Implementation and Evaluation of a Resource Allocation Algorithm to Determine the Minimum Number of Inspectors.

摘要

This thesis presents the problem of determining the minimum number of inspectors required to perform cyclic activities at multiple locations over an arbitrary time period. Formulated as an integer programming problem, it is similar to the broad class of problems known as vehicle routing problems. A heuristic approach is adopted for solving this inspector problem by essentially dividing it into a load assignment problem and a tour construction problem for every node with demand. The result is an algorithm to solve generic resource allocation problems with any number of depots. A computer-based implementation of the algorithm was developed to evaluate its performance. Keywords: Logistics support; Logistics inspectors; Vehicle routing problems; Resource allocation; Resource management. (emk)