Join ORB: Exploring Operations Research Topics and Guidelines
Written on
Submission Guidelines
Join ORB: Topics in Operations Research
Key areas include linear programming, integer programming, dynamic programming, game theory, simulation, heuristics, artificial intelligence, optimization, and business planning. This interdisciplinary field is applied across various industries such as manufacturing, healthcare, and transportation.
Operations Research: Math, Engineering, Physics, Finance
This section outlines topics beneficial for both readers and writers. Readers will acquire the necessary skills to tackle complex challenges in diverse domains.
Operations Research (OR) aims to create mathematical models that represent real-world issues and use them to identify optimal solutions. These models are frequently utilized to:
- Guide decision-making
- Enhance productivity
- Maximize profit
OR employs mathematical modeling, statistical analysis, economics, and management techniques to address intricate problems in business environments where information is incomplete.
Origins
Engineering, Logistics, and Finance
In the early 20th century, scientists and engineers began leveraging mathematical approaches to resolve military challenges. During World War II, OR was crucial in addressing various issues, including optimal resource distribution, weapon systems design, and logistics planning.
Post-war, OR expanded into additional sectors like business and government, experiencing a surge in popularity throughout the 1950s, accompanied by the development of new techniques.
Modern Techniques and Perspectives
Numerous sectors, including transportation, manufacturing, and healthcare, apply mathematical methods to resolve issues:
- Business: Production planning, inventory control, and transport scheduling.
- Governments: Emergency preparedness, policy-making, crime prevention, and environmental protection.
- Transportation and Logistics: Network design, site selection, route optimization, scheduling, and fleet management.
- Finance and Banking: Portfolio management, risk assessment, credit evaluation, fraud prevention, trading tactics, and pricing strategies.
- Energy and Utilities: Resource management, load balancing, integration of renewable energy, maintenance scheduling, and pricing.
- Telecommunications: Network configuration, capacity management, and data routing.
- Military: Weapon system development, logistics, and strategic planning.
- Healthcare: Scheduling, service delivery, and quality enhancement.
The Future is Bright
Operations Research is a vital instrument for addressing a wide array of challenges. Thanks to advancements in software, OR techniques are becoming increasingly accessible to businesses and government entities. This field continues to grow and evolve dynamically.
Your Chance to Make a Difference
Interested in publishing with ORB?
If you wish to contribute your narratives, leave a comment to become a writer and join the next generation of problem solvers. You can also submit your article offsite. Share your experiences with these methodologies in the comments or submit your story.
Writers must adhere to Medium's rules and curation standards, utilizing subheadings, high-quality feature images, and are encouraged to utilize the Listen feature prior to publication. Authors may use their own images or those generated by AI, crediting as “Image by [Author Name or pseudonym, hyperlink if available] with [AI Model Name].” References can be numbered using superscripts and listed at the end in the following format:
- Author(s). Year. Title. Journal/Website Title. [updated month/year; accessed month/year]; volume(issue): pages. DOI if available.
Writers can submit 1 to 3 articles weekly. There are no limits for ORG and Sustainable Cities. Following submission, editors may adjust formatting, correct spelling and grammar, and remove unlinked images. Authors can make minor revisions post-publication while adhering to style guidelines.
For Sustainable Cities, cite locations using the format City, Country or Country if a single city is not featured.
The Operations Excellence page highlights ORB’s featured articles.
A big thank you to our editors: Igor Tarasenko, Lalin Laudis, Eye Of Unity, and The Angineer!
About ORB Editors
Igor Tarasenko, an accomplished iOS developer with expertise in ML integration, values health, family, and adventure, and is committed to community service and assisting others.
Lalin Laudis is a futurist focused on advancing ‘Predictive Science,’ aiming to forecast various diseases.
Michael David Kemble, known as Eye Of Unity, explores topics ranging from cryptocurrency to technology and science, offering expert insights.
The Angineer is a budding engineer passionate about renewable energy and sustainability.
Packages for Analysis
- Pyomo: A versatile modeling language and solver interface for mathematical optimization.
- Gurobi: A commercial solver renowned for its speed and precision, ideal for large-scale OR challenges.
- CVXOPT: A free package for convex optimization, efficient in addressing various convex problems.
- PuLP: A user-friendly linear programming language and solver interface.
- PySCIPOpt: A Python interface to the SCIP Optimization Suite, an open-source solver for diverse optimization tasks.
- pyOpt: A package for nonlinear constrained optimization, adaptable for many nonlinear challenges.
Commonly Used Tools
- NumPy: A scientific computing library offering numerous mathematical functions and data structures.
- SciPy: An extension of NumPy, featuring additional optimization solvers and statistical functions.
- Pandas: A data analysis library providing tools for data manipulation and analysis relevant to OR.
- Matplotlib: A plotting library for visualizing the outcomes of OR models.
New to ORB? Explore Published Stories in Operations Research and Popular Tags
2024
Bitwise Newsletter: February, March, April [2]
- Topics include Gradient Descent, Smart Contracts, Optimizing Air Traffic Control, Retail Strategies, and Data-Driven Innovations.
2023 Highlights
ORB published 45 writer stories, added 41 writers, and welcomed 4 editors. Popular tags included Artificial Intelligence, Technology, Data Science, and Operations Research.
- Notable topics covered: Revenue Management, Financial Analysis, Demand Planning, Optimization Techniques, and more.
More Operations Research Insights
- Games: A Strategy Corner for Enthusiastic Beginners in Operations Research
- ORB: Operations Research Bits