I have just started a new job where I often have to visit several sites in a day.
I handle a few different postal areas, eg: RG, SL, UB, OX etc and aim to cover a particular area each day.
My question is, is there a way of entering, say 6 RG postcodes into a computer and the computer deciding which order I should visit them in to minimise travelling?
Thanks,
Stuart
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On the AA site there is an advanced search option in the route finder and you can add at least 6 'Vias', dont know if this helps?
CBG
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Autoroute from Microsoft is very good for this sort of thing, it has an 'optimise stops' facility, and lots of other features. Can be picked up on Fleabay quite cheaply.
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thats handy to know, thanks for both answers
: o )
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Stuart, I asked the same question, maybe a year or so ago, and it seems that the 'optimum' i.e. the shortest route involves much more complex mathemetics than you would initially think. I believe it is a classical maths problem known as 'the salesman's dilemma' and you can Google for it. I don't know if there is yet a computer that can handle it - at least, one that you can fit it your car!
In the end, I got a map of the post code areas, divided my patch into 8 cardinal points, looked at a 'reasonable' order of visits, then put each one into the Tomtom. For this, the Tomtom proved absolutely invaluable.
If anything new has developed more recently, I too would be very pleased to hear about it.
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There are computer programs which will optimize deliveries - I use Personal Navigator 2.2 (1997), but I don't think it's still available.
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It's known as the traveling salesman problem, but contrary to popular opinion it doesn't involve particularly complex mathematics. Instead, as the number of destinations increases, the time taken to compute the most optimum route rises exponentially.
So with only a few destinations, it can be easily done on a computer, although I imagine that they might use an alternate algorithm anyway that while being sub-optimal is "good enough".
I believe there's an awful lot of money awaiting the person who can prove that the TSP (amongst others) is NP-complete, as it'll answer a huge question in computer science. I should add that it's been well over a year since I last looked at this, and I didn't particularly enjoy it then so please forgive any mistakes. :)
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I second the Microsoft Autoroute suggestion.
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Waino thats what I was going to do but I thought there MUST be a more technical approach!
Good to know that I had managed to think of the most advanced method known at the moment!!!
I have sat nav so will go down that road if you excuse the pun!
Cheers
Stuart
Edited by stuartl on 12/01/2008 at 14:31
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Having been a multi destination driver for many years, the best advice I can give you is this. Ignore the computer and follow this simple rule ......go to the furthest point on your day's schedule first and work your way back to base / home. That way you are doing the longest drive when you are fresh and the shortest when tired. The added bonus is that you get home early !
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