Route Planning and Optimization

Driving higher efficiencies

A gray map with points in green, purple, and yellow, overlaid with a photo of a car dashboard screen displaying a map

Optimizing routes for the real world

Providing the right goods and services in the right place at the right time has never been so challenging. With increasing buyer expectations for faster, more transparent deliveries, it is critical that providers adopt spatially enabled route optimization software to plan the most efficient routes, identify exact delivery points, and automate the complex daily decisions. Location intelligence improves multistop routes, dynamic travel modes, route reconstruction, and ETA calculations. Using Esri route planning and route analysis software, businesses improve systemwide performance while lowering costs. 

End-to-end route planning and optimization software

Comprehensive route solvers for any scenario

Advanced route solvers are algorithms used to generate routes using network datasets, travel modes, and inputs such as number of stops and time windows. Solvers can address dozens of network restrictions and needs, including service area coverage, closest facilities, origin-destination cost matrix solver, location-allocation, and shortest path for multiple stops.

A graphic of a computer monitor displaying a road map of North America in grays and greens

Dynamic travel modes

Travel modes are specific models of how each vehicle class is equipped to traverse roadways and interact with facilities. They help planners rapidly create optimal route plans across the fleet and stay up-to-date as conditions change.

Each mode results in custom-built directions, travel times, and travel paths that are optimized by vehicle. For example, the movement of a sprinter van on a road network may be modeled differently than a straight truck. Travel modes provide real-world routes. 

A graphic of a computer monitor displaying a city-level road map alongside a city-level route map

Planned routes

Route layers from route solvers can be shared with other enterprise applications, including mobile navigation apps or back-office optimization software.

Planners can route many vehicles at once, generate turn-by-turn directions, and determine the best order for a fleet of vehicles so it can serve a set of stops in the least amount of time.

ArcGIS Plan Routes tool
A graphic of a computer monitor displaying a state-level route map in green and purple

Enriched street network data

Routing optimization requires a geoenriched network dataset providing all pertinent information, such as road limitations, weight restrictions, speeds, and live and historical traffic conditions, allowing you to adapt to real-time travel conditions while visualizing future route planning.

ArcGIS StreetMap Premium
A graphic of a computer monitor displaying highways and route points in dark gray and green

Routing operations analysis

Route planners can monitor and analyze operations, including ETA calculations, breadcrumb route reconstruction, and location management.

Forecast and prepare for business seasonality. Ensure the most efficient resource allocation, optimal use of vehicles and employee time, and a balanced workforce where jobs are equally distributed among staff.

A graphic of a computer monitor displaying highway route points in purple on a black background

Article

Moving logistics beyond route optimization

Logistics and transportation companies use GIS software to balance the demands of customers, net-zero goals, and their bottom lines.

Read the article

Products for route planning and optimization

Previous
Next

Contact sales

Connect with the Esri business team