Different initial solution generators in genetic algorithms for solving the probabilistic traveling salesman problem

The probabilistic traveling salesman problem (PTSP) is a topic of theoretical and practical importance in the study of stochastic network problems. It provides researchers with a modeling framework for exploring the stochastic effects in routing problems. This paper proposed three initial solution generators (NN1, NN2, RAN) under a genetic algorithm (GA) framework for solving the PTSP. A set of numerical experiments based on heterogeneous and homogeneous PTSP instances were conducted to test the effectiveness and efficiency of the proposed algorithms. The results from the heterogeneous PTSP show that the average E[τ]E[τ] values obtained by the three generators under a GA framework are similar to those obtained by the “Previous Best,” but with an average computation time saving of 50.2%. As for the homogeneous PTSP instances, NN1 is a relatively better generator among the three examined, while RAN consistently performs worse than the other two generators in terms of average E[τ]E[τ] values. Additionally, as compared to previously reported studies, no one single algorithm consistently outperformed the others across all homogeneous PTSP instances in terms of the best E[τ]E[τ] values. The fact that no one initial solution generator consistently performs best in terms of the E[τ]E[τ] value obtained across all instances in heterogeneous cases, and that the performance of each examined algorithm is dependent on the number of nodes (n) and probability (p) for homogeneous cases, suggest the possibility of context-dependent phenomenon. Finally, to obtain valid results, researchers are advised to include at least a certain amount of test instances with the same combination of n and p when conducting PTSP experiments.