Meta-heuristic Optimization Technique Research Articles

An Optimized Feature Selection Technique in Diversified Natural Scene Text for Classification Using Genetic Algorithm

Natural scene text classification is considered to be a challenging task because of diversified set of image contents, presence of degradations including noise, low contrast/resolution and the random appearance of foreground (font, style, sizes and orientations) and background properties. Above all, the high dimension of the input image’s feature space is another major problem in such tasks. This work is aimed to tackle these problems and remove redundant and irrelevant features to improve the generalization properties of the classifier. In other words, the selection of a qualitative and discriminative set of features, aiming to reduce dimensionality that helps to achieve a successful pattern classification. In this work, we use a biologically inspired genetic algorithm because crossover employed in such algorithm significantly improve the quality of multimodal discriminative set of features and hence improve the classification accuracy for diversified natural scene text images. The Support Vector Machine (SVM) algorithm is used for classification and the average F-Score is used as fitness function and target condition. First after preprocessing input images, the whole feature space (population) is built using a multimodal feature representation technique. Second, a feature level fusion approach is used to combine the features. Third, to improve the average F-score of the classifier, we apply a meta-heuristic optimization technique using a GA for feature selection. The proposed algorithm is tested on five publically available datasets and the results are compared with various state-of-the-art methods. The obtained results proved that the proposed algorithm performs well while classifying textual and non-textual region with better accuracy than benchmark state-of-the-art algorithms.

Dynamic economic dispatch problem in hybrid wind based power systems using oppositional based chaotic grasshopper optimization algorithm

This article introduces a relatively current method named grasshopper optimization algorithm (GOA) for explaining power system based dynamic economic load dispatch (DELD) problem. However, like other optimization approaches, GOA suffers from premature convergence and a slow convergence rate. Thus, to boost the convergence mobility of GOA, oppositional based learning (OBL) is merged with the GOA approach. Moreover, another improvization, namely, chaotic concept, is also integrated with the GOA to improve its solution quality. The suggested oppositional based chaotic grasshopper optimization algorithm (OCGOA) method is applied to handle the DELD problem in the most efficient manner. Among the renewable energies, intermittent wind energy (WE) is the most sustainable one and remains technically and economically advantageous for electrical energy generation. The thermal and wind based power systems are hybridized, so that power generation is distributed among the operating units in an equivalent manner such that overall cost and loss part are optimized until all practical constraints are fulfilled. The production cost of the unpredictable wind generation power is further incorporated in the operational cost by employing a probability density function (PDF) formula. The precision and performance of the suggested GOA and OCGOA approaches are validated on 6-unit and 10-unit DELD systems for conventional and wind based energy systems. The efficacy and performance of the suggested OCGOA is judged by comparing it with conventional GOA and other presently developed meta-heuristic optimization techniques found in the literature.

A Systematic Literature Review on Metaheuristic Optimization Techniques in WSNs

Metaheuristic algorithms are recognized for developing new algorithms and optimizing various aspects in Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs). Evaluating a multitude of possible modes is required, in most complicated problems, to obtain an exact solution. Metaheuristic algorithms can obtain solutions in acceptable time constraints. These algorithms play an operational role in solving such problems by optimizing the different metrics such as coverage rate and energy consumption of the networks. These metrics have valuable impact on network lifetime as well. This systematic review focuses on the published work from 2010 to 2020 in metaheuristic optimization in WSN. Furthermore, the systematic review will answer multiple questions that will be discussed in the methodology section.

An efficient hybrid metaheuristics optimization technique applied to the AC electric transmission network expansion planning

The transmission network expansion planning (TNEP) problem consists of determining the necessary infrastructure additions, within a planning horizon, to minimize an investment objective function while meeting some operational and physical constraints. Even using simplified models to represent the electric network, the TNEP becomes a very complex, combinatorial and non-convex optimization problem. In recent years, the full alternating current (AC) network model has been proposed to formulate the TNEP problem. Due to its complexity, more robust and efficient optimization techniques to solve the AC formulation are required. This paper proposes a new effcient hybrid metaheuristic technique to solve the TNEP problem. Additionally, it presents a comprehensive comparative study including different powerful conventional, emerging and hybrid optimization metaheuristics techniques applied to solve the static, long-term TNEP problem, using the AC model, considering both operating and reactive power compensation costs. Simulation results are shown for three test systems: Garver 6-bus system, IEEE 24-bus system and the IEEE 118-bus system.

