Ascolta

Description:

The Palermo Operations Research Group (GOR) operates at the Department of Engineering of the University of Palermo and promotes research and teaching activities in Operations Research topics. More precisely, in accordance with the sector declaration, the scientific-disciplinary contents involve mathematical aspects of the modeling of continuous and discrete decision-making problems in the deterministic and stochastic field, and of the design and development of algorithms for solving these problems. The applications range in a wide range of fields, such as Transport and Logistics, Healthcare, Tourism and Resource Management in the public and private sectors. The methodologies applied vary from exact methods to metaheuristic and matheuristics for Combinatorial Optimization and multi-stage Stochastic Optimization problems.

The research areas currently active are the following:

• Last Mile Logistics

Design and mathematical modelling of new distribution systems for last-mile logistics concerning the combined use of collective pick-up points (Smart Lockers), drones, delivery robots and occasional drivers (crowdsourcing). Study of the benefit of an integrated delivery system and incentives to increase participation in crowdsourcing. Study of dynamic systems in which information on available resources and/or requests is dynamically revealed over the time horizon. Optimization of platforms for managing the allocation of resources to demand in the field of crowdsourcing and warehousing.

• Scheduling of home health care interventions

Optimization of the scheduling of home health care services, considering operator/patient compatibility, time slots desired by patients and continuity of care but also workload balance among operators. Optimization of the scheduling of clinical tests at home (blood samples, PCR tests) with the aim of distributing the workload of the analysis laboratories throughout the day and increasing the efficiency of the system.

• Optimization of the offer of tourist services

Optimization and design of itineraries and tourist packages modeled on the needs and preferences of users with the aim of maximizing customer satisfaction

• Resource management in the public sector

Optimization of the management of funds for the preventive reinforcement and repair of buildings located in seismic areas, to minimize the impact of the earthquake on the population.

List of main research projects:

Keywords:

Combinatorial Optimization, Last-Mile Delivery, Stochastic Optimization