OptiMap, the free TSP solver for Google Maps, used to guarantee the optimal solution for up to 9 locations only. That number has now been increased to 15. If you had more than that number of locations, you would get a solution close to the optimal (often the optimal). The new OptiMap uses the dynamic… Continue reading »
A while ago, I made OptiMap, a Google Maps mashup that will take a number of locations and give you the best way to visit all of them. By best, I mean fastest. Since then, I have been exposed to various ideas on applications for this tool. One is in the real-estate business, where prospective home buyers… Continue reading »
What really happens when you hit the ‘Calculate fastest roundtrip’-button in OptiMap? The problem we attempt to solve is a classic and is called the ‘Travelling Salesman Problem’ or simply TSP. Before we dive into this intrigueing question, some definitions are useful. Each location will be referred to as a node, with location number denoted… Continue reading »
Imagine you are a salesperson and have to visit a number of customers. However, you want to spend as little time as possible driving. If you only have to visit two or three locations, it is usually easy to find the optimal route. You can use regular map services such as Google Maps, Yahoo! Maps or MapQuest to find the shortest path between two places. However, as the number of… Continue reading »