Theory and Principled Methods for the Design of Metaheuristics

287 Pages·2014·6.574 MB·English

by  Christian Igel (auth.), Yossi Borenstein, Alberto Moraglio (eds.)

Natural Computing Series
Yossi Borenstein
Alberto Moraglio Editors
Theory and
Principled
Methods for
the Design of
Metaheuristics
Natural Computing Series
SeriesEditors:G.Rozenberg
Th.Bäck A.E.Eiben J.N.Kok H.P.Spaink
LeidenCenterforNaturalComputing
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E.Oja G.Pa˘un J.Reif H.Rubin A.Salomaa M.Schoenauer
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Forfurthervolumes:
http://www.springer.com/series/4190

Yossi Borenstein Alberto Moraglio
(cid:2)
Editors
Theory and Principled
Methods for the Design
of Metaheuristics
123
Editors
YossiBorenstein AlbertoMoraglio
VisualDNA UniversityofBirmingham
London SchoolofComputerScience
UnitedKingdom Birmingham
UnitedKingdom
SeriesEditors
G.Rozenberg(ManagingEditor)
Th.Bäck,J.N.Kok,H.P.Spaink
LeidenCenterforNaturalComputing
LeidenUniversity
Leiden,TheNetherlands
A.E.Eiben
VrijeUniversiteitAmsterdam
TheNetherlands
ISSN1619-7127 NaturalComputingSeries
ISBN978-3-642-33205-0 ISBN978-3-642-33206-7(eBook)
DOI10.1007/978-3-642-33206-7
SpringerHeidelbergNewYorkDordrechtLondon
LibraryofCongressControlNumber:2013956610
(cid:2)c Springer-VerlagBerlinHeidelberg2014
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Foreword
Iwas veryhappyandexcitedwhenI wasinvitedtowrite a forewordforthe book
“Theory and Principled Methods for the Design of Metaheuristics” by Alberto
MoraglioandYossiBorenstein.Thereareseveralreasonsforthis.
Firstly, thefocusofthebook—bridgingthegapbetweentheoryandpractice—
isan exceptionallyimportantandtimely topicinthe field ofmetaheuristicsandis
onethatisverydeartome.Despitenumerousattemptstochangethis,byandlarge
theoreticians and practitioners live on different planets. Often theoretical studies
on metaheuristics are hardly applicable to real-world problems: so why should
practitioners take notice? Conversely, understanding theoretical results requires
somedisciplineandeffort,andImustsaythatpractitioners,oftenunjustifiably,do
notthinkthatwhattheycanlearnfromtheoryisworththeinvestmentoftheirtime,
wheninfactitis.Myfeelingisthatthisbookwillbeanimportantreferenceinthis
areafromwhichboththeoreticiansandpractitionerscanlearnmuch.
Secondly, I was really impressed with the list of contributors to this edited
book. This includes many of the most influential and respected researchers on
metaheuristics. This book is a fantastic fusion of their collective knowledge. In
terms of both contributions to the science and engineering of metaheuristics and
inspirationforfutureresearchersandpractitioners,thisbookappearstohavebeena
resoundingsuccess.
Finally, nottoo long ago, both Alberto and Yossi were doctoralstudents under
mysupervision.Theywerebothexceptionallygoodstudents—independentthinkers
with sharp minds and a strong motivation and will. It is both very satisfying and
a source of inspiration for me to see them actively working with a number of
world-classresearchersoncastinglightonsomeofthemostdifficultyetcrucially
importantissuesinmetaheuristicsandmuchbeyond,atatimewhenmyownwillis
faltering.
I am sure I will learn a lot from studying this volume in detail, and I am sure
many others, practitioners and theoreticians alike, can gain much from doing the
same—YossiandAlberto,thankyouforhavingputtogethersuchahigh-profileand
inspiringvolume.
Colchester,Essex,UK RiccardoPoli
vii

Preface
Metaheuristicsandevolutionaryalgorithmsinparticularareadaptableoptimization
frameworksthatareroutinelyandsuccessfullyappliedtohardreal-worldproblems.
Intuitively,theyseemtocapturesomefundamentalbiologicalpropertywhichmakes
theminherentlygoodgeneralproblemsolvers.Atthesametime,theinformalway
inwhichmetaheuristicsaredefinedandtailoredtoeachproblemcanleadtovarious
misconceptions. More than anything else, their successful application is often the
outcomeofalongtrial-and-errorprocesstoidentifyagoodproblem-specificdesign
followed by extensive parameter tuning. Ideally, theoretical studies should rectify
thissituationbyexplaininghow,when,andwhymetaheuristicsworkandproviding
guidelinesfortheir successfuldesignand optimalparameterchoice.However,the
challenge is huge: mathematical analysis requires time and effort even for very
simplescenarios,whereasinpracticeproblemsaswellasalgorithmsarequitecom-
plexandsubjecttorapidchange.Thedifferentmotivations—practicalapplications
vs.mathematicalanalysis—leadtodistinctsubcommunitieswithdifferentresearch
cultureswhichrarelycommunicatewithoneanother.
Thedialogbetweentheoryandpracticeisveryimportanttous.Weorganizeda
workshopatParallelProblemSolvingfromNature(PPSN)onthissubjectandlater
editedaspecialissueoftheEvolutionaryComputationJournal(ECJ).Ourstudyis
theoretical,butwealwaysmadeanefforttoidentifyandpromotepotentialpractical
applications. In this book, rather than focusing on our own work, we collected
several theoretical and principled methods that when strung together we believe
indicate a viable route towards bridging theory and practice. The book outlines
thecontributionofcurrenttheoreticalworktopracticalproblems,pointstovarious
theoreticalapproachesthathavethepotentialtohavearealimpactonpracticeinthe
future,and,atthesametime,providesprincipledmethodsthatcanbeappliednow
tomakeempiricalworkmorerigorous.Itisdividedintofourthemes:thefirstthree
arerelatedtotheoryandthelastonetopractice.
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