Niche search: an application to the Manhattan newspaper problem
João Pedro Pedroso · 1997
In this paper we describe a hybrid strategy for solving combinatorial optimisation problems, obtained by coupling a local search method to an evolutionary algorithm, and we provide an application to the Manhattan newspaper problem. The local search method has been devised specifically for this class of problems. It is based on a composite neighbourhood, which is searched iteratively up to the point where no further improvements can be made. The evolutionary structure is the niche search, an algorithm based on the evolution of several independent niches. Niches whose individuals' fitness is good remain, and the others tend to be replaced. The separation of the population into niches allows for a good compromise between intensive search (inside each niche) and diversification (through the separation between the niches). The author would like to thank Prof. Yves Pochet and Prof. Laurence Wolsey for many helpful discussions and valuable comments on this paper. 1 Overview The problem h...