Using equitable optimization for the hazmat transport network design problem

Abstract

The shipment of hazardous materials is challenging due to the risk the population centers face during transportation. The policy makers often have concerns for ensuring a balanced allocation of the risks to the population centers. We structure this problem as an equitable optimization problem with multiple objectives aiming to minimize the risk exposure of different neighborhoods. The resulting multiobjective mixed integer linear programming problem is solved to provide equitably nondominated solutions, each with different levels of efficiency (total risk) and fairness (allocation of risk). Moreover, a robust programming extension is discussed and shown to be valuable under uncertainty.