CS 860: Algorithms for Shortest Paths, Fall 2014

www.cs.uwaterloo.ca/~alubiw/CS860.html

Anna Lubiw, David R. Cheriton School of Computer Science, University of Waterloo
alubiw AT uwaterloo.ca, DC 2334, (519) 888-4567, ext. 34449

Contents: Description, Announcements, Organization, Course Outline, Papers to Present, Lectures

Description

Shortest path algorithms are widely used, for example in network routing, map navigation, motion planning, network analysis, and so on.

This course will begin with classical algorithms for shortest paths in graphs and geometric settings. We will then study improvements and variations (k-th shortest paths, dynamic graphs, link distance in polygons, approximate shortest paths in 3D, etc.). Finally, we will turn to related topics, including spanners, network routing, touring, and shortest paths in implicit graphs, including reconfiguration problems.

Announcements

Note that Piazza is the main place to look for announcements.

Organization

Time and Place: MW, 9:00 -- 10:20. Room DC 2568.

Credit:

Assignments

Assignments will be marked based on correctness but also on quality of explanations: strive for clarity and precision.
Due
Assignment 1 [pdf] Monday Sep. 29
Assignment 2 [pdf] later

Course Outline

Topics:

Background: I will assume a background in algorithms and data structures equivalent to a decent undergraduate course (e.g. UW's CS 341).

Surveys, Books

Papers to Present

list

Lectures

L01 M Sep  8 class-notes Introduction to the course. Review of Dijkstra's algorithm.
Write a mini-review of Dijkstra's paper (see Piazza for instructions). Due by September 15.
L02 W Sep  10 class-notes Shortest paths in a polygon / polygonal domain.
L03 M Sep  15 class-notes Shortest paths in polygonal domain (continued). Outline of further topics in geometric shortest paths.
L04 W Sep  17 class-notes More geometric shortest paths papers to present. Basic graph shortest path algorithms.
L05 M Sep  22 class-notes More basic graph shortest path algorithms. Papers to present.
L06 M Sep  24 (no notes)
class-notes		 Presentation by A. Linhares on "Computing the shortest path: A* search meets graph theory".
Papers to present on spanners.
L07 M Sep  29 class-notes Lecture by Timothy Chan on all-pairs shortest path algorithms.
L08 W Oct  1 class-notes Chen and Han's algorithm for shortest paths on polyhedra surfaces.
L09 M Oct  6 class-notes Travelling Salesman Problem. Touring a sequence of polygons. Papers on routing.
L10 W Oct  8 (no notes)
class-notes		 Presentation by H. Vosoughpour on "Computing Shortest Paths among Curved Obstacles in the Plane".
Shortest descending paths.
L11 W Oct  15 (no notes) Lecture by Mustaq Ahmed, Google, on: (1) shortest paths with forbidden subgraphs; (2) Google Ground Truth.
L12 M Oct  20 Presentation by P. Demontigny: Randomized Speedup of the Bellman-Ford Algorithm.
Presentation by N. Lindzey: Finding the k shortest paths.
L13 W Oct  22 Presentation by K. Ammar: A new approach to dynamic all pairs shortest paths
Presentation by A. Domurad: Resource constrained shortest paths.
L14 M Oct  27 Presentation by O. Grant: \ frac {13}{9}-Approximation for Graphic TSP
Presentation by S. Pratt: Competitive routing in the half-θ 6-graph
L15 W Oct  29
class-notes		 Presentation by S. Chowdhury A simple shortest path algorithm with linear average time
Frechet distance.
L16 M Nov  3 Presentation by R. Goldade: Fast exact and approximate geodesics on meshes
Presentation by A. Lubiw: Fast Estimation of Diameter and Shortest Paths (Without Matrix Multiplication)
L17 W Nov  5 Presentation by Z. Peng: Routing with guaranteed delivery in ad hoc wireless networks
Presentation by P. Goel: Combining speed-up techniques for shortest-path computations
L18 M Nov  10 Presentation by S. Lee: On the all-pairs-shortest-path problem in unweighted undirected graphs
Open Problems
L19 W Nov  12
class-notes		 Presentation by V. Subramanya: Planar graphs, negative weight edges, shortest paths, and near linear time
self-approaching paths
L20 M Nov  17 Presentation by S. Aflaki: Matrix searching with the shortest-path metric
Presentation by J. Liu: AnO (n logn) algorithm for computing the link center of a simple polygon
L21 W Nov  19 Lecture by V. Pathak on reconfiguration problems
L22 M Nov  24 Presentation by J. Jung:
Presentation by J. Wang: Succinct greedy drawings do not always exist
L23 W Nov  26 Presentation by V. Menon: Faster algorithms for the shortest path problem
Presentation by D. Skrepetos:
L24 M Dec  1

University Policies (University required text)

Academic Integrity: In order to maintain a culture of academic integrity, members of the University of Waterloo community are expected to promote honesty, trust, fairness, respect and responsibility.
[Check www.uwaterloo.ca/academicintegrity for more information. ]

Grievance: A student who believes that a decision affecting some aspect of his/her university life has been unfair or unreasonable may have grounds for initiating a grievance. Read Policy 70 - Student Petitions and Grievances, Section 4. When in doubt please be certain to contact the department's administrative assistant who will provide further assistance.

Discipline: A student is expected to know what constitutes academic integrity to avoid committing academic offenses, and to take responsibility for his/her actions. A student who is unsure whether an action constitutes an offense, or who needs help in learning how to avoid offenses (e.g., plagiarism, cheating) or about “rules” for group work/collaboration should seek guidance from the course professor, academic advisor, or the Undergraduate Associate Dean. When misconduct has been found to have occurred, disciplinary penalties will be imposed under Policy 71 – Student Discipline. For information on categories of offenses and types of penalties, students should refer to Policy 71 - Student Discipline. For typical penalties check Guidelines for the Assessment of Penalties.

Appeals: A decision made or penalty imposed under Policy 70, Student Petitions and Grievances (other than a petition) or Policy 71, Student Discipline may be appealed if there is a ground. A student who believes he/she has a ground for an appeal should refer to Policy 72, Student Appeals.

Note for students with disabilities: The Office for Persons with Disabilities (OPD), located in Needles Hall, Room 1132, collaborates with all academic departments to arrange appropriate accommodations for students with disabilities without compromising the academic integrity of the curriculum. If you require academic accommodations to lessen the impact of your disability, please register with the OPD at the beginning of each academic term.