Shortest Route Application via Dynamic Programming in the Transportation Networks

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to develop an application for finding the shortest path in the transportation sector. The application was developed using the dynamic programming method in MS Excel Visual Basic application. These types of problems are also called stagecoach problems. The purpose of the problem is finding the shortest path between the starting point (node) and the destination point. Values are related to the roads in the network to specify the distance between two nodes. In case of a small number of nodes (activities), a solution can be reached by evaluating all options. But the number of possible options to be scanned for real problems is quite large. In such cases, a suitable method is needed for the solution. It can produce effective solutions with the dynamic programming approach.