We consider shortest path problems defined on graphs with random arc costs. We assume that information on arc cost values is accumulated as the graph is being traversed. The objective is to devise a policy that leads from an origin to a destination node with minimal expected cost. We provide dynamic programming algorithms, estimates for their complexity, negative complexity results, and analysi...

We analyze a class of partially observed stochastic shortest path problems. These are terminating Markov decision process with imperfect state information that evolve on an innnite time horizon and have a total cost criterion. For well-posedness, we make reasonable stochastic shortest path type assumptions: (1) the existence of a policy that guarantees termination with probability one and (2) t...

We consider how to use the Bellman residual of the dynamic programming operator to compute suboptimality bounds for solutions to stochastic shortest path problems. Such bounds have been previously established only in the special case that “all policies are proper,” in which case the dynamic programming operator is known to be a contraction, and have been shown to be easily computable only in th...

In this paper we weaken the conditions under which some of the basic analytical and algorithmic results for finite-state stochastic shortest path problems hold. We provide an analysis under three types of assumptions, under all of which the standard form of policy iteration may fail, and other anomalies may occur. In the first type of assumptions, we require a standard compactness and continuit...

We consider a class of two-player zero-sum stochastic games with finite state and compact control spaces, which we call stochastic shortest path (SSP) games. They are total cost stochastic dynamic games that have a cost-free termination state. Based on their close connection to singleplayer SSP problems, we introduce model conditions that characterize a general subclass of these games that have...

We consider a stochastic version of the classical shortest path problem whereby for each node of a graph, we must choose a probability distribution over the set of successor nodes so as to reach a certain destination node with minimum expected cost. The costs of transition between successive nodes can be positive as well as negative. We prove natural generalizations of the standard results for ...

Optimal solutions to Stochastic Shortest Path Problems (SSPs) usually require that there exists at least one policy that reaches the goal with probability 1 from the initial state. This condition is very strong and prevents from solving many interesting problems, for instance where all possible policies reach some dead-end states with a positive probability. We introduce a more general and rich...

ÐThe dynamic and stochastic shortest path problem (DSSPP) is de®ned as ®nding the expected shortest path in a trac network where the link travel times are modeled as a continuous-time stochastic process. The objective of this paper is to examine the properties of the problem and to identify a technique that can be used to solve the DSSPP given information that will be available in networks wit...

Distributed Learning Automata is automata based modelling approach for solving stochastic shortest path problems. The DLA can be applied to road networks to find shortest path that provides a spatial approach to bottom-up modelling of complex geographic systems that are comprised of infrastructure and human objects. Route finding is a popular Geographical Information System (GIS) application un...

Shortest path problem is a fundamental problem in network optimization and combinational optimization. The existing literature mainly concerned with the problem in deterministic, stochastic or fuzzy environments by using different tools. Different from the existing works, we investigate shortest path problem by regarding arc lengths as uncertain variables which are employed to describe the beha...