A Comprehensive Study on Metaheuristic Techniques Using Genetic Approach

Abstract

Most real-life optimization problems involve multiple objective functions. Finding a solution that satisfies the decision-maker is very difficult owing to conflict between the objectives. Furthermore, the solution depends on the decision-maker’s preference. Metaheuristic solution methods have become common tools to solve these problems. The task of obtaining solutions that take account of a decision-maker’s preference is at the forefront of current research. It is also possible to have multiple decision-makers with different preferences and with different decision-making powers. It may not be easy to express a preference using crisp numbers. In this study, the preferences of multiple decision-makers were simulated and a solution based on a genetic algorithm was developed to solve multi-objective optimization problems. The preferences were collected as fuzzy conditional trade-offs and they were updated while running the algorithm interactively with the decision-makers. The proposed method was tested using well-known benchmark problems. The solutions were found to converge around the Pareto front of the problems.