GRID: Graph-Based Modelling Interface for Domain-Independent Dynamic Programming
Gallass, Mohamed-Anass, Greiner, Philippe, Tuerlinckx, Antoine, Verhaeghe, Hélène · arXiv (Cornell University) · 2020
Constraint Programming (CP) has been around for decades, yet it remains largely unknown in industry. When faced with combinatorial optimization problems, industry practitioners not knowledgeable in CP techniques often resort to more creative but not necessarily adequate solutions. This paper is the result of an actual case study brought by Technord, an industry consultant. The problem at hand is the optimization of the activation schedule for high-power pumps in a water treatment facility under fluctuating energy costs. The schedule was previously generated using Discrete Particle Swarm Optimization (DPSO). This method struggled with the increasing complexity of volatile market signals and strict operational constraints. Our simpler model, developed in Python using the CPMpy library, formalizes the problem as a CP model. Our experiments demonstrate the benefits of our model’s simplicity compared to the DPSO solution. This use case also showcases the importance of the accessibility of constraint modelling solutions for less knowledgeable practitioners.