An improved genetic algorithm for dynamic shortest path problems

Abstract

The Shortest Path (SP) problems are conventional combinatorial optimization problems. There are many deterministic algorithms for solving the shortest path problems in static topologies. However, in dynamic topologies, these deterministic algorithms are not efficient due to the necessity of restart. In this paper, an improved Genetic Algorithm (GA) with four local search operators for Dynamic Shortest Path (DSP) problems is proposed. The local search operators are inspired by Dijkstra's Algorithm and carried out when the topology changes to generate local shortest path trees, which are used to promote the performance of the individuals in the population. The experimental results show that the proposed algorithm could obtain the solutions which adapt to new environments rapidly and produce high-quality solutions after environmental changes.