How to Build a Route Planning Application with Breadth First Search and Dijkstra's Algorithm

Karim Traiaia's blog post provides a comprehensive guide on building a route planning application using Memgraph and Cypher, focusing on implementing the breadth-first search (BFS) and Dijkstra's algorithm to navigate the European road network. The tutorial begins with defining a data model as a connected graph of nodes and relationships, using the European road network dataset, and importing it into Memgraph using Cypher queries. Traiaia explains how to execute BFS to find paths with the minimal number of stops and apply filters using lambda functions for further customization, such as limiting travel distances between stops. The tutorial also covers using Dijkstra's algorithm to find the shortest path based on distance, and how to incorporate additional constraints for specific travel needs, like biking trips with distance limitations. The blog effectively demonstrates the power of graph databases for route optimization and provides practical insights into using Memgraph's custom Cypher implementations for efficient graph traversal.