Some Graphical Interfaces for Mathematical Programming

TD20.1 User Interfaces for the AMPL Modeling Language

• Brian W. Kernighan; Bell Labs, Lucent Technologies, 600 Mountain Ave., Rm. 2C-518, Murray Hill, NJ 07974-0636; bwk@bell-labs.com

We will describe experiments with GUIs for AMPL, including successes and failures based on Visual Basic, Tcl/Tk, Java and others. Each has taught some lessons about interface design and about the strengths and weaknesses of interface-building tools, and suggests ways in which AMPL itself might evolve.

TD20.2 A Generic Graphical Interface for Network Modeling

• John W. Chinneck; Carleton University, Systems & Computer Eng., 1125 Colonel By Dr., Ottawa, Ontario, K1S 5B6 , Canada; chinneck@sce.carleton.ca
• Hongbo Li; Carleton University, Systems & Computer Eng., 1125 Colonel By Dr., Ottawa, Ontario, K1S 5B6 , Canada; hli@lsec.lete.dnd.ca

The ideal way to create and interact with network models is via graphical representations. We present software for drawing network models, extracting the LP model, obtaining a solution and displaying the results. The system takes advantage of the extensive facilities available in the underlying commercial network-drawing software (Visio).

TD20.3 Visualization in GIDEN

• Jonathan H. Owen; Northwestern University, Dept. of IE/MS, 2145 Sheridan Rd., Evanston, IL 60208-3119; owenj@iems.nwu.edu
• Collette R. Coullard; Northwestern University, Dept. of IE/MS, 2145 Sheridan Rd., Evanston, IL 60208-3119; coullard@iems.nwu.edu
• David S. Dilworth; University of Michigan, Dept. of EECS, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2122; dilworth@eecs.umich.edu

GIDEN is a software environment for using and implementing network optimization algorithms. The environment features interactive graphical display and algorithm animation for network optimization problems. We describe the purpose and design of the visualization mechanisms in GIDEN and discuss the related issues of GIDEN solver development and extraction.

TD20.4 Optimization as an Internet Resource

• Robert Fourer; Northwestern University, Dept. of IE/MS, 2225 North Campus Dr., Evanston, IL 60208-3119; 4er@iems.nwu.edu

Few users of optimization techniques have more than a handful of solver packages installed on computers they use regularly. Recent advances in network interfaces are beginning to encourage experimentation with a greater variety of solvers. This presentation surveys current Internet optimization interfaces and suggests priorities for making them more effective.