  Minimum Cost Polygon Overlay (MCPO) is a unique two-dimensional optimization
problem that involves the task of covering a polygon shaped area with a series
of rectangular shaped panels. This has a number of applications in the
construction industry. This work examines the MCPO problem in order to
construct a model that captures essential parameters of the problem to be
solved automatically using numerical optimization algorithms. Three algorithms
have been implemented of the actual optimization task: the greedy search, the
Monte Carlo (MC) method, and the Genetic Algorithm (GA). Results are presented
to show the relative effectiveness of the algorithms. This is followed by
critical analysis of various findings of this research.
