The Icepack API provides a few different types of models you can solve. Some of them are quite simple, in that, the models mimic the structure that you typically find in academic formulations of these problems. We’ve put our own spin on them - we allow you to model these problems over the road network. This makes models such as the TSP and CVRP quite fun to solve to illustrating how much complexity is actually involved, even for small problems.

Routing models (such as the TSP or CVRP) are typically concerned with the sequence of activities, i.e. what order are we going to perform a set of tasks. Periodic models are also concerned with the order of activities, but ask a more broad question which is related to when in the period certain tasks should be performed. Periodic models are used to model schedules which need to be created for a whole month (as an example) and have complex constraints between tasks over the period (related to how far apart they need to be for certain customers).

Sourcing models are the model high-level model in the logistics domain. Sourcing models are concerned with optimising the network layout (flows of product) in such a way as to minimise the total cost to service a footprint of customers. They help inform strategic decision making and long-term planning.

All models are submitted to the API enclosed in a problem envelope. This means that you have a common mechanism for interacting with the API.