Using Objective Values to Start Multiple Objective Linear Programming Algorithms.

We introduce in this paper a new starting mechanism for multi-objective linear programming (MOLP) algorithms. This makes it possible to start an algorithm from any solution in objective space. The original problem is first augmented in such a way that a given starting point is feasible. The augmentation is explicitly or implicitly controlled by one parameter during the search process, which verifies the feasibility (efficiency) of the final solution. This starting mechanism can be applied either to traditional algorithms, which search the \f2exterior\f1 of the constraint polytope, or to the algorithms moving through the \2interior\f1 of the constraints. We provide recommendations on the suitability of an algorithm for the various locations of a starting point in objective space. Numerical considerations illustrate these ideas.