to find a proper balance between mathematical exactness, knowledge and readability on the one hand and offer understanding, insights and applicability of the subjects on the other hand. The book is therefore an essential asset in introductory courses on decision science in undergraduate, postgraduate and research programmes.