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Operations Research and Artificial Intelligence Volume 13 | Number 2 | June 2019 | ISSN 2223-4373 International Federation of Operational Research Societies NEWS Operations Research and WHAT’S INSIDE Artificial Intelligence From the President Grazia Speranza <[email protected]> 1 Operations Research and Artificial Intelligence In an interview that recently realistic in our appeared in a newspaper I said computational Editorial that people should not think that, experiments but 2 A Fond Farewell 2 IFORS 2020: Seoul, Korea behind new technological products, data, models, 3 IFORS 2023 will be in Chile! there is some kind of magic and that networks, algorithms, central for example in optimization, IFORS Administrative Committee robotics and artificial intelligence, these are all words that are familiar to Reports of 2018 are neither magical nor dangerous. us. 4 President After that interview was published, 4 Immediate Past President I was invited to give a lecture Our community can contribute to the 5 Vice-President 6 Treasurer on artificial intelligence by an development of artificial intelligence, 7 VP for ALIO association of medical doctors. At certainly of machine learning, an 8 VP for APORS first, I was tempted to decline. I am area that is receiving great attention 9 VP for EURO in operations research not in artificial in the academic world and, even 10 VP for NORAM intelligence. Then, I decided to accept more, in companies and institutions. 12 Publications Committee the challenge as the lecture was Many machine learning methods 13 Conferences Committee intended to give an overview of the are already embedded in software OR for Development area and I felt I could do that. In fact, and, as such, available to be used in 13 Call for submissions to the IFORS I started my academic career in a applications, provided one knows Prize for OR in Development 2020 computer science department and I how to use them. I believe that in 14 Sustaining Food Supply by Educating have followed the evolution of what the future we will see more and Smallholder Farmers in Developing has been called artificial intelligence more talks at our conferences and Economies over the years. Only recently times more and more papers published in 15 OR for Humanitarian Logistics have become mature for a variety of our journals linking the traditional OR Impact industrial applications. Nowadays, the OR methods and applications with 17 Placement Optimization expression artificial intelligence is used machine learning methods. We might in Refugee Resettlement to indicate the ability of computers to contribute with new algorithms but learn from experience. This ability is also with new models. It would be Book Review the result of the application of models also worth exploring the combination 19 Decision Making under Deep and algorithms of machine learning. of machine learning methods and Uncertainty Among the methods that fall under classical OR methods in specific Conferences the machine learning umbrella we application areas. There are so many 21 The First EUROYoung Workshop find neural networks. A parametrized decision problems that would benefit function is associated with each node, from past data. Association Governance and Management called neuron, of a neural network. A 23 The ‘Beyond Tourism’ Benefits neural network must be first trained Machine learning is a growing field and of Association Events with (huge amounts of) data and we should be part of this movement. then can be used to predict. To train Protecting our discipline is a mission OR Society in Focus a network an optimization problem for IFORS but part of the mission is 24 AGIFORS – The Airline Industry’s is solved to minimize the prediction also keeping our discipline lively and, OR Society error on the training set of data. The if possible, making it stronger. My Obituary variables are the parameters of the lecture on artificial intelligence to 25 Egon Balas, A Personal Reflection functions associated with the neurons physicians was apparently a success, and the solution of the optimization by the way, probably because we, 27 Call for an editor-in-chief problem defines the values of the operations researchers, are flexible and associate editors for IFORS News parameters. The number of variables and can understand models, goes beyond any value that we are algorithms, technology and their Editorial Box used to consider reasonable or even application. P. 1 • IFORS NEWS June 2019 EDITORIAL Editor’s note: In name of IFORS I would like to thanks James Bleach for acting as co-editor of IFORS News in the past twelve months. James’ kind interaction and work will be missed a lot! A Fond Farewell James Bleach<[email protected]> As my tenure as co-editor finishes with this issue, I’d this increase in productivity can like to take the opportunity to say how much I have be facilitated. This section also enjoyed my time working on IFORS News – and also includes OR for humanitarian to highly recommend to readers that they consider logistics – with logistics playing a volunteering for one of the editorial roles currently key role in operations after major available. If I were to highlight one aspect of the disasters, this article discusses the content from the issues of the past twelve months, real opportunity that exists for OR it would be to celebrate the successful longevity of to provide practical post-disaster many of our OR professional institutions. By way of support. a specific example, my own national society, the UK Operational Research Society, celebrated its 60th In the section OR Impact, we have the article anniversary annual conference in September of Placement Optimization in Refugee Resettlement. With 2018. Organisational milestones such as this, which the number of global refugees reaching record levels, are being achieved around the globe, provide real and with many refugees considered to be in need of confidence in the ability of operational research resettlement, this article describes important work to remain pertinent and successful in a constantly that uses machine learning and integer optimization evolving world. to improve refugee resettlement outcomes. Decision Making under Deep Uncertainty – From Theory to Now to the current issue: there are articles regarding Practice is the subject of Hans W. Ittmann’s book the 22nd and 23rd IFORS triennial conferences, with review, and he concludes that it is a monumental IFORS 2020 being held in Seoul, Korea and IFORS piece of work and a welcome addition to the ever- 2023 announced as being in Santiago, Chile. The increasing body of knowledge in this important highly informative IFORS Administrative Committee emerging field. Reports of 2018 include summaries of the extensive and highly valuable activities of the regional groups, OR Society in Focus provides information on the reports from the presidents (current, past and vice) Airline Group of the International Federation of as well as from the publication and conferences Operational Research Societies (AGIFORS), which is a committees. The IFORS treasurer also reports a better professional society dedicated to the advancement than budgeted for year for IFORS finances in 2018, and application of operational research within the albeit noting a need to address the loss of future airline industry. With regard to conferences, the revenue from the journal International Abstracts success of the first EUROYoung Workshop is reported in Operations Research (IAOR), given the end of its – an event helping to support and develop the next publication in 2017. generation of operational researchers. The OR for Development section includes Sustaining With great sadness we close the issue with an obituary Food Supply by Educating Smallholder Farmers for Egon Balas, who, as Michael Trick reflects, was an in Developing Economies, which discusses the inspiration – surviving incredible challenges in early unprecedented food supply crisis being faced, life to become one of the key pioneers of integer how farmers being more productive by adopting programming, and who remained highly influential sustainable farming techniques can help, and how in that field for his entire professional life. IFORS 2020: Seoul, Korea 21 -26 June, 2020 Karla L Hoffman <[email protected]> The Organizing and Program Committees of state-of-the-art operations research techniques for IFORS 2020 welcomes all operations and technologies. IFORS 2020 will provide you researchers to attend the 22nd Conference of with a unique opportunity to network and engage the International Federation of Operational with operations research analysts, industrial users Research Societies (IFORS) from June 21 (Sun) - of operations research, and academic and industry 26 (Fri), 2020 at the COEX, in Seoul, Korea. experts from all parts of the globe. This conference will highlight global developments This is the first IFORS conference to be held in Asia in operations research and show how the tools of since the 15th conference in China 20 years ago. It operations research are expanding their impact is thus an exciting opportunity to bring together on society, health, science and industry. The IFORS operations researchers from the field in Asia, where conferences provide a platform for experts from it has experienced vigorous and rapid growth, with around the world to showcase the diverse potential colleagues from all regions of the world. P. 2 • IFORS NEWS June 2019 The Organizing Committee, of operations research and chaired by Suk-Gwon Chang, analytics. Three plenary has chosen a wonderful
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