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arXiv · 1705.02044

A Survey of Shortest-Path Algorithms

Amgad Madkour·Walid G. Aref·Faizan Ur Rehman·Mohamed Abdur Rahman·Saleh Basalamah
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Abstract

A shortest-path algorithm finds a path containing the minimal cost between two vertices in a graph. A plethora of shortest-path algorithms is studied in the literature that span across multiple disciplines. This paper presents a survey of shortest-path algorithms based on a taxonomy that is introduced in the paper. One dimension of this taxonomy is the various flavors of the shortest-path problem. There is no one general algorithm that is capable of solving all variants of the shortest-path problem due to the space and time complexities associated with each algorithm. Other important dimensions of the taxonomy include whether the shortest-path algorithm operates over a static or a dynamic graph, whether the shortest-path algorithm produces exact or approximate answers, and whether the objective of the shortest-path algorithm is to achieve time-dependence or is to only be goal directed. This survey studies and classifies shortest-path algorithms according to the proposed taxonomy. The survey also presents the challenges and proposed solutions associated with each category in the taxonomy.

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Amgad Madkour, Walid G. Aref, Faizan Ur Rehman, Mohamed Abdur Rahman, Saleh Basalamah. 2017-05-04. A Survey of Shortest-Path Algorithms. https://arxiv.org/abs/1705.02044

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