Task allocation--computing the logistics of snow-plowing

In winter, snowfall can rapidly disrupt daily life and impact on Japan's economy. Snowplowing is a considerable annual expense, and methods for co-ordinating plowing activity are needed to ensure an efficient, cost-effective service. Clever computer models are needed to manage such complex activities, which involve many agents and interactions. Now, Satoshi Takahashi at the University of Electro-Communications, and Tokuro Matsuo at the Advanced Institute for Industrial Technology in Tokyo have devised a computational method that combines task allocation and scheduling of individual snow-plows to maximize efficiency. The researchers aimed to identify the best routes for multiple snow-plows to take without replicating route paths, meaning their computer model had to allocate and schedule tasks simultaneously.