Abstract
This article describes an approach taken to optimise the timetable of the mobile library service operating on the Isle of Wight. The mobile library visits over 90 communities on the island, offering books, DVDs, videos and CDs, and operates on a periodic timetable. The optimisation problem is formulated as a multiple travelling salesmen model with additional time-balancing constraints on route durations. The article also shows ways in which data required for the model, in particular travel times, were gathered, and discusses practical issues arising in pre-processing the data to fit the purposes of the case study. The model is used to produce an improved timetable over the current one that implies driving time reductions of up to 25 per cent and yields routes that are better balanced in terms of time spent on the visits made each day. The model is also used to test various scenarios differing with respect to the number of locations visited and days over which the service operates.
Additional information
Notes on contributors
Tanutr Rienthong
Tanutr Rienthong holds a Bachelor's degree in Management Sciences, 2008, from Kasetsart University, Thailand; and holds a Master's degree in Management Science and Finance at the University of Southampton, 2009 to 2010.
Andrew Walker
Andrew Walker has worked as a public library manager since graduating from Oxford University in 1981. Following several posts in London boroughs, Andrew moved to the Isle of Wight in 1990. He is now employed as the Development Librarian in charge of library operations, encompassing staffing, building maintenance, mobile vehicles and performance monitoring.
Tolga Bektaş
Tolga Bektaş is a lecturer in Management Science at the University of Southampton and the Director of the MSc in Business Analytics and Management Sciences at the School of Management. He has a BSc (1998), MSc (2000) and PhD (2005) in Industrial Engineering, and postdoctoral research experience at the University of Montreal. His research interests are in discrete optimisation with applications to vehicle routeing, service network design, and freight transportation and logistics. His publications appeared in journals such as Transportation Science, Networks, European Journal of Operational Research, Computers & Operations Research and Journal of the Operational Research Society.