Stochastic online metric matching

Anupam Gupta, Guru Guruganesh, Binghui Peng, David Wajc

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

Abstract

We study the minimum-cost metric perfect matching problem under online i.i.d arrivals. We are given a fixed metric with a server at each of the points, and then requests arrive online, each drawn independently from a known probability distribution over the points. Each request has to be matched to a free server, with cost equal to the distance. The goal is to minimize the expected total cost of the matching. Such stochastic arrival models have been widely studied for the maximization variants of the online matching problem; however, the only known result for the minimization problem is a tight O(log n)-competitiveness for the random-order arrival model. This is in contrast with the adversarial model, where an optimal competitive ratio of O(log n) has long been conjectured and remains a tantalizing open question. In this paper, we show that the i.i.d model admits substantially better algorithms: our main result is an O((log log log n)2)-competitive algorithm in this model, implying a strict separation between the i.i.d model and the adversarial and random order models. Along the way we give a 9-competitive algorithm for the line and tree metrics - the first O(1)-competitive algorithm for any non-trivial arrival model for these much-studied metrics.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publication46th International Colloquium on Automata, Languages, and Programming, ICALP 2019
EditorsChristel Baier, Ioannis Chatzigiannakis, Paola Flocchini, Stefano Leonardi
PublisherSchloss Dagstuhl- Leibniz-Zentrum fur Informatik GmbH, Dagstuhl Publishing
ISBN (Electronic)9783959771092
DOIs
StatePublished - Jul 1 2019
Event46th International Colloquium on Automata, Languages, and Programming, ICALP 2019 - Patras, Greece
Duration: Jul 9 2019Jul 12 2019

Publication series

NameLeibniz International Proceedings in Informatics, LIPIcs
Volume132
ISSN (Print)1868-8969

Conference

Conference46th International Colloquium on Automata, Languages, and Programming, ICALP 2019
Country/TerritoryGreece
CityPatras
Period7/9/197/12/19

Keywords

  • Metric matching
  • Online
  • Online matching
  • Stochastic

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Software

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