Optimization for drone and drone-truck combined operations: A review of the state of the art and future directions

Abstract This paper surveys the state-of-the-art optimization approaches in the civil application of drone operations (DO) and drone-truck combined operations (DTCO) including construction/infrastructure, agriculture, transportation/logistics, security/disaster management, entertainment/media, etc. In particular, this paper reviews ongoing research on various optimization issues related to DO and DTCO including mathematical models, solution methods, synchronization between a drone and a truck, and barriers in implementing DO and DTCO. First, the paper introduces DO and DTCO and their applications, and explores some previous works including survey papers. In addition, this paper surveys the state of the art of DO and DTCO studies and discusses the research gaps in the literature. Furthermore, the detailed review of DTCO models and solution methods are reviewed. Finally, future research directions are discussed.