GPS that accepts multiple destinations then sorts them into shortest route

Electronics & Technology
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Is there a GPS available that you can key in say 10 destinations then displays them in the order that achieves the shortest possible route?

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I can confidently say no - as in 99.9% sure that you can walk in and buy.
There may be software programs large freight companies use that are propietory to them. From what I have seen, freight companies rely on local knowlege of drivers doing an area day after day.
You can make Waypoints (specific addresses) on a Route that can be followed in order on a route that are created by a person. Can be very quick to do this if you know the cartography software. The Route then can be uploaded to a GPS like Garmin, or an Android tablet with suitable software.
Will automatically follow the route to the next waypoint - and so on.

Edit: Confess, yes, one of my long term interests. Have a collection of suitable ‘toys’ and cartography software programmes - along with a massive collection of digital mapping.

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3

If you know part of the route usually ir will divert and comes back to finish off. For example if i know part of the way i need to go i ignore the program destination.

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4

It’s a mathematical problem solved using linear programming.

No maths degree required considering, there are commercial software products available which target logistics and fleet management needs of business. Whether any of these are available low cost or as an add on to popular vehicle GPS the web was quick to locate some options.

EG
‘https://www.capterra.com.au/directory/30944/route-planning/software

I searched using the phrase ‘software to assist with efficient routing of transport’.
One might add ‘using Garmin’ or your preferred device if that is important.

P.S.
Whether it’s a problem needing a solution, when we are planning any trip there are often more important considerations than minimising mileage.

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5

As any motorist discovers the shortest route is not always the quickest and sometimes takes much longer to transit than a far longer one. Is time also important or just distance?

The shortest distance question is the ‘Travelling Salesperson problem’, a standard in academia and an entry that can make most glassy eyed.

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Given the mess that navigation systems can make of analysing just one trip from A to B I wonder if the facility to plan the most economical route for many destinations would be very useful or be computed in a reasonable time.

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… which then raises the question as to whether the “10” in the OP was indicative or random. For “10” the problem is realistically (and easily) solvable in exponential time. Eventually (for larger N) the problem is too large and only approximate solutions can be found in realistic time (based on currently known algorithms).

Also, as has already been stated, it depends on what needs to be optimised:

  • distance travelled (as per the OP)
  • time (already mentioned in another post)
  • fuel consumption
  • something else (for example, whether unsealed roads are involved)
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8

There are some smart phone apps which allow routes to be generated with a number of waypoints. The apps can generate the shortest or fastest routes based on the waypoint location.

An example being:

It is also available on the Apple Store as well.

There are a number of other options which are shown here.

These apps are tailored for delivery drivers use shortest/fastest routes to increase their delivery efficiencies.

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9

There are such apps, but not sure how many points can be entered into them. Have a look at this Google search for delivery driver route planner app. The more sophisticated ones will be ‘pay for’ apps.

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10

You could always ask ChatGPT. The answer may not be right, but getting there could be interesting.

Since I don’t know Sydney, I plugged in the names of seven fairly random suburbs from a map. It took me three tries to ask the right question, but the final answer was:

The shortest route to cover all the places, starting and ending at Marrickville, without any specific order would be:

  1. Marrickville to Lane Cove: via Victoria Rd
  2. Lane Cove to Holsworthy: via Epping Rd and M5
  3. Holsworthy to Dulwich Hill: via Canterbury Rd
  4. Dulwich Hill to Kingsford: via Botany Rd
  5. Kingsford to Fairfield Heights: via Anzac Parade
  6. Fairfield Heights to Homebush: via Woodville Rd
  7. Homebush to Marrickville: via Parramatta Rd

This route covers all the places you mentioned and minimizes the distance traveled. However, it is always advisable to check for real-time traffic updates before starting your journey.

(I am loving this new AI.)

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Does it know where I left my car in the Domain Car Park? I left it there in 1980 and I’m still looking for it.

I’ve seen 2 year olds draw neater stars. :+1:

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