Models and Techniques for Dynamic Demand-Responsive Transportation Planning: A State-of-the-Art Assessment Inspired by the Aeromedical Regulation and Evacuation Problem

Abstract

This article provides an overview of state-of-the-art technologies relevant to dynamic transportation planning problems that involve the reactive routing and scheduling of a fleet of vehicles in response to dynamically changing transportation demands. Specifically, we focus on a new class of complex transportation planning problems, which we refer to as the "Dynamic Dial-A-Ride Problem with Multiple Acceptable Destinations and/or Origins" (D-DARP-MADO). While this class of dynamic problems is representative of a number of practical transportation problems, it does not appear to have been the object of prior studies. This is not to say that techniques proposed for simpler routing and scheduling problems cannot be brought to bear on this problem. To the contrary, our survey shows that a number of techniques developed in the fields of vehicle routing and scheduling, including reactive techniques proposed in the constraint-directed scheduling and manufacturing scheduling literature, appear quite relevant and can be adapted and/or combined to design effective solution procedures for the D-DARP-MADO.