Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Preprint |
| Published: |
2024
|
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://arxiv.org/abs/2403.08966 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1866911691080466432 |
|---|---|
| author | Liu, Shixin Gao, Ming Hu, Jian |
| author_facet | Liu, Shixin Gao, Ming Hu, Jian |
| contents | Stochastic programming is often challenged by epistemic uncertainty, where critical probability distributions are poorly characterized or unknown due to a lack of data. To address this, we pioneer a novel framework for stochastic programming that minimizes an upper confidence bound (UCB) on the expected random cost, acting as a robustness-seeking strategy. Our central contribution is the Average Percentile Upper Bound (APUB), a new statistical construct that serves as both a statistically rigorous upper bound for population means and an approximate risk metric for sample means. We rigorously prove the asymptotic correctness and consistency of APUB, establishing a reliable foundation for data-driven decision-making. We also develop practical solution methods, including a bootstrap sampling approximation method and an L-shaped method, to solve APUB optimization problems, with a specific focus on two-stage linear stochastic optimization with random recourse. Empirical demonstrations on a two-stage product mix problem reveal the significant benefits of our APUB optimization framework, which fortifies the process against epistemic uncertainty while reinforcing key decision-making attributes like reliability and consistency. The implementation and source code are available at https://github.com/8Wings/APUB-Optimization. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2403_08966 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2024 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | Minimizing Upper Confidence Bounds: A Data-Driven Framework for Stochastic Programming Liu, Shixin Gao, Ming Hu, Jian Optimization and Control Stochastic programming is often challenged by epistemic uncertainty, where critical probability distributions are poorly characterized or unknown due to a lack of data. To address this, we pioneer a novel framework for stochastic programming that minimizes an upper confidence bound (UCB) on the expected random cost, acting as a robustness-seeking strategy. Our central contribution is the Average Percentile Upper Bound (APUB), a new statistical construct that serves as both a statistically rigorous upper bound for population means and an approximate risk metric for sample means. We rigorously prove the asymptotic correctness and consistency of APUB, establishing a reliable foundation for data-driven decision-making. We also develop practical solution methods, including a bootstrap sampling approximation method and an L-shaped method, to solve APUB optimization problems, with a specific focus on two-stage linear stochastic optimization with random recourse. Empirical demonstrations on a two-stage product mix problem reveal the significant benefits of our APUB optimization framework, which fortifies the process against epistemic uncertainty while reinforcing key decision-making attributes like reliability and consistency. The implementation and source code are available at https://github.com/8Wings/APUB-Optimization. |
| title | Minimizing Upper Confidence Bounds: A Data-Driven Framework for Stochastic Programming |
| topic | Optimization and Control |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2403.08966 |