Searching a Variable Speed Network

Steve Alpern, Thomas Lidbetter
2014 Mathematics of Operations Research  
A point H lies on a network Q according to some unknown distribution. A Searcher starts at a given point O of Q and moves to ...nd H at speeds which depend on his location and direction. He seeks the randomized search algorithm which minimizes the expected search time. This is equivalent to modeling the problem as a zero-sum hide-and-seek game whose value V is called the search value of (Q; O). We make a new and direct derivation of an explicit formula V = (1=2) ( + ) for the search value of a
more » ... ree, where is the minimum tour time of Q and (called the incline of Q) is an average over the leaf nodes i of the di¤erence (i) = d (O; i) d (i; O) ; where d (x; y) is the time to go from x to y: The function can be interpreted as height, assuming uphill is slower than downhill. We then apply this formula to obtain numerous results for general networks. We also introduce a new general method of comparing the search value of networks which di¤er in a single arc. Some simple networks have very complicated optimal strategies which require mixing of a continuum of pure strategies. Many of our results generalize analogous ones obtained for constant velocity (in both directions) by S. Gal, but not all of those results can be extended.
doi:10.1287/moor.2013.0634 fatcat:qfdmrusq7bakhpy5harqmhm5wy