Use this sheet to define the cost of traveling between locations. Each row represents the travel cost from one site to another for a specific vehicle type. Costs are typically used in the objective function to minimize total route cost.

The Costs and Travel Time sheets together define the travel network used by the model. At least one of these sheets must contain data in order to specify which travel legs are possible between sites. If you do not want cost or travel time to influence the objective function, you can leave the corresponding goal weight set to zero in the Goals sheet. However, one of these sheets must still define the allowable travel legs between locations.

If both sheets are populated, they must contain the same set of Origin Site → Destination Site → Vehicle Type combinations. In other words, the network structure defined in the Costs and Travel Time sheets must be consistent.

Network Structure and Connectivity

This sheet does not need to define cost values for every possible pair of sites. It only needs to include travel links where cost information is known. cuOpt builds routes using the network defined by the links provided. For example:

• If cost entries exist for A → B and B → C,

• But no direct cost entry exists for A → C,

cuOpt can route a vehicle from A → B → C, using B as an intermediate waypoint.

Even if a direct link A → C is defined, cuOpt may still choose the route A → B → C if the total cost of that path is lower. In other words, cuOpt will select the lowest-cost feasible path through the network defined in this sheet.

Directional Travel

Travel links are directional. If travel is allowed in both directions between two sites (A → B and B → A), each direction must be entered on a separate row. The cost values may be different for each direction.

Origin Site

Specifies the starting location of the travel segment.

This field must match a Site Name defined in the Sites sheet exactly.

Destination Site

Specifies the ending location of the travel segment.

This field must match a Site Name defined in the Sites sheet exactly.

Vehicle Type

Specifies the vehicle type to which this cost applies. Costs can vary by vehicle type. If multiple vehicle types are used, each type must have its own cost entries.

This field must match a Name defined in the Vehicle Types sheet exactly.

The travel network must have the same structure for all vehicle types. In other words, if a travel link is defined for one vehicle type, that same Origin Site → Destination Site pair must also be defined for every other vehicle type.

Cost

Defines the numeric cost incurred when traveling from the Origin Site to the Destination Site using the specified Vehicle Type.

This value must be a numeric entry and must be non-negative.

Cost units are defined by the user (for example, dollars, fuel units, penalty units, etc.). cuOpt treats cost as a numeric value used in the objective function.

Rules and Structure

• Origin Site and Destination Site must exist in the Sites sheet.

• Vehicle Type must exist in the Vehicle Types sheet.

• Each Origin Site + Destination Site + Vehicle Type combination should be unique.

• Cost values must be numeric and non-negative.