The Design of an Interactive Computer Software System for the Frequency-Assignment Problem

This paper discusses the problem of finding an interferencefree frequency assignment in a large communication system (e. g., in a large Naval fleet). In particular, the problem scenario, and the two algorithms, one an optimization procedure, and the second a heuristic technique, are discussed. The optimization algorithm is of the enumerative type and, in scenarios with a large communication system, may not terminate within a reasonable amount of computer time. To overcome this difficulty, an interactive heuristic-based software system is described which can be used by an astute decision maker to obtain a usable assignment relatively quickly.