MCEDA: A novel many-objective optimization approach based on model and clustering

To solve many-objective optimization problems (MaOPs) by evolutionary algorithms (EAs), the maintenance of convergence and diversity is essential and difficult. Improved multi-objective optimization evolutionary algorithms (MOEAs), usually based on the genetic algorithm (GA), have been applied to MaOPs, which use the crossover and mutation operators of GAs to generate new solutions. In this paper, a new approach, based on decomposition and the MOEA/D framework, is proposed: model and clustering based estimation of distribution algorithm (MCEDA). MOEA/D means the multi-objective evolutionary algorithm based on decomposition. The proposed MCEDA is a new estimation of distribution algorithm (EDA) framework, which is intended to extend the application of estimation of distribution algorithm to MaOPs. MCEDA was implemented by two similar algorithm, MCEDA/B (based on bits model) and MCEDA/RM (based on regular model) to deal with MaOPs. In MCEDA, the problem is decomposed into several subproblems. For each subproblem, clustering algorithm is applied to divide the population into several subgroups. On each subgroup, an estimation model is created to generate the new population. In this work, two kinds of models are adopted, the new proposed bits model and the regular model used in RM-MEDA (a regularity model based multi-objective estimation of distribution algorithm). The non-dominated selection operator is applied to improve convergence. The proposed algorithms have been tested on the benchmark test suite for evolutionary algorithms (DTLZ). The comparison with several state-of-the-art algorithms indicates that the proposed MCEDA is a competitive and promising approach.