A cross entropy algorithm for continuous covering location problem

Covering problem tries to locate the least number of facilities and each demand has at least one facility located within a specific distance.This paper considers a cross entropy algorithm for solving the mixed integer nonlinear programming (MINLP) for covering location model.The model is solved to determine the best covering value.Also, this paper proposes aCross Entropy (CE) algorithm considering multivariate normal density function for solving large scale problems.For showing capabilities of the proposed algorithm, it is compared with GAMS.Finally, a numerical exampleand a case study are expressed to illustrate the proposed model. For case study, Tehran's special drugstores consider and determine how to locate 7 more drugstores to cover all 22 districts in Tehran.