Maintenance Mode: Route Optimization API / Sequence Optimization API

[Bernd Welter]

Hi there,

every now and then we get requests like this one:

I've been told to implement a sequencing usecase - so just one vehicle and multiple stops. In 2023 I looked into the PTV Sequence Optimization API and PTV Route Optimization API within PTV Developer. Does it make sense to use these APIs in the context of 2025 or are they replaced by the PTV Route Optimization Optiflow API? The usecase in detail is: we planned a tour within our TMS and we would love to rearrange the stops and improve the tour structure.

Let's take a look at the overview of the PTV Developer APIs:

• As you can see from this image the Route Optimization API and Sequence Optimization API are labelled as "maintenance" - they will no longer be improved and the focus is clearly on the PTV Route Optimization OPTIFLOW API which has been released somewhere in december 2023.

  

• The old services themselves are still offered in the hosting but we just won't add new features.
• What we recommend
  • Do not start new projects based on the obsolete versions!
  • Take a look into the new, OPTIFLOW based API (and the OPTIFLOW API forum) which provides much better results compared to the old ones - that's why we joined OPTIFLOW, right ?
• If you need an introduction into the OPTIFLOW API let us know.
• In the specific context of sequencing usecase: for OPTIFLOW this is more or less an edgecase of a fleet with a size of 1 vehicle.
• Here are some sample screenshots (internal test UI) of the sequencing of a set of stops

  

  

  Usecase requirements: all deliveries (triangles down) are supposed to be served before the pickups (triangle up) are handled.

  

  KEP: Tour with open end. Last stop on the tour is a customer - the API decides which one.

[Bernd Welter]

By the way:

Code: Select all

{
    "traceId": "...",
    "errorId": "...",
    "description": "Insufficient access rights.",
    "errorCode": "GENERAL_FORBIDDEN",
    "details": {
    "message": "You do not have permission to access this app."
    }
}

Just learned that depending on your underlying plan you might not even be able to access the old APIs - they have been removed at least from the FREE and STANDARD plan (check FAQs). FREE is the level you get when you registered freshly: