An Optimal Scheduling System for the Welland Canal

The problem of real time scheduling of vessels through the Welland Canal is discussed. A mathematical programming scheduling algorithm is presented. The problem is formulated as a master schedule selection problem and a schedule evaluation subproblem. The schedule evaluation subproblem is a linear programming model, which, due to special structure, can be solved using an efficient dynamic programming algorithm. The schedule selection algorithm is a heuristic that employs optimal dynamic programming submodels for scheduling the individual locks. Sensitivity information from the schedule evaluation model is used in a greedy type of algorithm to fine tune the schedule. An example of a schedule for the Welland Canal is presented.