Numerical Methods for Determining Optimum Ship Routes

Abstract

The paper is divided into four parts. The first treats a general numerical method for obtaining the minimum time route from one place to another when the speed of the ship is a known function of time and position. The second part treats various other phases of minimum time routes including the generation of isochrones which form the boundary of the region where a ship can be at any given time, rendezvous between ships, and problems wherein the speed does not change with time. The third treats minimum cost routing and optimum correction of perturbed routes. The last part is a discussion of a comparison with various other numerical routines, particularly with the method of gradients or steepest ascent.