The paper describes a rank-based fitness assignment method for Multiple Objective Genetic Algorithms (MOGAs). Conventional niche formation methods are extended to this class of multimodal problems and theory for setting the niche size is presented. The fitness assignment method is then modified to allow direct intervention of an external decision maker (DM). Finally, the MOGA is generalised further: the genetic algorithm is seen as the optimizing element of a multiobjective optimization loop, which also comprises the DM. It is the interaction between the two that leads to the determination of a satisfactory solution to the problem. Illustrative results of how the DM can interact with the genetic algorithm are presented. They also show the ability of the MOGA to uniformly sample regions of the trade-off surface.

Evolutionary algorithms (EAs) are often wellsuited for optimization problems involving several, often conflicting objectives. Since 1985, various evolutionary approaches to multiobjective optimization have been developed that are capable of searching for multiple solutions concurrently in a single run. However, the few comparative studies of different methods presented up to now remain mostly qualitative and are often restricted to a few approaches. In this paper, four multiobjective EAs are compared quantitatively where an extended 0/1 knapsack problem is taken as a basis. Furthermore, we introduce a new evolutionary approach to multicriteria optimization, the Strength Pareto EA (SPEA), that combines several features of previous multiobjective EAs in a unique manner. It is characterized by (a) storing nondominated solutions externally in a second, continuously updated population, (b) evaluating an individual's fitness dependent on the number of external nondominated points that domina...

This paper considers a number of selection schemes commonly used in modern genetic algorithms. Specifically, proportionate reproduction, ranking selection, tournament selection, and Genitor (or «steady state") selection are compared on the basis of solutions to deterministic difference or differential equations, which are verified through computer simulations. The analysis provides convenient approximate or exact solutions as well as useful convergence time and growth ratio estimates. The paper recommends practical application of the analyses and suggests a number of paths for more detailed analytical investigation of selection techniques. Keywords: proportionate selection, ranking selection, tournament selection, Genitor, takeover time, time complexity, growth ratio. 1

The application of evolutionary algorithms (EAs) in multiobjective optimization is currently receiving growing interest from researchers with various backgrounds. Most research in this area has understandably concentrated on the selection stage of EAs, due to the need to integrate vectorial performance measures with the inherently scalar way in which EAs reward individual performance, i.e., number of offspring. In this review, current multiobjective evolutionary approaches are discussed, ranging from the conventional analytical aggregation of the different objectives into a single function to a number of populationbased approaches and the more recent ranking schemes based on the definition of Pareto-optimality. The sensitivity of different methods to

In trying to solve multiobjective optimization problems, many traditional methods scalarize the objective vector into a single objective. In those cases, the obtained solution is highly sensitive to the weight vector used in the scalarization process and demands the user to have knowledge about the underlying problem. Moreover, in solving multiobjective problems, designers may be interested in a set of Pareto-optimal points, instead of a single point. Since genetic algorithms(GAs) work with a population of points, it seems natural to use GAs in multiobjective optimization problems to capture a number of solutions simultaneously. Although a vector evaluated GA (VEGA) has been implemented by Schaffer and has been tried to solve a number of multiobjective problems, the algorithm seems to have bias towards some regions. In this paper, we investigate Goldberg's notion of nondominated sorting in GAs along with a niche and speciation method to find multiple Pareto-optimal points sim...

Genetic algorithms (GAs) are biologically motivated adaptive systems which have been used, with varying degrees of success, for function optimization. In this study, an abstraction of the basic genetic algorithm, the Equilibrium Genetic Algorithm (EGA), and the GA in turn, are reconsidered within the framework of competitive learning. This new perspective reveals a number of different possibilities for performance improvements. This paper explores population-based incremental learning (PBIL), a method of combining the mechanisms of a generational genetic algorithm with simple competitive learning. The combination of these two methods reveals a tool which is far simpler than a GA, and which out-performs a GA on large set of optimization problems in terms of both speed and accuracy. This paper presents an empirical analysis of where the proposed technique will outperform genetic algorithms, and describes a class of problems in which a genetic algorithm may be able to perform better. Extensions to this algorithm are discussed and analyzed. PBIL and extensions are compared with a standard GA on twelve problems, including standard numerical optimization functions, traditional GA test suite problems, and NP-Complete problems.

Solving optimization problems with multiple (often conflicting) objectives is, generally, a very difficult goal. Evolutionary algorithms (EAs) were initially extended and applied during the mid-eighties in an attempt to stochastically solve problems of this generic class. During the past decade, a variety of multiobjective EA (MOEA) techniques have been proposed and applied to many scientific and engineering applications. Our discussion's intent is to rigorously define multiobjective optimization problems and certain related concepts, present an MOEA classification scheme, and evaluate the variety of contemporary MOEAs. Current MOEA theoretical developments are evaluated; specific topics addressed include fitness functions, Pareto ranking, niching, fitness sharing, mating restriction, and secondary populations. Since the development and application of MOEAs is a dynamic and rapidly growing activity, we focus on key analytical insights based upon critical MOEA evaluation of c...

Many, if not most, optimization problems have multiple objectives. Historically, multiple objectives have been combined ad hoc to form a scalar objective function, usually through a linear combination (weighted sum) of the multiple attributes, or by turning objectives into constraints. The genetic algorithm (GA), however, is readily modified to deal with multiple objectives by incorporating the concept of Pareto domination in its selection operator, and applying a niching pressure to spread its population out along the Pareto optimal tradeoff surface. We introduce the Niched Pareto GA as an algorithm for finding the Pareto optimal set. We demonstrate its ability to find and maintain a diverse "Pareto optimal population" on two artificial problems and an open problem in hydrosystems.

This paper considers the effect of stochasticity on the quality of convergence of genetic algorithms (GAs). In many problems, the variance of building-block fitness or so-called collateral noise is the major source of variance, and a population-sizing equation is derived to ensure that average signal-to-collateral-noise ratios are favorable to the discrimination of the best building blocks required to solve a problem of bounded deception. The sizing relation is modified to permit the inclusion of other sources of stochasticity, such as the noise of selection, the noise of genetic operators, and the explicit noise or nondeterminism of the objective function. In a test suite of five functions, the sizing relation proves to be a conservative predictor of average correct convergence, as long as all major sources of noise are considered in the sizing calculation. These results suggest how the sizing equation may be viewed as a coarse delineation of a boundary between what a physicist might call two distinct phases of GA behavior. At low population sizes the GA makes many errors of decision, and the quality of convergence is largely left to the vagaries of chance or the serial fixup of flawed results through mutation or other serial injection of diversity. At large population sizes, GAs can reliably discriminate between good and bad building blocks, and parallel processing and recombination of building blocks lead to quick solution of even difficult deceptive problems. Additionally, the paper outlines a number of extensions to this work, including the development of more refined models of the relation between generational average error and ultimate convergence quality, the development of online methods for sizing populations via the estimation of population-s...

The paper describes the hierarchical Bayesian optimization algorithm which combines the Bayesian optimization algorithm, local structures in Bayesian networks, and a powerful niching technique. The proposed algorithm is able to solve hierarchical traps and other difficult problems very efficiently.