This Computer Science Department is one of the major centers in this area of programming language research. Along with scholars from the University of Edinburgh, they have produced a tool kit for standard ML, which is appropriately called the ML Kit. The Parallel and Distributed Systems Group specializes in two closely related, but separate topics. In parallel computing they are investigating the use of a parallel computer to solve very large mathematical problems. Systems of ordinary differential equations have application in many areas of science and engineering, for example the electrical circuit analysis.
Combinatorial optimization is another area where parallel computing is effective.
They are working on several problems in this area, including shortest path, assignment, and plant layout problems. Research at DIKU in the area of optimization centers around the development and application of exact and approximate solutions to a diverse set of optimization problems. They are active in linear and nonlinear programming, integer programming, and network flow problems. Among their current topics of investigation is the employment of geometric information in the solution of optimization problems. The use of computational geometry has been demonstrated in some applications including topological networks and locational analysis applications.