Applications of operations research to transportation, logistics, fairness issues, and other topics

拟议的研究计划是一项长期持续努力的一部分，旨在开发基于运筹学方法（数学模型，求解算法，计算机程序和软件）的有效决策支持工具，以解决运输和物流网络规划和运营中遇到的重要问题，以及其他一些应用领域（能源发电和储存，医疗保健等）。.这意味着，除其他事项外，推导出必要的理论结果，只要需要的情况下在手，并寻求尖端性能的所有算法和软件的开发。另一个关键问题是相关性，即，该方案的最终目的是为那些在真实的、实际的环境中既重要又具有科学挑战性的问题提供解决办法。 关于短期目标，拟议的研究计划旨在： 1.开发模型和相关方法工具（算法、理论结果等）更好地说明在许多重要的实际情况中遇到的内在不确定性; 2.仔细研究从获取海量数据中获得的好处，以及从更传统的运筹学方法和数据科学与机器学习技术之间的方法互动中获得的好处; 3.处理新的研究主题，这些主题涉及近年来在若干领域出现的问题和做法（电动汽车运输，运输和物流中的共享经济方法，可持续发电的能源储存等）;其中，一个研究流在当前关注公平，多样性和包容性的背景下特别感兴趣：在人工智能公平问题的背景下使用运筹学工具。 将努力确保将研究计划的成果转让给最容易使用它们的工业和公共当局。 考虑到公共和私营部门每年投入大量资金用于运输和物流网络的部署和运营，以及医疗保健和能源，这项研究计划的长期社会经济影响可能会非常显著。

The proposed research program is part of a long-term, continuing effort aimed at developing effective decision support tools based on operations research methods (mathematical models, solution algorithms, computer procedures and software) to tackle important problems encountered in the planning and operations of transportation and logistical networks, as well as some other application areas (energy generation and storage, healthcare, etc.) . This implies, among other things, deriving necessary theoretical results whenever required by the situation at hand and seeking for cutting-edge performance in all algorithms and software that are developed. Another key issue is that of relevance, i.e., this program aims ultimately at providing solution approaches for problems that are both important in real, practical settings and scientifically challenging. Regarding short-term objectives, the proposed research program aims at: 1. Developing models and related methodological tools (algorithms, theoretical results, etc.) that account better for the inherent uncertainty encountered in many important practical situations; 2. Examining carefully the benefits to be gained from access to massive data, as well as from the methodological interactions between more traditional operations research approaches and techniques from data science and machine learning; 3. Tackling new research themes that deal with issues and practices that have appeared in recent years in several fields (transportation with electrical vehicles, sharing economy approaches in transportation and logistics, energy storage for sustainable generation, etc.); among these, one research stream is of special interest in the context of the current concerns about Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion: the use of operations research tools in the context of fairness issues in artificial intelligence. Efforts will be made to ensure the transfer of the results of the research program to industry and public authorities that are most susceptible to use them. Considering the huge amounts that the public and the private sectors devote each year to the deployment and operation of transportation and logistical networks, as well as healthcare and energy, the long-term socio-economic impact of this research program could prove to be extremely significant.