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Frequency assignment, multiple interference and binary constraints

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Abstract

The most accurate approaches to frequency assignment problems minimize a cost function based on signal-to-interference ratios at points where reception is required. The merits of this approach are counterbalanced by much greater requirements for computational resources than for the traditional approach using binary frequency separation constraints. This can make run times unrealistic for the largest problems. In this paper the merits of the signal-to-interference based cost function are confirmed, but it is shown that algorithms are faster and give better quality results if this cost function is combined with the binary constraint approach. Two types of algorithm are used to illustrate the combined approach, simulated annealing and a new ant colony system algorithm. The combined approach studied is applicable to all the main classes of frequency assignment problem.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Glamorgan, Pontypridd, Mid Glamorgan, CF37 1DL, UK

    J. S. Graham & D. H. Smith

  2. Istituto Dalle Molle di Studi sull’Intelligenza Artificiale (IDSIA), Galleria 2, CH-6928, Manno, Switzerland

    R. Montemanni

  3. School of Computing, University of Glamorgan, Pontypridd, Mid Glamorgan, CF37 1DL, UK

    J. N. J. Moon

Authors
  1. J. S. Graham
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  2. R. Montemanni
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  3. J. N. J. Moon
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  4. D. H. Smith
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to D. H. Smith.

Additional information

James Graham has B.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees in Computing Mathematics from the University of Glamorgan, UK. His Ph.D. thesis is entitled “Definition of a Common Formulation of Military Frequency Assignment Problems and the Application of Meta-Heuristic Algorithms”.

Roberto Montemanni was born in Ravenna, Italy, in 1975. He received the “Laurea” degree in Computer Science from the University of Bologna, Italy, in 1999 and the Ph.D. in Mathematics from the University of Glamorgan, UK in 2002. Since November 2001 he has been a researcher at Istituto Dalle Molle di Studi sull’Intelligenza Artificiale (IDSIA), Lugano, Switzerland. His research activity covers optimization problems arising in radio frequency assignment, transportation and ad-hoc networks.

Jim Moon is a Senior Lecturer in Software Engineering at the University of Glamorgan. He has a B.Sc. in Computer Studies and a Ph.D. in Multi-Agent Systems in Marine Simulation, both from the University of Glamorgan. He also qualified as a Master Mariner in an earlier career, at sea. His research interests include radio frequency assignment, software engineering, Multi-Agent Systems and marine simulation.

Derek Smith is Professor of Mathematics at the University of Glamorgan, where he has worked since 1971. He has B.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Southampton, UK and in October 2006 was awarded a D.Sc. degree from the University of Glamorgan, UK for his work on Combinatorial Mathematics applied to Radio Frequency Planning. His research interests include radio frequency assignment, graph theory, coding theory, data compression and network reliability studies.

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Graham, J.S., Montemanni, R., Moon, J.N.J. et al. Frequency assignment, multiple interference and binary constraints. Wireless Netw 14, 449–464 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11276-006-0730-x

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