Design of optimal e-commerce networks with autonomous airplanes to serve remote communities

无人驾驶飞机的使用有可能彻底改变供应链和物流系统的未来。这项研究将通过与工业合作伙伴Ribbit、滑铁卢大学和西方大学的合作，优化使用自动驾驶飞机的电子商务网络的设计，以有效地为加拿大的偏远社区服务。研究目标是（i）收集数据以估计远程社区电子商务商品需求的当前和预测空间分布，（ii）使用自主飞机设计电子商务履行网络的整体优化模型，（iii）开发有效的解决方案方法，可以解决此优化模型的实际大规模实例，以及（iv）对最优网络设计和运输选择如何相对于输入参数的变化而变化执行灵敏度和假设分析。项目成果将降低为偏远社区服务的业务成本，并使这些社区更容易进入。它还将提升合作伙伴公司Ribbit的内部优化和分析能力，并为他们提供机会，利用自动驾驶飞机扩展其服务网络，为加拿大其他地区提供服务。

The use of autonomous airplanes has the potential to revolutionize the future of supply chain and logistics systems. This research will optimize the design of e-commerce networks using autonomous airplanes to efficiently serve remote communities in Canada through collaboration with the industrial partner Ribbit, the University of Waterloo, and Western University. The research goals are to (i) collect data to estimate the current and forecasted spatial distribution of demand for e-commerce goods in remote communities, (ii) design a holistic optimization model for e-commerce fulfillment networks using autonomous airplanes, (iii) develop an efficient solution methodology that can solve real-sized large-scale instances of this optimization model, and (iv) perform sensitivity and what-if analyses on how optimal network design and transportation choices change with respect to changes in the input parameters. The project outcomes will reduce the operational costs of serving remote communities and will make these communities more accessible. It will also advance the in-house optimization and analytics capabilities of the partner company Ribbit and provide opportunities for them to expand their service networks utilizing autonomous airplanes to serve the rest of Canada.