Article ID: | iaor1993461 |
Country: | United Kingdom |
Volume: | 18 |
Issue: | 3 |
Start Page Number: | 347 |
End Page Number: | 360 |
Publication Date: | Jul 1991 |
Journal: | Environment and Planning B |
Authors: | Rosing K.E. |
Keywords: | heuristics |
Despite the long history of the multi-Weber problem and the generalised multi-Weber problem, there is no general optimal method for its solution. This paper has two aims. The first aim is a study of the shape of the objective function of the single and multi-Weber problem. The form of the objective function and the relation of a heuristic to it are critical to the decision to use a heuristic or to seek an optimal solution. The objective function of the multi-Weber problem is shown to be extremely steep in the neighbourhood of the optimal solution, indicating the importance of an optimal rather than heuristic solution. The second aim is a description of a two-step algorithm which, although it cannot guarantee optimality, will frequently terminate optimally and thus appears to be superior to other available heuristics.