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Timetabling using demand profiles

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Progress in Artificial Intelligence (EPIA 1997)

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Computer Science ((LNAI,volume 1323))

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Abstract

Timetabling problems can be extremely time-consuming when they are solved without any kind of computer assistance. Computer assistance can vary from some intuitive graphical interface to an automated timetabler. Although a good graphical interface may be suitable for small problems, when we consider medium-size or large-size problems only an automated tool can be useful. In this paper we introduce a new paradigm for automated timetabling based on models and techniques developed for scheduling. Scheduling concepts such as activity and resource are translated to the timetabling domain and a general Bardadym's scheduling method, named micro-opportunistic approach, is applied in this novel domain. This approach constructs schedules incrementally and always focus its attention on the most critical decisions, to avoid backtracking. This framework is constraint-based and object-oriented. These two methods allows the easy representation of the timetabling problem and the handling of new timetabling constraints, either “hard” (should be satisfied) or “soft” (should preferably be satisfied).

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Ernesto Coasta Amilcar Cardoso

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© 1997 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Soares, P., Mamede, N.J. (1997). Timetabling using demand profiles. In: Coasta, E., Cardoso, A. (eds) Progress in Artificial Intelligence. EPIA 1997. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 1323. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/BFb0023914

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BFb0023914

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-540-63586-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-540-69605-6

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