Quantum-Assisted Optimization Guided by Machine-Learned Risk Maps for Aerial Surveillance Routing

Analog quantum computing with neutral atom computers is rapidly evolving into a promising way to perform combinatorial optimization tasks at scale. As technology matures, exploring real use cases leveraging such unique information processors becomes warranted; one example is logistics management where vehicles are assigned routes to perform a given task. Autonomous aerial vehicles (drones) are increasingly used for surveillance over a given territory. In this paper, we propose an innovative framework integrating classical machine learning forecasts and quantum annealing to find the best combination of tours for a given surveillance criterion. The risk maps produced by machine learning are used to find possible surveillance tours, while a quantum-assisted heuristic chooses the best combination, producing a full surveillance plan. By modelling our decision problem for drone paths as a Team Orienteering Problem (TOP) with additional constraints, we construct a new heuristic using quantum annealing to find good solutions. We apply this framework to wildfire prevention, where finding tours most likely to detect a starting fire has clear benefits. We study the effect of larger quantum resources on heuristic performance and compare those results to the use of classical resources.