TY - GEN
T1 - The optimizing-simulator
T2 - 2007 Winter Simulation Conference, WSC
AU - Powell, Warren Buckler
PY - 2007
Y1 - 2007
N2 - There is a wide range of simulation problems that involve making decisions during the simulation, where we would like to make the best decisions possible, taking into account not only what we know when we make the decision, but also the impact of the decision on the future. Such problems can be formulated as dynamic programs, stochastic programs and optimal control problems, but these techniques rarely produce computationally tractable algorithms. We demonstrate how the framework of approximate dynamic programming can produce near-optimal (in some cases) or at least high quality solutions using techniques that are very familiar to the simulation community. The price of this challenge is that the simulation has to be run iteratively, using statistical learning techniques to produce the desired intelligence. The benefit is a reduced dependence on more traditional rule-based logic.
AB - There is a wide range of simulation problems that involve making decisions during the simulation, where we would like to make the best decisions possible, taking into account not only what we know when we make the decision, but also the impact of the decision on the future. Such problems can be formulated as dynamic programs, stochastic programs and optimal control problems, but these techniques rarely produce computationally tractable algorithms. We demonstrate how the framework of approximate dynamic programming can produce near-optimal (in some cases) or at least high quality solutions using techniques that are very familiar to the simulation community. The price of this challenge is that the simulation has to be run iteratively, using statistical learning techniques to produce the desired intelligence. The benefit is a reduced dependence on more traditional rule-based logic.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=49749137013&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=49749137013&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1109/WSC.2007.4419587
DO - 10.1109/WSC.2007.4419587
M3 - Conference contribution
AN - SCOPUS:49749137013
SN - 1424413060
SN - 9781424413065
T3 - Proceedings - Winter Simulation Conference
SP - 43
EP - 53
BT - Proceedings of the 2007 Winter Simulation Conference, WSC
Y2 - 9 December 2007 through 12 December 2007
ER -