Weighted multiplicative decision function for distributed routing in transport logistics

In transport logistics, routing is usually done by a central instance that is solving the optimization problem of finding the best solution to cover the current set of orders with the current set of vehicles under constraints such as punctuality, vehicle utilization etc. Approaches have been suggested recently which change this paradigm towards a distributed approach with autonomous entities deciding on their own. Autonomous entities denote, in this case, the vehicles as well as the goods. When each of the entities makes its own route decisions, it has to consider multiple parameters, which are partially static (e.g. distances) and partially dynamic. An example for a dynamic parameter is the knowledge about vehicle availability that goods need for their decisions. The work presented here is based on the information exchange concept DLRP (Distributed Logistic Routing Protocol), which has been proposed before. Within that framework, the concept of weighted multiplicative combination of context values into a decision function is now introduced for the route decisions made by autonomous entities.