Abstract
The term layout problem comes from the context of Very Large-Scale Integration (VLSI) circuit design. Graph layouts are optimization problems where the main objective is to project an original graph into a predefined host graph, usually a horizontal line. In this paper, some of the most relevant linear layout problems are reviewed, where the purpose is to minimize the objective function: the Cutwidth, the Minimum Linear Arrangement, the Vertex Separation, the SumCut, and the Bandwidth. Each problem is presented with its formal definition and it is illustrated with a detailed example. Additionally, the most relevant heuristic methods in the associated literature are reviewed together with the instances used in their evaluation. Since linear layouts represent a challenge for optimization methods in general and, for heuristics in particular, this review pays special attention to the strategies and methodologies which provide high-quality solutions.
Eduardo García Pardo
Full Professor
One of the founders of the investigation group GRAFO, whose main line of research is the development of algorithms to tackle optimization problems, the topic of the researcher’s Doctoral Thesis and which their most notable publications are framed.
Abraham Duarte
Full Professor
Abraham Duarte is Full Professor in the Computer Science Department at the Rey Juan Carlos University (Madrid, Spain). He has done extensive research in the interface between computer science, artificial intelligence, and operations research to develop solution methods based on Computational Intelligence (metaheuristics) for practical problems in operations-management areas such as logistics and supply chains, telecommunications, decision-making under uncertainty and optimization of simulated systems.