MOSMA: Multi-Objective Slime Mould Algorithm Based on Elitist Non-Dominated Sorting

This paper proposes a multi-objective Slime Mould Algorithm (MOSMA), a multi-objective variant of the recently-developed Slime Mould Algorithm (SMA) for handling the multi-objective optimization problems in industries. Recently, for handling optimization problems, several meta-heuristic and evolutionary optimization techniques have been suggested for the optimization community. These methods tend to suffer from low-quality solutions when evaluating multi-objective optimization (MOO) problems than addressing the objective functions of identifying Pareto optimal solutions’ accurate estimation and increasing the distribution throughout all objectives. The SMA method follows the logic gained from the oscillation behaviors of slime mould in the laboratory experiments. The SMA algorithm shows a powerful performance compared to other well-established methods, and it is designed by incorporating the optimal food path using the positive-negative feedback system. The proposed MOSMA algorithm employs the same underlying SMA mechanisms for convergence combined with an elitist non-dominated sorting approach to estimate Pareto optimal solutions. As a posteriori method, the multi-objective formulation is maintained in the MOSMA, and a crowding distance operator is utilized to ensure increasing the coverage of optimal solutions across all objectives. To verify and validate the performance of MOSMA, 41 different case studies, including unconstrained, constrained, and real-world engineering design problems are considered. The performance of the MOSMA is compared with Multiobjective Symbiotic-Organism Search (MOSOS), Multi-objective Evolutionary Algorithm Based on Decomposition (MOEA/D), and Multiobjective Water-Cycle Algorithm (MOWCA) in terms of different performance metrics, such as Generational Distance (GD), Inverted Generational Distance (IGD), Maximum Spread (MS), Spacing, and Run-time. The simulation results demonstrated the superiority of the proposed algorithm in realizing high-quality solutions to all multi-objective problems, including linear, nonlinear, continuous, and discrete Pareto optimal front. The results indicate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm in solving complicated multi-objective problems. This research will be backed up with extra online service and guidance for the paper’s source code at https://premkumarmanoharan.wixsite.com/mysite and https://aliasgharheidari.com/SMA.html . Also, the source code of SMA is shared with the public at https://aliasgharheidari.com/SMA.html .

A Forensic-Based Investigation Algorithm for Parameter Extraction of Solar Cell Models

The accurate parameter extraction of photovoltaic (PV) module is pivotal for determining and optimizing the energy output of PV systems into electric power networks. Consequently, a Photovoltaic Single-Diode Model (PVSDM), Double Diode Model (PVDDM), and Triple- Diode Model (PVTDM) is demonstrated to consider the PV losses. This article introduces a new application of the Forensic-Based Investigation Algorithm (FBIA), which is a new meta-heuristic optimization technique, to accurately extract the electrical parameters of different PV models. The FBIA is inspired by the suspect investigation, location, and pursuit processes that are used by police officers. The FBIA has two phases, which are the investigation phase applying by the investigators team, and the pursuit phase employing by the police agents team. The validity of the FBIA for PVSDM, PVDDM, and PVTDM is commonly considered by the numerical analysis executing under diverse values of solar irradiations and temperatures. The optimal five, seven, and nine parameters of PVSDM, PVDDM, and PVTDM, respectively, are accomplished using the FBIA and compared with those manifested by various optimization techniques. The numerical results are compared for the marketable Photowatt-PWP 201 polycrystalline and Kyocera KC200GT modules. The efficacy of the FBIA for the three models is properly carried out checking its standard deviation error with that obtained from various recently proposed optimization techniques in 2020 which are Jellyfish search (JFS) optimizer, Manta Ray Foraging optimizer (MRFO), Marine Predators Algorithm(MPA), Equilibrium Optimizer (EO), Heap Based Optimizer (HBO). The standard deviations of the fitness values over 30 runs are developed to be less than $1 \times 10^{-6}$ for the three models, which make the FBIA results are extremely consistent. Therefore, FBIA is foreseen to be a competitive technique for PV module parameter extraction.

