Property Inspection Scheduling with BFS and DFS

Zillow aims to optimize the scheduling of property inspections by efficiently navigating through properties and inspectors’ availability. The goal is to create a seamless and efficient process where inspections are scheduled in a timely manner with minimal conflicts. This requires a robust scheduling system that can handle a large number of properties and inspectors, adapt to real-time changes, and provide users with convenient inspection slots.

Design Technique

By leveraging BFS for identifying the earliest available inspection slots and DFS for exploring all scheduling combinations, Zillow can streamline the property inspection process, ensuring efficient utilization of inspectors’ time and improving user experience.

Implementation

• Identify key factors for scheduling inspections, such as inspector availability, property locations, and preferred inspection times.
• Use BFS to explore available time slots level by level.
• Find the earliest available slots for property inspections.
• Use DFS to explore all possible scheduling combinations.
• Identify the most optimal and least conflicting schedules for inspectors.

Algorithm

BFS Algorithm

procedure BFS(G, root) is
      let Q be a queue
      label root as explored
      Q.enqueue(root)
      while Q is not empty do
          v := Q.dequeue()
          if v is the goal then
              return v
          for all edges from v to w in G.adjacentEdges(v) do
              if w is not labeled as explored then
                  label w as explored
                  w.parent := v
                  Q.enqueue(w)

DFS Algorithm

procedure DFS_iterative(G, v) is
    let S be a stack
    S.push(v)
    while S is not empty do
        v = S.pop()
        if v is not labeled as discovered then
            label v as discovered
            for all edges from v to w in G.adjacentEdges(v) do 
                S.push(w)

By utilizing BFS and DFS algorithms for efficient property inspection scheduling, Zillow can significantly improve the user experience, providing timely and conflict-free inspection options. This data-driven approach will enhance the platform’s ability to meet user needs and optimize resource utilization.

Time and Space Complexity of BFS

• Time Complexity: O(V + E )
• Space Complexity: O(V) in worst case

Time and Space Complexity of DFS

• Time Complexity: O(V + E )
• Space Complexity: O(V) in worst case

Here is the full code implementation Code