Kenneth Sørensen - Böcker

A large number of real-life optimisation problems can only be realistically modelled with several~often conflicting~objectives. This fact requires us to abandon the concept of "optimal solution" in favour of vector optimization notions dealing with "efficient solution" and "efficient set". To solve these challenging multiobjective problems, the metaheuristics community has put forward a number of techniques commonly referred to as multiobjective meta- heuristics (MOMH). By its very nature, the field of MOMH covers a large research area both in terms of the types of problems solved and the techniques used to solve these problems. Its theoretical interest and practical applicability have attracted a large number of researchers and generated numerous papers, books and spe- cial issues. Moreover, several conferences and workshops have been organised, often specialising in specific sub-areas such as multiobjective evolutionary op- timisation. The main purpose of this volume is to provide an overview of the current state-of-the-art in the research field of MOMH.This overview is necessar- ily non-exhaustive, and contains both methodological and problem-oriented contributions, and applications of both population-based and neighbourhood- based heuristics. This volume originated from the workshop on multiobjective metaheuristics that was organised at the Carre des Sciences in Paris on November 4-5, 2002. This meeting was a joint effort of two working groups: ED jME and PM20.

This cutting edge volume presents recent advances in the area of adaptativeness in metaheuristic optimization. It includes up-to-date reviews of hyperheuristics and self-adaptation in evolutionary algorithms.

Most developed economics show the tendency of an increasing importance of modern services such as tourism, logistical services, finance, and others. In many cases, complex optimization problems can be found in this context, and the successful operation of modern services often depends on the ability to solve the obtained optimization models. Metaheuristics on the other hand present an interesting problem-resolution paradigm that has attracted considerable interest in past years. The book combines a set of selected and peer-reviewed articles, presenting novel results of metaheuristics for modern services. In particular, applications in the area of transportation and logistics are considered, while other areas include production and financial services. Novel methodological approaches as well as improved results are obtained, resulting in a considerable contribution to the state-of-the-art of research in metaheuristics.

One of the keystones in practical metaheuristic problem-solving is the fact that tuning the optimization technique to the problem under consideration is crucial for achieving top performance. This tuning/customization is usually in the hands of the algorithm designer, and despite some methodological attempts, it largely remains a scientific art. Transferring a part of this customization effort to the algorithm itself -endowing it with smart mechanisms to self-adapt to the problem- has been a long pursued goal in the field of metaheuristics.These mechanisms can involve different aspects of the algorithm, such as for example, self-adjusting the parameters, self-adapting the functioning of internal components, evolving search strategies, etc.Recently, the idea of hyperheuristics, i.e., using a metaheuristic layer for adapting the search by selectively using different low-level heuristics, has also been gaining popularity. This volume presents recent advances in the area of adaptativeness in metaheuristic optimization, including up-to-date reviews of hyperheuristics and self-adaptation in evolutionary algorithms, as well as cutting edge works on adaptive, self-adaptive and multilevel metaheuristics, with application to both combinatorial and continuous optimization.