A map‐based decision‐support system for delivery planning

This paper describes a project to develop a map‐based decision‐support system for delivery planning in Hong Kong. The system consists of several components, including a map‐based interface, bilingual database storing the information of maps and deliveries and some decision support tools for planning the routes of the delivery vehicles in a feasible and cost‐effective way. In this paper, we describe (1) the features of the system, (2) the underlying network representation used and (3) two decision‐support models, a Time‐varying Constrained Shortest Path (TCSP) problem and a Time‐dependent Vehicle Routing Problem with Time Windows (TVRPTW) and their corresponding algorithms which have been incorporated into the system. We hope this paper will provide some insights on the techniques and challenges of developing such delivery planning systems.