Consider the following example case: There is a fixed-sized network (i.e., node N is constant with time) where at each time instant t, a new link is introduced. The link addition exhibits the following method: At each time t, a link is added between a node pair in such a way that the average path length of the network is optimized. This link addition strategy is greedy in nature. Identify other real-world network evolution strategies where greediness is employed.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

A few such real-world examples where greediness is involved are airport networks and business
supply chain networks. In case of airport networks, greediness can be identified in the selection
of new airport or setting up a new route between two airports. The decision of choosing a new
airport or a new route can be based on the multiple objectives such as importance of the two
connecting cities, tentative number of passengers per day/week, total fuel consumption, and
demographic information. Similarly, establishing new inventories or warehouses in a business
supply chain network are solely based on the greedy decision making based on certain param-
eters such as transportation cost, closeness from multiple delivery locations, and availability
of manpower.