A reduced variable neighborhood search approach for the traveling thief problem

Abstract

While single objective optimization problems have been extensively studied in literature, their narrow scope and very specific field of focus remain a major limiting factor in pragmatic and practical applications. Problems encountered in real-world scenarios are usually a mixture of interdependent and co-relational factors that have dynamic implications in the solution process. In this thesis we examine one such complex problem, the Travelling Thief Problem, derived from the interweaving of two component subproblems; namely the TSP and Knapsack problems, into a coherent interdependent combinatorial optimization problem through the use of the RVNS and VNS metaheuristic methods.