Supernetworks

Background

Modern transportation networks come in a variety of forms, including roadways, rail, water, and air. Even in ancient times, however, transportation networks were often a topic of consideration. At one point, for example, the ancient Romans found their roads overwhelmed by chariots and other users. In an effort to reduce traffic congestion, Rome's leaders instituted a time-of-day chariot policy, which prohibited chariots from using Roman streets during certain hours.

As the centuries passed and transportation grew more complex and complicated, examinations of its networks grew more sophisticated and interdisciplinary, as well. Scientific techniques and procedures have been borrowed from a variety of other disciplines, including biology, computer science, engineering, finance, and mathematics. These diverse influences feed the study of transportation supernetworks with dual outlooks, which combine both management and research goals and objectives.

Models and tools that have been developed with regard to transportation supernetworks are used by businesses, government agencies, and industrial groups to better design and implement ways to transport materials, goods, and people over large and small distances.

The formal study of supernetworks initially involved the development of quantitative models that represented nodes, links, and flows as mathematical equations. Over time, this evolved to include qualitative models, with a push to design algorithms that would solve the ensuing models efficiently and successfully.

Traditional problems that those studying supernetworks examined included shortest-path, maximum-flow, and minimum-cost-flow problems. Shortest-path problems involved determining the most efficient and cost-effective path from an origin node to a destination node. Maximum-flow problems entailed determining the greatest flow that could be sent from the origin node to a destination node without exceeding the maximum capacity of the links. Minimum-cost-flow problems required a balancing of both the costs and capacities associated with the links, so that supplies at the origin nodes could be shipped at minimal costs via the links without surpassing arc capacities.

Today, those who study supernetworks consider problems and issues that have changed little over the centuries, although the technology that permits transportation has changed dramatically. The problems and issues that supernetworks work to ameliorate include congestion, system and user optimization, operations, and network interactions.

Applications

The study of network systems known as supernetworks involves the interdisciplinary analysis of the complex interactions in and between economic, environmental, financial, knowledge-flow, public utility, social, supply chain, telecommunication, and transportation networks. Researchers construct mathematical models and computer algorithms that assist optimizing flows of resources and increasing efficiency with regard to transportation supernetworks.

...