Anna I. Esparcia-Alcazar - Böcker

Evolutionary computation (EC) techniques are e?cient, nature-inspired pl- ning and optimization methods based on the principles of natural evolution and genetics. Due to their e?ciency and simple underlying principles, these me- ods can be used in the context of problem solving, optimization, and machine learning. A large and continuously increasing number of researchers and prof- sionals make use of EC techniques in various application domains. This volume presents a careful selection of relevant EC examples combined with a thorough examination of the techniques used in EC. The papers in the volume illustrate the current state of the art in the application of EC and should help and - spire researchers and professionals to develop e?cient EC methods for design and problem solving. All papers in this book were presented during EvoWorkshops 2008, which consisted of a range of workshops on application-oriented aspects of EC. Since 1998, EvoWorkshops has provided a unique opportunity for EC researchers to meet and discuss applicationaspectsofECandhasservedasanimportantlink between EC research and its application in a variety of domains. During these ten years new workshops have arisen, some have disappeared, while others have matured to become conferences of their own, such as EuroGP in 2000, EvoCOP in 2004, and EvoBIO last year.

The year 2009 celebrates the bicentenary of Darwin’s birth and the 150th - niversary of the publication of his seminal work, On the Origin of Species.If this makes 2009 a special year for the research community working in biology and evolution, the ?eld of evolutionary computation (EC) also shares the same excitement. EC techniques are e?cient, nature-inspired planning and optimi- tion methods based on the principles of natural evolution and genetics. Due to their e?ciency and simple underlying principles, these methods can be used in the context of problem solving, optimization, and machine learning. A large and ever-increasing number of researchers and professionals make use of EC te- niques in various application domains. ThisvolumepresentsacarefulselectionofrelevantECapplicationscombined with a thorough examination of the techniques used in EC. The papers in the volume illustrate the current state of the art in the application of EC and can help and inspire researchers and professionals to develop e?cient EC methods for design and problem solving.

Evolutionary Computation (EC) techniques are e?cient, nature-inspired me- ods based on the principles of natural evolution and genetics. Due to their - ciency and simple underlying principles, these methods can be used for a diverse rangeofactivitiesincludingproblemsolving,optimization,machinelearningand pattern recognition. A large and continuously increasing number of researchers and professionals make use of EC techniques in various application domains. This volume presents a careful selection of relevant EC examples combined with a thorough examination of the techniques used in EC. The papers in the volume illustrate the current state of the art in the application of EC and should help and inspire researchers and professionals to develop e?cient EC methods for design and problem solving. All papers in this book were presented during EvoApplications 2010, which included a range of events on application-oriented aspects of EC. Since 1998, EvoApplications — formerly known as EvoWorkshops— has provided a unique opportunity for EC researchers to meet and discuss application aspects of EC and has been an important link between EC research and its application in a variety of domains. During these 12 years, new events have arisen, some have disappeared,whileothershavematuredtobecomeconferencesoftheirown,such as EuroGP in 2000, EvoCOP in 2004, and EvoBIO in 2007. And from this year, EvoApplications has become a conference as well.

This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the International Conference on the Applications of Evolutionary Computation, EvoApplications 2011, held in Torino, Italy, in April 2011 colocated with the Evo* 2011 events. Thanks to the large number of submissions received, the proceedings for EvoApplications 2011 are divided across two volumes (LNCS 6624 and 6625). The present volume contains contributions for EvoCOMPLEX, EvoGAMES, EvoIASP, EvoINTELLIGENCE, EvoNUM, and EvoSTOC. The 36 revised full papers presented were carefully reviewed and selected from numerous submissions. This volume presents an overview about the latest research in EC. Areas where evolutionary computation techniques have been applied range from telecommunication networks to complex systems, finance and economics, games, image analysis, evolutionary music and art, parameter optimization, scheduling, and logistics. These papers may provide guidelines to help new researchers tackling their own problem using EC.

This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the International Conference on the Applications of Evolutionary Computation, EvoApplications 2012, held in Málaga, Spain, in April 2012, colocated with the Evo* 2012 events EuroGP, EvoCOP, EvoBIO, and EvoMUSART. The 54 revised full papers presented were carefully reviewed and selected from 90 submissions. EvoApplications 2012 consisted of the following 11 tracks: EvoCOMNET (nature-inspired techniques for telecommunication networks and other parrallel and distributed systems), EvoCOMPLEX (algorithms and complex systems), EvoFIN (evolutionary and natural computation in finance and economics), EvoGAMES (bio-inspired algorithms in games), EvoHOT (bio-inspired heuristics for design automation), EvoIASP (evolutionary computation in image analysis and signal processing), EvoNUM (bio-inspired algorithms for continuous parameter optimization), EvoPAR (parallel implementation of evolutionary algorithms), EvoRISK (computational intelligence for risk management, security and defense applications), EvoSTIM (nature-inspired techniques in scheduling, planning, and timetabling), and EvoSTOC (evolutionary algorithms in stochastic and dynamic environments).

This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the International Conference on the Applications of Evolutionary Computation, EvoApplications 2013, held in Vienna, Austria, in April 2013, colocated with the Evo* 2013 events EuroGP, EvoCOP, EvoBIO, and EvoMUSART. The 65 revised full papers presented were carefully reviewed and selected from 119 submissions. EvoApplications 2013 consisted of the following 12 tracks: EvoCOMNET (nature-inspired techniques for telecommunication networks and other parallel and distributed systems), EvoCOMPLEX (evolutionary algorithms and complex systems), EvoENERGY (evolutionary computation in energy applications), EvoFIN (evolutionary and natural computation in finance and economics), EvoGAMES (bio-inspired algorithms in games), EvoIASP (evolutionary computation in image analysis, signal processing, and pattern recognition), EvoINDUSTRY (nature-inspired techniques in industrial settings), EvoNUM (bio-inspired algorithms for continuous parameter optimization), EvoPAR (parallel implementation of evolutionary algorithms), EvoRISK (computational intelligence for risk management, security and defence applications), EvoROBOT (evolutionary computation in robotics), and EvoSTOC (evolutionary algorithms in stochastic and dynamic environments).