Optimal charging of fractional-order circuits with Cuckoo search

IntroductionOptimal charging of RC circuits is a well-studied problem in the integer-order domain due to its importance from economic and system temperature hazards perspectives. However, the fractional-order counterpart of this problem requires investigation. ObjectivesThis study aims to find approximate solutions of the most energy-efficient input charging function in fractional-order RC circuits. MethodsThis paper uses a meta-heuristic optimization technique called Cuckoo search optimizer to attain the maximum charging efficiency of three common fractional-order RC circuits. An analytical expression of the fractional capacitor voltage is suggested such that it satisfies the boundary conditions of the optimal charging problem. The problem is formulated as a fractional-order calculus of variations problem with compositional functional. The numerical solutions are obtained with the meta-heuristic optimization algorithm’s help to avoid the complexities of the analytical approach. Resultshe efficiency surfaces and input voltage charging curves are discussed for fractional-order in the range 0.5<α≤1. ConclusionThe optimized charging function can approximate the optimal charging curve using at most 4 terms. The charging time and the resistive parameters have the most dominant effect on charging efficiency at constant fractional-order α.

Generalized self‐tuning system for adaptive threshold estimators in cognitive radio systems using swarm and evolutionary‐based approaches

AbstractParameter‐based adaptive threshold estimators (ATEs) are widely used for signal detection in cognitive radio (CR) systems. However, their performance deteriorates under dynamic spectra conditions owing to a lack of valid methods to accurately self‐tune the different parameters of such ATEs. In this article, we address this limitation by proposing a generalized system for self‐tuning the parameters of any ATE based only on the input signal measured per time. We adopt swarm and evolutionary‐based metaheuristic optimization techniques to effectively search for the optimal parameter values of any ATE. Our system controls the search process by applying the between‐class variance function adapted from Otsu's algorithm as the objective function. We tested the system using five different metaheuristic optimization algorithms (MOAs) to self‐tune two different ATEs, namely the recursive one‐sided hypothesis testing (ROHT) technique and the histogram partitioning algorithm under Rayleigh and Rician fading channels, as well as under different modulation schemes, including the 4‐quadrature amplitude modulation and 4‐phase shift keying schemes. Our findings suggest that our proposed system yields generally a small error rate irrespective of the MOA used. In addition, the ROHT‐cuckoo search optimization configuration yielded a reasonably high and low probability of detection and probability of false alarm, respectively, as a function of the signal‐to‐noise‐ratio of the input signal at a fast average processing time of 0.0699 seconds. We concluded that our system presents an effective mechanism that can be used to automatically tune the parameters of any ATE for useful signal detection in CR.

Cuckoo search algorithm based for tunning both PI and FOPID controllers for the DFIG-Wind energy conversion system

Wind Energy has received great attention in this century. It influences the new power systems, adding new challenges to the power system expansion problem. Nowadays, double feed induction generator (DFIG) wind turbines are used majorly in wind farms, due to their advantages over other types. Therefore, the analysis of the system using this type has become very important. In this paper, a wind turbine modelling was introduced with suggested controllers, in order to enhance the system response, with respect to both pitch control and maximum output power. Cuckoo search algorithm (CSA), a meta-heuristic optimization technique, was implemented to determine the gains of a proportional-integral (PI) controller and fractional order proportional-integral-derivative (FOPID) controller to optimize the system, which considered three control loops: pitch, rotor-side converter, and grid-side converter control loop. Simulation results were determined using MATLAB/Simulink. The comparative analysis of the results showed that the PI Controller gave the simplest and the best response in case of the pitch and rotor-side control loops while the FOPID was the best when applied to the grid-side control loop. Based on the results and discussion, &#x0D; a suggestion of using a compination of each controller was introduced.

Solving Renewables-Integrated Economic Load Dispatch Problem by Variant of Metaheuristic Bat-Inspired Algorithm

One of the most important concerns in the planning and operation of an electric power generation system is the effective scheduling of all power generation facilities to meet growing power demand. Economic load dispatch (ELD) is a phenomenon where an optimal combination of power generating units is selected in such a way as to minimize the total fuel cost while satisfying the load demand, subject to operational constraints. Different numerical and metaheuristic optimization techniques have gained prominent importance and are widely used to solve the nonlinear problem. Although metaheuristic techniques have a good convergence rate than numerical techniques, however, their implementation seems difficult in the presence of nonlinear and dynamic parameters. This work is devoted to solving the ELD problem with the integration of variable energy resources using a modified directional bat algorithm (dBA). Then the proposed technique is validated via different realistic test cases consisting of thermal and renewable energy sources (RESs). From simulation results, it is observed that dBA reduces the operational cost with less computational time and has better convergence characteristics than that of standard BA and other popular techniques like particle swarm optimization (PSO) and genetic algorithm (GA).

