High-level controllers such as Model predictive control (MPC) or Real-Time Optimization (RTO) employ mathematical optimization. These algorithms run online and repeatedly determine values for decision variables, such as choke openings in a process plant, by iteratively solving a mathematical optimization problem including constraints and a model of the system to be controlled.
In mathematics, computer science, economics, or management science, the selection of a best element (with regard to some criteria) from some set of available alternatives.