Shape and size of parcels and transport costs as a mixed integer programming problem in optimization of land consolidation

This article presents a new approach to the problem of optimization of land arrangement. The new element is the use of binary variables in the calculation model using the principles of linear programming. For this reason the optimization model can be classified into the category of mixed integer programming problems (MIA). The proposed optimization model takes into account a number of very important factors in the process of land consolidation, including map of the land diversification or the actual shape of the transportation network. That also implies taking into account the real, not the straight-lined distances between different parts of the model. The solution of the model is an arrangement of plots minimizing the costs associated with the cultivation of these plots, depending on their shapes and distances from homesteads. The value of the land of individual farms before and after the consolidation is preserved. Optimization model has been saved and executed in the environment of the GLPK (GNU Linear Programming Kit) software package. The presented method has been used to carry out the optimization process on the test object of the area of 587 hectares. The outcome is a new layout of plots in a form which meets all the technical requirements required in the real project process. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.