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Proposal: Operations Research

Last night Stack Exchange changed our site name and URL from "Operations Research and Analytics" to "Operations Research".

Should we assume that is the final name? If so, we'll start using the new name when we promote the site.

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When a proposal nears the end of its Definition, it undergoes a final review by the Community Team to see if and how it fits with the rest of the network. During the final review, any discussions and surrounding activities are considered, and the title and description are finalized in preparation for launch at 100% Commitment.

Yes, this site is slated to launch as "Operations Research". It was the community's top choice and we concur. This article summarizes some of the issues of naming sites. Wikipedia [Operations Research] is also sometimes a good source to provide a higher-level mainstream view of a how subject is commonly referenced. While the other options were more elaborate and detailed, the titles were too long for our design and the title need only to be easily identified among those already familiar with the subject. If it's difficult to distill the subject down to a concise title without enumerating all of the topics it includes, it will have a much harder time being considered as a viable topic for a site.

This site has been fully approved, and it is on its final approach to becoming a full Q&A site.

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    Great -- in that case, we will press ahead with "OR". Thanks!
    – LarrySnyder610
    Commented Apr 24, 2019 at 14:22
  • What will the URL be?
    – Mark L. Stone
    Commented Apr 24, 2019 at 15:30
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    @MarkL.Stone https:// OR .stackexchange .com (ref Wikipedia > Operations Research)
    – Robert Cartaino
    Commented Apr 24, 2019 at 15:45
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    With this finalization of the site's name, does this mean the purpose of the site can or should change to reflect or include all the topics applicable to the site (some of which were also proposed for the site's name)?
    – EhsanK
    Commented Apr 24, 2019 at 17:48
  • @EhsanK I'm not entirely certain what you are asking, but (making some assumptions) the final review process typically does not change the scope of a site unless something goes very wrong during the proposal process warranting such a change. I did not suggest anything like that here.
    – Robert Cartaino
    Commented Apr 24, 2019 at 17:54
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    @RobertCartaino sorry for the confusing question. I think this is what I was wondering: The purpose of the site for the proposal is "Proposed Q&A site for operations research and analytics professionals, educators, and students." Now, since the name is becoming OR, I was wondering should the definition of the site become more detailed and include topics, such as "Mathematical Modeling, Optimization and Decision-Making" so that people know what type of questions are now valid? This is especially for those who are new to the field of OR.
    – EhsanK
    Commented Apr 24, 2019 at 18:42
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    @EhsanK I don't think a change is necessary to the "purpose" statement, but eventually my understanding is that there will be a FAQ page that can lay out some of the subtopics, the way you are describing.
    – LarrySnyder610
    Commented Apr 24, 2019 at 18:45
  • I know what O.R. stands for, as do all O.R. people. But "or" in or.stackexchange.com could be confusing. if the URL were optimization.stackexchange.com, it would not be a confusing abbreviation, and would emphasize optimization as a key topic of the site. Doing so, the site could not only be the site for Operations Research, but could serve as a one-stop shopping for all (most) optimization questions, currently split between math.stackexchange.com , stats.stackexchange.com , scicomp.stackexchange.com , stackoverflow.com, mathoverflow.net
    – Mark L. Stone
    Commented Apr 24, 2019 at 19:45
  • Maybe mathoverflow.net could remain as a backstop for the most theoretically or mathematically advanced optimization questions. I guess there is a legitimate matter for debate as to whether all optimization questions should be on topic on the Operations Research site, including those pertaining to non-O.R. science or engineering problems. My personal opinion is, sure. However, if an optimization question depends on deep knowledge of the application area in which the optimization question occurs, it might be better off on the application area site.
    – Mark L. Stone
    Commented Apr 24, 2019 at 19:51
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    @MarkL.Stone About the "or" in the URL: I don't see that as a major problem; I think anyone who is getting to the site by typing the URL will already know what the "or" is for. I think it would add more, not less, confusion, if the URL were different from the name of the site, e.g., optimization.SE.
    – LarrySnyder610
    Commented Apr 24, 2019 at 23:28
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    As for the scope question, I agree there is going to be some overlap with other sites and it might take a little time to work out what belongs where. I suspect that some amount of overlap is inevitable, but I agree with your breakdown of roughly what topics should belong on what sites.
    – LarrySnyder610
    Commented Apr 24, 2019 at 23:29

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