Analysis on the Use of A* and Dijkstra's Algorithms for Intelligent School Transport Route Optimization System

This paper aims to present the results of the analysis on the use of A* and Dijkstra's algorithms as applied in the proposed route optimization model towards the development of a mobile application system for intelligent school transport. The study made use of a user-constructed simulation tool to test how each algorithm will work as applied in the proposed school transport system named EESCOOL which once developed can be useful in most schools and universities in the Philippines. Sample test cases of graphs with seven and 26 nodes or vertices and an anomaly (which refers to additional weight which represents any traffic situation) were considered in running the simulation tests. Results showed that A* algorithm performed better with shorter expected time of arrival (ETA) as compared to Dijkstra's algorithm during normal traffic situations and on small graph. Meanwhile, the use of Dijkstra's algorithm appeared to generate shorter ETA when it encountered anomalies in the traffic situations in either small or large graph. Therefore, it is suggested based from the results of the study to use both algorithms in the proposed intelligent school transport system, EESCOOL taking into considerations two major parameters in the proposed design for EESCOOL such as traffic conditions and number of nodes. The findings of the study may also be considered in some future work such as designing an intelligent mechanism to automatically shift the use of both algorithms during normal or unusual traffic situations for effective route optimization technique which can be applied not only in the school transport system but also in various smart intelligent transport systems.