A Generalization of the Shortest Path Problem to Graphs with Multiple Edge-Cost Estimates

08/22/2022

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by   Eyal Weiss, et al.

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The shortest path problem in graphs is a cornerstone for both theory and applications. Existing work accounts for edge weight access time, but generally ignores edge weight computation time. In this paper we present a generalized framework for weighted directed graphs, where each edge cost can be dynamically estimated by multiple estimators, that offer different cost bounds and run-times. This raises several generalized shortest path problems, that optimize different aspects of path cost while requiring guarantees on cost uncertainty, providing a better basis for modeling realistic problems. We present complete, anytime algorithms for solving these problems, and provide guarantees on the solution quality.