Abstract
The objective of this research has been to develop a modular processor for the generalized multistage optimization. This processor is intended to be appropriate for a variety of uses, including practical optimization applications, research concerning dynamic programming techniques and computational innovations, and an educational tool for students of dynamic programing. As such, the primary emphasis of this development was upon generality of application. Secondary objectives which influenced the design of this processor were that the processors be (1) modular, for ease of modification, reorganization, and extension, (2) practical, in terms of computer time utilization, machine independence, and widespread adaptability, (3) sufficiently user-oriented to permit utilization with minimal instruction, and (4) adequately documented to facilitate ready application. Although multistage optimization problems appear in many varied forms, they are unified by a basic underlying problem structure and a general computational procedure. Within this framework, the diversity which may be found in the various components of the formulations is enormous. Further component variations are inƯvolved in many of the computational techniques suggested in the literature. The implications for the construction of a highly flexible processor for serial systems are noted throughout a literature survey. Non-uniformity of component type within a single multistage system causes severe organizational and structural problems for a generalized computer algorithm intended to handle such intra-problem variations. The processor developed in this work provides an effective tool for solving such problems, and, as such, furnishes the framework necessary for experimentation with computational innovations in the dynamic programming computational procedure. ...
Benson, Karl Theodore (1971). A modular processor for generalized multistage optimization. Texas A&M University. Texas A&M University. Libraries. Available electronically from
https : / /hdl .handle .net /1969 .1 /DISSERTATIONS -213420.