Optimal Chair Location Through a Maximum Diversity Problem Genetic Algorithm Optimization

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has challenged multiple aspects of our lives. Social distancing among other preventive measures for reducing the contagion probability have supposed a significant challenge for many establishments. Restaurants, schools, conferences are establishments founded by the congregation of participants, distributed in tables or chairs over a certain scenario. These enterprises now face an optimization problem in their daily routine, where they seek to maximize the interpersonal distance while also allocating the maximum number of assistants. The optimization of these distribution paradigms, such as the CLP (Chair Location Problem), has been defined as NP-Hard, therefore, the use of metaheuristic techniques, such as Genetic Algorithms is recommended for obtaining an optimal solution within a polynomial time. In this paper, a GA is proposed for solving the CLP, attaining an optimal solution that maximizes the interpersonal distance among assistants while also guaranteeing a minimum distance separation for reducing the contagion probability. Results of the proposed methodology and multiple fitness evaluation strategies prove its viability for attaining a valid distribution for these establishments, thus satisfying the main objectives of this research.