KaalPath is an innovative logistics optimization framework designed to revolutionize multi-modal routing across global supply chains. By integrating quantum-inspired optimization, fuzzy logic ranking, and deep learning prediction, KaalPath addresses the stochastic, dynamic, and complex nature of modern logistics spanning air, sea, land, and rail. The framework prioritizes efficiency, sustainability, and resilience, offering logistics professionals a powerful toolset for informed decision-making.
The name KaalPath—derived from the Sanskrit "Kaal" (time, fate, destiny) and the English "Path" (route)—reflects its mission to navigate the intricate pathways of global logistics. This README provides a detailed overview of the framework, its architecture, underlying models, implementation details, and experimental outcomes.
- Introduction
- System Architecture
- Mathematical Models and Algorithms
- Implementation
- Experimental Evaluation
- Conclusion
- Acknowledgment
- Code Structure
- Getting Started
Global supply chains demand agile, robust, and adaptive routing solutions to manage cross-border shipments effectively. Traditional algorithms often struggle with multi-modal complexities, unpredictable variables, and sustainability goals. KaalPath overcomes these challenges by combining:
- Quantum-inspired optimization to explore vast solution spaces and escape local optima.
- Fuzzy logic ranking to handle uncertainty in route evaluation.
- Deep learning prediction to forecast route quality with high accuracy.
KaalPath aims to optimize logistics operations by simulating realistic scenarios, assembling viable routes, and providing interactive analytics—all while emphasizing sustainability and resilience. Whether you're a logistics manager or a tech enthusiast, this framework offers practical and theoretical advancements for the future of supply chain management.
KaalPath's architecture is modular and scalable, designed to process shipment data, simulate routes, optimize solutions, and deliver actionable insights. Below are its core components:
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Shipment Data Ingestion
- Purpose: Collects and processes shipment details such as ID, origin, destination, weight, volume, cargo type, and shipping date.
- Key Feature: Computes a risk factor to assess potential hazards, laying the foundation for route planning.
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Multi-Modal Route Data Simulation
- Purpose: Generates candidate routes by segmenting journeys across transportation modes (air, sea, land, rail).
- Key Feature: Each segment is defined by metrics like distance, cost, transit time, and safety, simulating real-world logistics variability.
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Route Assembly and Logical Integration
- Purpose: Combines simulated segments into complete routes.
- Key Feature: Calculates aggregated metrics—efficiency, feasibility, and sustainability—for holistic route evaluation.
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Ranking and Output Generation
- Purpose: Ranks routes using advanced algorithms and generates optimized outputs.
- Key Feature: Introduces novel metrics like resilience and innovation scores, enhancing decision-making beyond traditional criteria.
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User Interface and Visualization
- Purpose: Provides an interactive platform for logistics professionals to input data, simulate routes, and analyze outcomes.
- Key Feature: Real-time visualizations and dashboards for intuitive insights.
This workflow ensures end-to-end operational control, from data input to optimized route selection.
KaalPath's optimization relies on a suite of mathematical models and algorithms tailored for logistics. Below is a detailed breakdown with LaTeX formatting using the ```math
style:
-
Risk Factor (( R_f ))
$$R_f = \frac{W}{V + 1} \times \delta \quad \text{where} \quad \delta \sim U(0.9, 1.3)$$ - Purpose: Quantifies shipment risk based on weight (( W )) and volume (( V )), with a random perturbation (( \delta )) for realism.
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Time Factor (( T_f ))
$$T_f = \max(1, \text{Days}(\text{Shipping Date} - \text{Current Date}))$$ - Purpose: Measures urgency, ensuring time-sensitive shipments are prioritized.
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Efficiency (( \eta ))
$$\eta = \frac{\text{Distance}}{\text{Transit Time} + 1}$$ - Purpose: Assesses segment performance, balancing speed and distance.
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Safety (( S ))
$$S = \max(0, 100 - 0.12 \times \text{Cost} + \epsilon) \quad \text{where} \quad \epsilon \sim U(-5, 5)$$ - Purpose: Evaluates safety by factoring in cost and random variability (( \epsilon )).
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Sustainability Factor (( \sigma ))
$$\sigma = \left( \frac{\text{Distance}}{\text{Cost} + 1} \right) \times \left( \frac{S}{100} \right)$$ - Purpose: Measures environmental impact, promoting greener routes.
For a route with ( N ) segments:
- Overall Efficiency (( \eta_{\text{overall}} ))
$$\eta_{\text{overall}} = \frac{\sum_{i=1}^N \text{Distance}_i}{\sum_{i=1}^N \text{Transit Time}_i}$$ - Feasibility (( F ))
$$F = \frac{1}{N} \sum_{i=1}^N S_i$$ - Sustainability Index (( S_{\text{index}} ))
$$S_{\text{index}} = \frac{1}{N} \sum_{i=1}^N \sigma_i$$ - Purpose: Aggregates segment metrics to evaluate entire routes comprehensively.
