Introduction to Algorithms (Speeding up Dijkstra)

Bi-Directional Search

Note: Speedup techniques covered here do not change worst-case behavior, but reduce the number of visited vertices in practice.

Bi-D Search 

Alternate forward search from s, backward search from t (follow edges backward)

df (u) distances for forward search; db(u) distances for backward search;

Priority Queue: Qf: forward; Qb: backward

The algorithm terminates when some vertex w has been processed, i.e., deleted from the queue of both searches, Qf and Qb

Subtlety: After search terminates, find node x with minimum value of df (x) + db(x). Find shortest path from s to x using Πf and shortest path backward from t to x using Πb. Note: x will have been deleted from either Qf or Qb or both.

Goal-Directed Search or A*

Modify edge weights with potential function over vertices.

Correctness

So shortest paths are maintained in the modified graph with weights.

To apply Dijkstra, we need  ≥ 0 for all (u, v).

Choose potential function appropriately, to be feasible

Landmarks

Small set of landmarks LCV. For all u ∈ V, l ∈ L, pre-compute δ(u, l).

Potential for each l.

CLAIM:  is feasible.