Constraint oriented neighbourhoods - A new search strategy in metaheuristics

• Type: Article in International Scientific Journal
• Date: 2005

Authors

Viana, A (Author) Other; Jorge Pinho de Sousa (Author) FEUP; Manuel Matos (Author) FEUP

Indexing

Scopus - 6 Citations

Other information

Authenticus ID: P-008-HQS

DOI: 10.1007/0-387-25383-1_18

Abstract (EN): One major practical problem when applying traditional metaheuristics seems to be their strong dependency on parameter tuning. This issue is frequently pointed out as a major shortcoming of metaheuristics and is often a reason for Decision-Makers to reject using this type of approach in practical situations. In this paper we present a new search strategy - Constraint Oriented Neighbourhoods - that tries to overcome the referred drawback. The aim is to control the grade of randomness of metaheuristics, by defining "special" neighbourhood movements, that lead to a more robust heuristic, less dependent on parameter tuning. This is achieved by selecting and applying particular movements that take into account the potential violation of problem constraints. The strategy is illustrated in a real problem arising in the area of Power Systems Management - the Unit Commitment Problem, the computational experiments on a set of problem instances systematically outperforming those presented in the literature, both in terms of efficiency, quality of the solution and robustness of the algorithm.

Language: English

Type (Professor's evaluation): Scientific