Using the quality-time tradeoff in local optimization

The paper introduces duty measure for optimization methods. Duty expresses the relationship between the quality of the result and the time required to obtain the result. The usefulness of the duty measure is demonstrated on a case study involving a local optimization of a large traveling salesman problem. Using duty, a deterministic method and a probabilistic method are combined into a hybrid method. The hybrid method exhibits the best quality-time tradeoff of the three methods. The performance of the hybrid method is analyzed and some future research questions are addressed.