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Robust Optimization of Urban Access Networks (ROUAN)

This research is carried out in the framework of Matheon supported by Einstein Foundation Berlin
(Project Grant B-MI4)

  • Project Head: Dr. Fabio D'Andreagiovanni
  • Project Assistants: Jonad Pulaj, Fabian Mett
  • Duration: June 2014 - May 2017

F. D'Andreagiovanni, J. Pulaj and F. Mett are with Zuse Institute Berlin (ZIB)



Abstract

Over the last years, telecommunications have assumed a central role in our everyday life and the volume of exchanged traffic has astonishingly increased, causing a growth of networks in size and complexity. Major telecommunications companies forecast that such traffic increase will continue, reaching the volume of more than 1000 exabyte/ year by the end of 2015 (T. Theimer, ECOC 2009, Vienna). In order to tackle such growth, an important recent trend is the integration of fixed and wireless access networks, leading to so-called fiber-wireless (Fi-Wi) networks. In a Fi-Wi network, optical fibers support long-distance access with high capacity, whereas wireless links are adopted to cover the last connection segment to bring the service directly to the final users. The essential aim of this integration is to get the best of both worlds: the high capacity offered by optical fiber networks and the mobility and ubiquity offered by wireless networks. Such integration also grants a critical cost advantage, since deploying wireless transceivers is in general simpler and less expensive than deploying optical fibers. Last but not least, the integration offers a convenient way of providing a backup in case of failing connections. In Project ROUAN, we aim at developing mathematical programming models for the integrated and robust design of fixed and wireless components of a Fi-Wi network. As a general theoretical objective, we aim at enlarging the knowledge about Robust Optimization by investigating the topic of how to construct uncertainty sets using available historical data.


Scientific highlights

  • Extension of the theoretical knowledge of (Multiband) Robust Optimization
  • Development of new advanced optimization models and algorithms for the unified design of access networks integrating wired and wireless technologies (mixed FTTx architectures)


RESEARCH AWARDS

  • 2016: Nomination to the EvoStar - EvoApplications Best Paper Award 2016
    (7 candidates selected among the 75 papers published in the Springer LNCS proceedings)     ,
    for the paper "An (MI)LP-based Primal Heuristic for 3-Architecture Connected Facility Location in Urban Access Network Designs "
  • 2014: INFORMS Section on Telecommunications Best Paper Award 2014
    for the paper "GUB Covers and Power-Indexed Formulations for Wireless Network Design" (published in Management Science, 2013)
  • 2014: EvoStar - EvoComNet Best Paper Award 2014,
    for the paper "A hybrid primal heuristic for Robust Multiperiod Network Design"


REFEREED PUBLICATIONS

  1. F. D'Andreagiovanni, A. Gleixner,
    Towards an accurate solution of wireless network design problems
    To appear in Proc. of the 2016 International Symposium on Combinatorial Optimization (ISCO), Springer LNCS
    Preprint available at: http://arxiv.org/abs/1604.00513

  2. F. D'Andreagiovanni, G. Caire,
    An Unconventional Clustering Problem: User Service Profile Optimization
    To appear in Proc. of the 2016 IEEE International Symposium on Information Theory (ISIT), IEEE Xplore

  3. F. D'Andreagiovanni, F. Mett, J. Pulaj
    An (MI)LP-based Primal Heuristic for 3-Architecture Connected Facility Location in Urban Access Network Designs
    Proc. of EvoStar - EvoApplications 2016 Springer LNCS 9597, pp. 283-298, 2016
    Finalist for the EvoStar - EvoApplications 2016 Best Paper Award

  4. M. Leitner, I. Ljubic, M. Sinnl, A.Werner
    ILP heuristics and a new exact method for bi-objective 0/1 ILPs: Application to FTTx-network design
    Computers & Operations Research , DOI: 10.1016/j.cor.2016.02.006, 2016

  5. F. D'Andreagiovanni, A. Nardin
    Towards the fast and robust optimal design of Wireless Body Area Networks
    Applied Soft Computing (Elsevier, Impact Factor: 2.810), DOI:10.1016/j.asoc.2015.04.037, 2015

  6. P. Dely, F. D'Andreagiovanni, A. Kassler
    Fair Optimization of Mesh-Connected WLAN Hotspots
    Wireless Communications and Mobile Computing (Impact Factor: 1.291), 15(5), 924-946, DOI: 10.1002/wcm.2393, 2015

  7. F. D'Andreagiovanni
    Revisiting Wireless Network Jamming by SIR-based considerations and Multiband Robust Optimization
    Optimization Letters, DOI: 10.1007/s11590-014-0839-2, 2014

  8. F. D'Andreagiovanni, J. Krolikowski, J. Pulaj
    A fast hybrid primal heuristic for Multiband Robust Capacitated Network Design with Multiple Time Periods
    Applied Soft Computing (Elsevier, Impact Factor: 2.810), DOI: 10.1016/j.asoc.2014.10.016 , 2014       (LINK)

  9. F. D'Andreagiovanni, J. Krolikowski, J. Pulaj
    A hybrid primal heuristic for Robust Multiperiod Network Design
    Applications of Evolutionary Computation, LNCS 8602, pp. 15-26, DOI: 10.1007/978-3-662-45523-4_2, 2014       (LINK)
    Awarded with the EvoStar - EvoComNet 2014 Best Paper Award

