| “ | [...] a carefully designed application-program interface for Internet optimization services would do much to encourage development of client applications„- Fourer, Goux |
You may have heard, that Gurobi has released the next version of their solver software.
Today we released version 0.3.1062.0 of the Optimization.Framework which adds support for Gurobi 5.0. As always, you can get the latest version of the Optimization.Framework from the Nuget repository: http://nuget.org/packages/Optimization.Framework.
We had a few requests for a forum where people can ask questions about the Optimization.Framework recently, so here it is: https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/optimizationframework-forum.
Lars
At APMOD 2012 conference in Paderborn there will be two workshops, one on the Optimization.Framework, which will be held by Jens Peter Kempkes and Lars Beckmann and one on Pyomo which will be held by Jean-Paul Watson and John Siirola.
If you are interested in attending, use the links next to the title to register:
Hands-on-lab: Optimization.Framework – The Algebraic Modeling Language for .NET (Register here)
In this hands-on-lab you will learn how to build algebraic models using the Optimization.Framework. After a short introduction of the key components and how they work together you will boot up a preconfigured virtual machine and implement your first algebraic model in .NET. You will learn how to retrieve parameter sets from a database and build a model based on this data context. Handing a model over to a solver and working with the returned solution (i.e. tying it to business objects) will complete the first part of this lab. The second part of this lab will introduce the concept of behavior-driven modeling and show hands-on, how this new modeling process results in models that are less likely to contain errors.
Hands-On Lab: Using Python and the Algebraic Modeling Language Pyomo to Specify, Solve, and Analyze Mathematical Programs (Register here)
The purpose of this lab session is to learn the basics of how to use the open-source Pyomo algebraic modeling language to specify, solve, and analyze mathematical programs – all within the Python programming language environment. Pyomo provides capabilities for modeling linear and non-linear programs, both with and without discrete variables. The lab is broken into four segments – and assumes no knowledge of Python. In the first segment, we will interactively illustrate the use of Pyomo to model and solve some basic mathematical programs. In the second segment, we will discuss various mechanisms available to import data into Pyomo. The third segment will focus on some simple Python scripts that allow for customized interaction with and analysis of a mathematical program. Finally, we will briefly survey two advanced modeling features enabled by Pyomo: stochastic programming and generalized disjunctive programming.
Today I got a surprise visit from Jochen, a student, who just finished his bachelor thesis at the group of Prof. Kundisch (Information Management and E-Finance). He had been using the Optimization.Framework in his thesis and wanted to say thank you for the Framework and a few hints I had given him.
Not only did he say thank you, but he also gave me an amazon voucher (see below).
@Jochen: By posting this I want to say thanks! You made my day! This was the first time the Optimization.Framework ever got a donation! 
Lars
The APMOD ‘Early Bird’ registration phase – just like the year 2011 – is coming to a close.
If you register before December 31st, you get your delegate ticket for 300 Euros or your student (BA/MA only) ticket for 120 Euros. In both cases you are saving 80 Euros compared to the regular price.
Below you can see a list of registration entitlements:
- Entry to all Conference Sessions
- Lunches (noon) during the 3 conference days
- Morning and afternoon teas and coffee daily
- 1 ticket to the Welcome Reception
- 1 ticket to the Conference Dinner
- Delegate Satchel
- Final Program and Abstract Book
- Free WiFi Access at the conference
- Free use of public transport during the conference
To register please visit: http://www.apmod.org/registration/
We would like to wish you and your family a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
The APMOD Team
Today we released a new NuGet package, which allows you to use GLPK with the Optimization.Framework.
The great thing about this package is that
- it will also install the Optimization.Framework automatically
- it will install the precompiled assemblies of GLPK
- it configures the paths to the assemblies by changing your app.config file accordingly (at this point we assume that your process runs as a 64-bit process; if this is not the case, simply go to your app.config and change the path to the native assembly from x64 to x86)
This means, that you get a fully working C# modeling language including a precompiled and preconfigured free to use solver, so that you can start modeling right away.
This new package is licensed under the GPL, which basically means that you will most likely not use it for commercial products. The Optimization.Framework itself however will still be licensed as it has always been. So, you get to choose if you want the free one-stop package which forces you to publish your software under the GPL or if you want the version for which you need to get a Gurobi, Cplex or MOPS license but which you will still be able to use without adapting your own license.
The new package can be found via the NuGet package manager. Simply type “GPLK” in the search box. You can also go to this site and download the package manually: http://nuget.org/packages/Optimization.Solver.GLPK
If you want to fork the source code go to: https://github.com/larsbeck/Optimization.Solver.GLPKSolver
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year everybody!
Lars
I did post this on G+ before, but I thought to share this with all non G+ users too:
The other day, when a few people from our group had their coffee break together, they thought that it was a shame, that we OR people so far don’t have super heroes…and this is what we came up with:
The setting of our story is the modern, but enormously dark city of Dantzig, Poland
The good guys (aka iForce):
- Optiman (Superhero; weapon of choice: Feasibility pumpgun, vehicle: Hyper plane)
- Heuristic boy (Sidekick)
- Obiwan Gurobi (old guy you go to when you have a hard to solve problem – the only sentence he knows though still helpful every time: “May the iForce be with you”)
The bad guys:
- Dr. LocOpt (Villain; weapon of choice: his “Degeneration” powers (think of the Quake3 voice, saying “Regeneration” – http://fliiby.com/file/6193/obtcmihvjz.html)
- Poly hydra (Dr. LocOpt’s dangerous snake monster with many heads)
- N.P. Hard (Villain; weapon of choice: Infeasibility cloak, also: the guy who makes every easy problem enormously hard to solve, btw. no one knows his real first and middle name, only the initials)
- Two Phase (using the simplest possible decision support system ever – a coin)
The neutral characters (sometimes good, sometimes bad):
- Cutwoman (sometimes she can help by using her cuts, e.g. her director’s cut, but sometimes eliminates feasible solutions…she always has her own agenda)
- simpLex Luther (not the most clever guy, but very successful and everybody knows him)
- Cylce-Ops (drives simpLex Luther nuts)
Polititians:
- Al GOR
Guest stars:
Bender (Futurama), MethodMan (rapping: “We are the column generation”) and of course the one and only MIP Jagger
Here is an image of our whiteboard:
Characters proposed from people who commented on the G+ post:
- Nash-man (already knows what you’re going to do, the only way to defeat him is to think irrationally…) – as proposed by Vincent Knight
- Sad L. Point (villain): gives users false hope of a solution, then depresses them by dashing that hope – as proposed by Paul Rubin
- Swapman (who is protecting your neighbourhood from innefficient solutions) – as proposed by Tim Schöneberg
I’ve watched it several times (you probably too), but it’s still fun:
http://boxcar2d.com/ Shows a demo of a genetic algorithm that builds and evaluates cars.
Cool stuff. Watch the color of the parts changing, and get a deeper insight on the subpage “the algorithm”.
Best,
jp – orconomy.de
Note: By joining the LinkedIn group you DO NOT commit to register for APMOD2012. Joining the LinkedIn group before September 30th simply enables you to save 10% of the registration fee in case you decide to register for APMOD2012.
The results of a survey at OR-Exchange on “what conference properties are important to you?” showed that your peers who are attending a conference are rather important to you. In order to give you the chance to see who is actually interested in coming, we try to bring everybody together in our LinkedIn group.
