Combined Location-Arc Routing Problems: A survey and suggestions for future research

In this paper, the Location-Arc Routing Problem (LARP), a relatively new problem with less research in the past, is surveyed. First, we discuss the relationships and differences between the LARP and the Location-Allocation Problem (LAP), the Capacitated Arc Routing Problem (CARP) and the Location-Routing Problem (LRP). Second, both exact and heuristic algorithms are investigated. Finally, some future research trends such as variants of the LARP and better algorithms are presented. Our objective is to make the LARP easier to be systematically understood and draw more attention on it from researchers and practitioners.