Accelerating ATM Optimization Algorithms Using High Performance Computing Hardware

NASA is developing algorithms and methodologies for efficient air-traffic management (ATM). Several researchers have adopted an optimization framework for solving problems such as flight scheduling, route assignment, flight rerouting, nationwide traffic flow management and dynamic airspace configuration. Computational complexity of these problems have led investigators to conclude that in many instances, real time solutions are computationally infeasible, forcing the use of relaxed versions of the problem to manage computational complexity. The primary objective of this research proposal is to accelerate optimization algorithms that play central roles in NASA's ATM research, by parallel implementation on emerging high performance computing (HPC) hardware. The proposed research effort will first identify optimization algorithms that are key to achieving NASA's ATM research objectives. The effort will then explore various avenues for parallelizing the optimization algorithms, and focus on algorithms most amenable for implementation on HPC hardware. The feasibility of implementing one or more optimization algorithms, and potential for further acceleration will be demonstrated on ATM problems of sufficient complexity, which will then form the basis for the Phase II prototype. Phase II work will develop an operational prototype of the algorithm implementation on HPC hardware, and deliver them to NASA for further evaluation.

High-complexity large-scale optimization problems arise frequently in the industry in several areas, such as: 1) Floor planning: designing the layout of equipment in a factory or components on a computer chip to reduce manufacturing time to minimize cost, 2) Network optimization: setup of telecommunications networks to maintain quality of service during outages, 3) Resource allocation problems, optimal search and routing, 4) Supply chain management: managing the flow of raw materials and products based on uncertain demand for the finished products, 5) Transportation: managing freight transportation and delivery systems, 6) Scheduling applications: personnel staffing, manufacturing steps, project tasks, network data traffic, sports events and their coverage. The accelerated optimization software suite developed during the course of this R&D effort will enable faster runtimes making it practical to deploy them more widely in operations.

Proposed R&D effort will enable rapid solution to large scale optimization problems formulated by NASA researchers in the air traffic domain such as flight scheduling, route assignment, flight rerouting, national traffic flow management and dynamic airspace reconfiguration. The optimization software suite will enable real time execution of many optimizations problems that were deemed infeasible due to computational complexity. The software suite developed under the proposed research will enable solutions to such problems without introducing approximations.

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