arXiv:2507.09879cs.DScs.AI2025-07中稿 · APPROX 2025被引 1

固定约束数量时,高效解决多子模覆盖问题。

Covering a Few Submodular Constraints and Applications

  • 设计随机双准则近似算法,控制误差与成本。
  • 对固定约束数,逼近比接近单约束最优解。
  • 适用于需要多目标覆盖的优化场景。

考虑覆盖多个子模约束的问题:给定有限基集 $N$、成本函数 $c: N \rightarrow \mathbb{R}_+$、$r$ 个单调子模函数 $f_1,\ldots,f_r$ 及需求 $b_1,\ldots,b_r$,目标是找到最小成本子集 $S \subseteq N$,使得对所有 $i \in [r]$ 满足 $f_i(S) \ge b_i$。当 $r=1$ 时即为经典子模集合覆盖问题。以往研究针对 $r$ 较大时给出双准则近似算法,尤其在每个 $f_i$ 为加权覆盖函数时取得进展。但此时近似比至少为 $Ω(\log r)$,无法避免。本文关注 $r$ 为固定常数的情形,提出两项主要结果:第一,对任意整数 $α \ge 1$,存在随机双准则算法输出集合 $S$,满足对所有 $i$ 有 $f_i(S) \ge (1-1/e^α-ε)b_i$,且期望成本 $\mathbb{E}[c(S)] \le (1+ε)α \cdot \sf{OPT}$;第二,若 $f_i$ 来自删除封闭的集合系统中的加权覆盖函数,则可获得 $(1+ε)(\frac{e}{e-1})(1+β)$-近似,其中 $β$ 为底层集合覆盖实例的自然线性规划近似比。这些结果表明,当 $r$ 固定时,可达到几乎与 $r=1$ 时相当的近似性能。文中还提及若干可直接应用此框架的问题,并预期未来更多应用。

原文摘要 · Abstract (English)

We consider the problem of covering multiple submodular constraints. Given a finite ground set $N$, a cost function $c: N \rightarrow \mathbb{R}_+$, $r$ monotone submodular functions $f_1,f_2,\ldots,f_r$ over $N$ and requirements $b_1,b_2,\ldots,b_r$ the goal is to find a minimum cost subset $S \subseteq N$ such that $f_i(S) \ge b_i$ for $1 \le i \le r$. When $r=1$ this is the well-known Submodular Set Cover problem. Previous work \cite{chekuri2022covering} considered the setting when $r$ is large and developed bi-criteria approximation algorithms, and approximation algorithms for the important special case when each $f_i$ is a weighted coverage function. These are fairly general models and capture several concrete and interesting problems as special cases. The approximation ratios for these problem are at least $Ω(\log r)$ which is unavoidable when $r$ is part of the input. In this paper, motivated by some recent applications, we consider the problem when $r$ is a \emph{fixed constant} and obtain two main results. For covering multiple submodular constraints we obtain a randomized bi-criteria approximation algorithm that for any given integer $α\ge 1$ outputs a set $S$ such that $f_i(S) \ge$ $(1-1/e^α-ε)b_i$ for each $i \in [r]$ and $\mathbb{E}[c(S)] \le (1+ε)α\cdot \sf{OPT}$. Second, when the $f_i$ are weighted coverage functions from a deletion-closed set system we obtain a $(1+ε)$ $(\frac{e}{e-1})$ $(1+β)$-approximation where $β$ is the approximation ratio for the underlying set cover instances via the natural LP. These results show that one can obtain nearly as good an approximation for any fixed $r$ as what one would achieve for $r=1$. We mention some applications that follow easily from these general results and anticipate more in the future.

子模优化近似算法覆盖问题

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