  10. F. D'Andreagiovanni, M. Di Lullo, G. Felici, F. Lacalandra
    A Unified View on Tight Formulations for the Unit Commitment Problem with Optimal Transmission Switching
    Proc. of PGMO-COPI 2014, Paris, France, 2014       (LINK)

  11. F. D'Andreagiovanni, C. Mannino, A. Sassano
    GUB Covers and Power-Indexed Formulations for Wireless Network Design
    Management Science 59 (1) 142-156, DOI: 10.1287/mnsc.1120.1571, 2013       (LINK)
    Awarded with the INFORMS Technical Section on Telecommunications Best Paper Award 2014


Submitted papers

  1. F. D'Andreagiovanni *, G. Felici, F. Lacalandra,
    * F. D'Andreagiovanni is First Author
    Revisiting the use of Robust Optimization for optimal energy offering under price uncertainty

  2. F. D'Andreagiovanni, P. Farkas, R. Freund, V. H. Tanzil,
    On the cost-optimal design of hybrid wired/wireless access networks

  3. V. H. Tanzil, F. D'Andreagiovanni, P. Farkas, R. Freund,
    Cost Optimized Planning of Fixed-Wireless Hybrid Access Networks

  4. F. D'Andreagiovanni, F. Mett, J. Pulaj,
    Towards the integration of Power-Indexed Formulations in Multi-architecture Connected Facility Location Problems for the optimal design of hybrid fiber-wireless access networks


Extended Abstracts in International Conference Proceedings

  1. F. D'Andreagiovanni, G. Felici, F. Lacalandra
    Multiband Robust Optimization for optimal energy offering under price uncertainty
    Proceedings of ROADEF 2016, Compiegne, France, 2016

  2. F. D'Andreagiovanni, G. Felici, F. Lacalandra
    Revisiting the use of Robust Optimization in unit commitment problems under market price uncertainty
    Proceedings of AIRO 2015, Annual Conference of the Italian Operational Research Society, Pisa, Italy, 2016

  3. F. D'Andreagiovanni, J. Pulaj, A. Werner
    Modelling fiber/wireless access network planning
    Proceedings of GOR 2015, International Annual Conference of the German OR Society, Vienna, Austria, 2015

  4. F. D'Andreagiovanni, J. Kroloikowski, J. Pulaj
    A Hybrid Heuristic for Robust Multiperiod Network Design
    Proceedings of INFORMS Telecom 2014, Lisbon, Portugal, 2014

  5. A. Abrardo, F. D'Andreagiovanni, P. Detti
    A Robust Optimization Model for Radio Resource Assignment in OFDMA Wireless Networks
    Proceedings of INFORMS Telecom 2014, Lisbon, Portugal, 2014


Theses

  1. F. Mett
    The Connected Facility Location Problem
    Freie Universität Berlin, Bachelor thesis. 2015

  2. V. H. Tanzil
    Modelling and Optimization of Hybrid Fixed-Wireless Access Networks
    Technical Universität Berlin, Master thesis. 2015

  3. K. Hennig
    Facility location with assignment connectivity and distance requirements
    Technical Universität Berlin, Master thesis. 2014


Invited Seminars

  1. 02/2016, F. D'Andreagiovanni: Multiband Robust Optimization: theory and applications, Universite Paris - Dauphine, Paris, France
  2. 02/2016, F. D'Andreagiovanni: Theory and applications of Multiband Robust Optimization, Université de Technologie de Compigne, Compiegne, France
  3. 12/2015, F. D'Andreagiovanni: Multiband Robust Optimization for Energy Offering, SINTEF Oslo, Oslo, Norway
  4. 10/2015, F. D'Andreagiovanni: Multiband Robust Optimization: theory and applications, Universita di Pisa, Pisa, Italy
  5. 06/2015, F. D'Andreagiovanni: Real-world applications of Network Optimization, RWTH Aachen, Aachen, Germany
  6. 04/2015, F. D'Andreagiovanni: Multiband Robust Optimization: theory and applications, INRIA Lille - Nord Europe, Lille, France
  7. 03/2015, F. D'Andreagiovanni: Multiband Robust Optimization: theory and applications, LIPN- University Paris 13, Paris, France,
  8. 04/2014, F. D'Andreagiovanni: 0-1 Multiband Robust Optimization and its application in Forest Scheduling, Institute of Statistical Mathematics Tokyo, Japan (2014)

Talks at International Conferences

  1. 02/2016, F. D'Andreagiovanni: Multiband Robust Optimization for optimal energy offering under price uncertainty, ROADEF 2016, Compiegne, France
  2. 09/2015, F. D'Andreagiovanni: Revisiting the use of Robust Optimization in unit commitment problems under market price uncertainty, AIRO 2015, Pisa, Italy
  3. 09/2015, A. Werner: Modelling Fiber/wireless access network planning, OR 2015, Wien, Austria
  4. 11/2014, F. D'Andreagiovanni: GUB Covers and Power-indexed formulations for Wireless Net- work Design, INFORMS Annual Meeting 2014, San Francisco, USA