Description

With 'Clustering mode', you can ask PTV OptiFlow to group the orders on a route or subroute and you can indicate how strong the orders on a (sub)route must be clustered.

Clustering mode can be set on both global level and can be overwritten on vehicle level.

Two parameters must be set:

1. Which clustering mode to use?

   • None

   • Route clustering

   • Subroute clustering

2. Clustering parameter - how strong should the orders be grouped on a (sub)route?
   This can be indicated:

   • with the slider

   • via a value - low being soft, high being hard.

Edit on global level - settings

Open

Edit on vehicle level

Open

Bulk edit

Open

Extra info

This is a feature that has a strong impact on the plan and there are some extra points of notice:

• The orders that must be executed on a (sub)route will all be located close together, whereas with the feature 'ignore kilometer costs to and from depot', the distance between the first and the last order of a subroute can still be big.

• Clustering is a suggestion, it is a soft constraint. Even though you ask PTV OptiFlow to group all orders on a vehicle based on their location, other orders outside the preferred region might still be added.

• Clustering comes with a cost because you are using severe constraints. Still, generating a cost effective plan is still a goal of OptiFlow. When using clustering, clustering will be priority number one but if the actual cost of clustering will be extremely high (e.g. every route contains only 1 order because of clustering) then PTV OptiFlow will not consider this to be a good solution and look for better ones.
  → the goal is to take clustering into account but keep the impact on the cost limited.

• When you choose subroute clustering for a pickup & delivery problem (where the concept of subroutes is irrelevant), you will receive a warning and route clustering will be used instead. 

• You can upload the clustering settings on a vehicle level through the vehicle file.

  • When the uploaded clustering parameters are invalid then you will receive a warning and the vehicle will get the global settings instead.

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