A Standard Data Format for Timetabling Instances

Many formats have been developed for representing timetable data instances. The variety of data formats currently in use makes the comparison of research results and exchange of data extremely difficult. As many researchers have observed, the need for a standard data format for timetabling instances is now becoming urgent, so as to allow the sharing of data and testing of algorithms on standard benchmarks. At present this is not possible in research on timetable construction. In this paper we state the general requirements of a standard data format and present a standard data format and language for use in the evaluation of timetable instances.