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Scientists Establish the Best Algorithm for Traversing a Map
Dijkstra’s algorithm was long thought to be the most efficient way to find a graph’s best routes. Researchers have now proven that it’s “universally optimal.”
In 1984, two computer scientists developed a clever heap design that enabled Dijkstra’s algorithm to reach a theoretical limit, or “lower bound,” on the time required to solve the single-source shortest-paths problem. In the spring, the team grew to three with the addition of Richard Hladík, a graduate student at ETH Zurich whom Rozhoň and Tětek had met when all three were high schoolers in the Czech Republic. From left: Bernhard Haeupler, Václav Rozhoň (top), Jakub Tětek (bottom), Robert Tarjan, and Richard Hladík proved that a version of Dijkstra’s algorithm is the best approach for every network layout.
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