Using domain knowledge in coevolution and reinforcement learning to simulate a logistics enterprise

We demonstrate a framework (CoEv-Soar-RL) for a logistics enterprise to improve readiness, sustainment, and reduce operational risk. The CoEv-Soar-RL uses reinforcement learning and coevolutionary algorithms to improve the functions of a logistics enterprise value chain. We address: (1) holistic prediction, optimization, and simulation for the logistics enterprise readiness; (2) the uncertainty and lack of data which require large-scale systematic what-if scenarios to simulate potential new and unknown situations. In this paper, we perform four experiments to investigate how to integrate prediction and simulation to modify a logistics enterprise's demand models and generate synthetic data based. We use general domain knowledge to design simple operators for the coevolutionary search algorithm that provide realistic solutions for the simulation of the logistic enterprise. In addition, to evaluate generated solutions we learn a surrogate model of a logistic enterprise environment from historical data with Soar reinforcement learning. From our experiments we discover, and verify with subject matter experts, novel realistic solutions for the logistic enterprise. These novel solutions perform better than the historical data and where only found when we include knowledge derived from the historical data in the co-evolutionary search.