An Advanced Amalgam of Nature-Inspired Algorithms for Global Optimization Problems

Abstract

Large-scale global optimization problems are ambitious and quite difficult to handle with deterministic methods. The use of stochastic optimization techniques is a good choice for dealing with these problems. Nature-inspired algorithms (NIAs) are stochastic in nature, computer-based, and quite easy to implement due to their population-based nature. The Grey wolf optimizer (GWO) and teaching-learning-based optimization are the most recently developed and well-known NIAs. GWO is based on the preying strategies of grey wolves while TLBO is based on the effect of the influence of a teacher on the output of learners in a class. NIAs are quite often stuck in the local basins of attraction due to the improper balancing of exploration versus exploitation. In this paper, an advanced amalgam of nature-inspired algorithms (ANIA) is developed by employing GWO and TLBO as constituent algorithms. Initially, an equal number of solutions are assigned to both NIAs to perform their search process of population evolution; then, in later iterations, the number of solutions are allocated to each constituent algorithm based on their individual performance and achievements gained by each algorithm in the previous iteration. The performance of an algorithm is determined at the end of iteration by calculating the ratio of total updated solutions to the total assigned solutions in the amalgam. The proposed strategy effectively balanced the exploration versus exploitation dilemma via compelling the parent algorithms to show continuous improvement during the whole course of the optimization process. The performance of the proposed algorithm, ANIA is evaluated on recently designed benchmark functions of large-scale global optimization problems. The approximated results found by the proposed algorithm are promising as compared to state-of-the-art evolutionary algorithms including the GWO and TLBO in terms of diversity and proximity. The proposed ANIA has tackled most of the benchmark functions efficiently in the parlance of evolutionary computing communities.