Jürgen Branke - Böcker

Evolutionary algorithms (EAs) have grown into a mature field of research in optimization, and have proven to be effective and robust problem-solvers for a broad range of static real-world optimization problems. Yet, since they are based on the principles of natural evolution, and since natural evolution is a dynamic process in a changing environment, EAs are also well suited to dynamic optimization problems. This volume provides a survey on research in the area and shows how EAs can be used to: continuously and efficiently adapt a solution to a changing environment; find a trade-off between solution quality and adaptation cost; find robust solutions whose quality is insensitive to changes in the environment; and find flexible solutions that can be easily adapted when necessary. This resource should prove useful to researchers and professionals who are dealing with dynamic and stochastic optimization problems, and who are interested in applying local search heuristics, such as evolutionary algorithms.

Evolutionary Algorithms (EAs) have grown into a mature field of research in optimization, and have proven to be effective and robust problem solvers for a broad range of static real-world optimization problems. Yet, since they are based on the principles of natural evolution, and since natural evolution is a dynamic process in a changing environment, EAs are also well suited to dynamic optimization problems. Evolutionary Optimization in Dynamic Environments is the first comprehensive work on the application of EAs to dynamic optimization problems. It provides an extensive survey on research in the area and shows how EAs can be successfully used to continuously and efficiently adapt a solution to a changing environment, find a good trade-off between solution quality and adaptation cost, find robust solutions whose quality is insensitive to changes in the environment, find flexible solutions which are not only good but that can be easily adapted when necessary. All four aspects are treated in this book, providing a holistic view on the challenges and opportunities when applying EAs to dynamic optimization problems. The comprehensive and up-to-date coverage of the subject, together with details of latest original research, makes Evolutionary Optimization in Dynamic Environments an invaluable resource for researchers and professionals who are dealing with dynamic and stochastic optimization problems, and who are interested in applying local search heuristics, such as evolutionary algorithms.

This book constitutes the joint refereed proceedings of six workshops on evolutionary computing, EvoWorkshops 2004, held together with EuroGP 2004 and EvoCOP 2004 in Coimbra, Portugal, in April 2004. The 55 revised full papers presented were carefully reviewed and selected from a total of 123 submissions. In accordance with the six workshops covered, the papers are organized in topical sections on evolutionary bioinformatics; evolutionary computing in communications, networks, and connected systems; hardware optimization techniques; evolutionary computing in image analysis and signal processing; evolutionary music and art; and evolutionary algorithms in stochastic and dynamic environments.

This book constitutes the refereed joint proceedings of six workshops on evolutionary computing, EvoWorkshops 2005, held in Lausanne, Switzerland in March/April 2005. The 56 revised full papers presented were carefully reviewed and selected from a total of 143 submissions. In accordance with the six workshops covered, the papers are organized in topical sections on evolutionary bioinformatics; evolutionary computing in communications, networks, and connected systems; hardware optimization techniques; evolutionary computation in image analysis and signal processing; evolutionary music and art; and evolutionary algorithms in stochastic and dynamic environments.

This book presents the refereed joint proceedings of seven workshops on evolutionary computing, EvoWorkshops 2006, held in Budapest in April 2006. 65 revised full papers and 13 revised short papers presented were carefully reviewed and selected from a total of 149 submissions. The book is organized in topical sections including evolutionary bioinformatics, evolutionary computation in communications, networks, and connected systems, and more.

Multiobjective optimization deals with solving problems having not only one, but multiple, often conflicting, criteria. Such problems can arise in practically every field of science, engineering and business, and the need for efficient and reliable solution methods is increasing. The task is challenging due to the fact that, instead of a single optimal solution, multiobjective optimization results in a number of solutions with different trade-offs among criteria, also known as Pareto optimal or efficient solutions. Hence, a decision maker is needed to provide additional preference information and to identify the most satisfactory solution. Depending on the paradigm used, such information may be introduced before, during, or after the optimization process. Clearly, research and application in multiobjective optimization involve expertise in optimization as well as in decision support.This state-of-the-art survey originates from the International Seminar on Practical Approaches to Multiobjective Optimization, held in Dagstuhl Castle, Germany, in December 2006, which brought together leading experts from various contemporary multiobjective optimization fields, including evolutionary multiobjective optimization (EMO), multiple criteria decision making (MCDM) and multiple criteria decision aiding (MCDA).This book gives a unique and detailed account of the current status of research and applications in the field of multiobjective optimization. It contains 16 chapters grouped in the following 5 thematic sections: Basics on Multiobjective Optimization; Recent Interactive and Preference-Based Approaches; Visualization of Solutions; Modelling, Implementation and Applications; and Quality Assessment, Learning, and Future Challenges.