What is Route Optimization?
The Routing refers to process of finding the most effective routes for vehicles to travel from one visit to another. The optimization process will generate a result that could update the respective task data when dispatched. With the ability to handle complex constraints and variables such as capacity, time windows, and vehicle availability, the API can be customized to meet the specific needs of any business or organization. Routing results are collection of route optimization’s results that already successfully processed and saved in the database. Routing results contains list of routed visits and dropped visits:- Routed visits are sequence recommendation of visits/tasks list according to most suitable vehicle and best route.
- Dropped visits are list of tasks/visits that out of range of the calculation.
Why use Route Optimization?
With Route Optimization API, you can establish or refine an automated dispatch or route planning process that improves the operational efficiency of your transportation needs. With parameters to express your unique operational objectives and constraints, and an algorithm built on top of the trusted Google Maps data, the service generates the best possible route plans to meet those constraints. Some use-case examples follow:- A logistics company uses Route Optimization to optimize the assignments of all next-day shipments, providing a route for each shipment that optimizes for distance and time efficiency, cost saving, on time delivery, and driver and end customer satisfaction.
- A field service provider uses Route Optimization to find the optimal route and sequence for technician’s service appointments, and re-optimize when condition changes occur, such as en route delays.
- An on demand food delivery company uses Route Optimization in their real-time dispatch process to choose the best active driver to pick up several new orders and insert it in their existing routes.
- A medical service provider uses Route Optimization to map health providers to appointments, improving the efficiency of the routes for each provider across their day.
How Route Optimization Works
The Route Optimization API uses a number of inputs to return a route plan. Inputs include vehicles, visits or shipments, configurations, and constraints. A route plan includes tasks assignment to vehicles, the multi-stop routes for each vehicle, and the related metrics.Key Components
Vehicle
The vehicle represents a car, bike, truck, or other form of transportation used in your organization. They are utilized to optimize the route planning process, determining the most efficient path for completing multiple tasks or visits. Vehicle attributes include:- IDs and identification
- Capacity (weight, volume, etc.)
- Speed and travel parameters
- Working hours and availability
- Tags for matching with visits
- Constraints and limitations
Routing Results
After optimization, results contain:| Field | Description |
|---|---|
routedVisits | Optimized sequence of visits per vehicle |
droppedVisits | Visits that couldn’t be included |
totalDistance | Total distance for all routes |
totalDuration | Total time for all routes |
vehicleAssignments | Which vehicle handles which visits |
Related Resources
- Task - Tasks can serve as visits in route optimization
- Vehicle Object - Vehicle data structure
- Routing Object - Routing result data structure