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Resilience Factor (( R ))
$$R = \frac{0.6 \times R_f + 0.4 \times F}{T_f + 1}$$ - Purpose: Combines risk and feasibility, adjusted for time urgency, to measure route robustness.
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Innovation Score (( I ))
$$I = 0.4 \times Q + 0.3 \times \sigma + 0.3 \times R$$ - Purpose: Integrates predicted quality (( Q )), sustainability, and resilience for a forward-looking metric.
- Route Quality (( Q ))
$$Q = \tanh \left( \mathbf{w}^T \mathbf{x} + b \right)$$ - Feature Vector (( \mathbf{x} )):
$$\mathbf{x} = \begin{bmatrix} \text{Total Distance} & \text{Total Cost} & \text{Total Time} & F \end{bmatrix}^T$$ - Purpose: Predicts route quality using a neural network with weights (( \mathbf{w} )) and bias (( b )).
- Feature Vector (( \mathbf{x} )):
- Process: Iteratively perturbs candidate routes, evaluating quality scores with slight randomness to mimic quantum annealing and escape local optima.
- Purpose: Identifies globally optimal routes efficiently.
- Fuzzy Score (( s_{\text{fuzzy}} ))
$$s_{\text{fuzzy}} = Q + \Delta \quad \text{where} \quad \Delta \sim U(-5, 5)$$ - Purpose: Introduces uncertainty into rankings, enhancing robustness by adding a random perturbation (( \Delta )) to the predicted route quality (( Q )).
These models collectively ensure routes are optimized across multiple dimensions, making KaalPath a versatile framework.
KaalPath is realized through a distributed software architecture:
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Backend (Flask)
- Role: Handles shipment processing, route simulation, assembly, optimization, and predictions.
- Features: Exposes RESTful API endpoints for seamless integration with the frontend.
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Frontend (Streamlit)
- Role: Delivers an interactive web interface with tabs for:
- Shipment input and simulation.
- Quantum annealing optimization.
- Fuzzy logic ranking.
- Deep route prediction.
- Comprehensive dashboards.
- Features: Modern design with real-time analytics and user-friendly navigation.
- Role: Delivers an interactive web interface with tabs for:
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Visualization Tools
- Plotly: Powers dynamic visualizations (bar, line, scatter, pie, heatmaps) for performance metrics.
- Folium: Provides geospatial mapping of routes, enhancing spatial understanding.
This implementation ensures scalability, modularity, and interactivity, making KaalPath practical for real-world deployment.
KaalPath's performance was validated through extensive simulations:
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Simulation Setup
- Data: Shipments with varying weights, volumes, and shipping dates; routes with realistic distances, costs, and times.
- Methodology: Tested quantum annealing, fuzzy logic, and deep learning under diverse conditions.
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Results
- Route Quality: Quantum annealing improved route selection by escaping local optima.
- Ranking Robustness: Fuzzy logic ensured reliable rankings despite uncertainty.
- Prediction Accuracy: Deep learning models correlated strongly with actual metrics.
- Sustainability & Resilience: Novel metrics provided actionable insights for long-term planning.
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Discussion
- KaalPath excels in handling complex, multi-modal logistics scenarios, offering scalability and adaptability for real-world applications.
KaalPath marks a leap forward in logistics optimization, blending cutting-edge technologies to tackle global supply chain challenges. Its emphasis on efficiency, sustainability, and resilience positions it as a transformative tool for logistics professionals. Future enhancements include real-world trials and IoT integration for real-time tracking.
We express gratitude to the Institute of Advanced Logistics Research and our industry partners for their unwavering support and insights during KaalPath's development.
app.py
: Flask backend managing API endpoints for simulation, optimization, and predictions.model.py
: Defines core classes and functions for shipments, routes, simulations, and algorithms.frontend.py
: Streamlit frontend for user interaction and visualization.
For detailed documentation, refer to inline comments and docstrings within the code files.
To explore KaalPath:
-
Prerequisites
- Python 3.8+
- Required libraries: Flask, Streamlit, Plotly, Folium, NumPy, Pandas
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Setup
- Clone the repository:
git clone <repo-url>
- Install dependencies:
pip install -r requirements.txt
- Clone the repository:
-
Run the Application
- Start the backend:
python app.py
- Launch the frontend:
streamlit run frontend.py
- Access the interface at
http://localhost:8501
- Start the backend:
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Usage
- Input shipment details, simulate routes, and explore optimization results via the Streamlit dashboard.