Stability Investigation of Improved Whale Optimization Algorithm in the Process of Feature Selection

The removal of irrelevant and insignificant features from the high-dimensional dataset is a necessary prerequisite for the exploration of information. Meta-heuristic optimization techniques have been widely used in the field of knowledge discovery over the last few years. The whale optimization algorithm (WOA) is a swarm-based metaheuristic technique that is often used in the field of dimensionality reduction. Among the various WOA-based feature selection techniques in the literature, not a single technology illuminates the stability issue of WOA. Stability is often identified as a sensitivity to the disruption of input data during the process of selecting significant features. In this study, a new feature selection model based on improved WOA (iWOA) is proposed to select significant features from a high-dimensional microarray dataset. The stability of the results obtained is evaluated with the existing stability index that satisfies all the required characteristics of the stability measure. In addition, the results of the proposed model are compared with other contemporary meta-heuristics techniques. The proposed iWOA proposes its identification as a well-stable feature selection technique according to the strength of the stability index agreement.

Energy management system for two islanded interconnected micro-grids using advanced evolutionary algorithms

An efficient approach to optimal energy management and determine daily optimal operation schedule of two interconnected micro-grids (MGs), isolated from the grid, is proposed. The proposed energy management system consists of day-ahead and hour-ahead scheduling, and economic dispatch during real-time operation. The optimal day-ahead unit commitment can be achieved through two stages, management of the power generated from sources in both MGs and controllable load management. The day-ahead energy scheduling of each unit with technical constraints, being a complex nonlinear problem with several inequality constraints, needs to be optimized to achieve high quality operation as well as minimum daily forecasted energy consumption cost. Meta-heuristic algorithms seem more suitable to handle the task of optimal scheduling compared to the conventional analytic methods for power system economic dispatch. Considering the technical constraints, an advanced state-of-the-art meta-heuristic optimization technique, a modified version of the basic Porcellio Scaber algorithm (PSA) that offers improved efficiency in minimizing the objective function, is applied to solve the optimization problem. Results obtained demonstrate that the developed Global PSA is more efficient than a number of other meta-heuristic techniques to determine the optimal economic dispatch of multi-micro-grids incorporating various types of distributed generators.

A New Aggrandized Class Topper Optimization Algorithm to Solve Economic Load Dispatch Problem in a Power System.

Optimization techniques are widely being used to solve large and complex economical load dispatch (ELD) and combined emission economical dispatch (CEED) problems in power systems. These techniques can solve these problems in a short computational time. In this article, a new human intelligence-based metaheuristic optimization technique, that is, aggrandized class topper optimization (CTO), is proposed to solve ELD and CEED problems. This proposed algorithm is an upgraded form of classical CTO in which the concept of remedial classes is incorporated to enhance the learning ability of weak students of a class. To validate the exploration, exploitation, convergence, and local minima avoidance capabilities of the proposed algorithm, 29 benchmark functions are considered. Furthermore, seven different test cases for the ELD problem and four test cases for a CEED problem are considered to test the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm to solve these complex problems. The result analysis proves that the proposed algorithm provides better and effective results in almost each test case.

An Efficient Metaheuristic Technique to Control the Maximum Power Point of a Partially Shaded Photovoltaic System Using Crow Search Algorithm (CSA)

The field of research in maximum power point tracking (MPPT) methods is experiencing great progress with a wide range of techniques being suggested, ranging from simple but ineffective methods to more effective but complex ones. Therefore, it is very important to propose a strategy that is both simple and effective in controlling the global maximum power point (GMPP) for a photovoltaic (PV) system under changing weather conditions, especially in partial shading cases (PSCs). This paper proposes a new design of an MPPT controller based on a metaheuristic optimization technique called Crow Search Algorithm (CSA) to attenuate the undesirable effects of partial shading on the tracking performances of standalone PV systems. CSA is a nature-inspired method based on the intelligent skills of the crow in the search process of hidden food places. CSA technique combines efficiency and simplicity using only two tuning parameters. The stability analysis of the proposed system is performed using a Lyapunov function. The simulation results for three different partial shading cases that are zero, weak and severe shading confirm the superior performance of CSA compared to PSO and P&O techniques in term of easy implementation, high efficiency and low power loss, decreasing considerably the convergence time by an average of 38.53%.

Joint analytical hierarchy and metaheuristic optimization as a framework to mitigate fertilizer-based pollution

The emission of nitrogenous pollution from agricultural lands in form of ammonia volatilization, leaching, runoff, N2O emissions, etc. is still a serious challenge to which agricultural sector faces. In this context, a vast number of decision support systems have been developed and tested to find the best nitrogen application rate. These models are highly dependent on crop simulation models, mathematical and regression models, evolutionary algorithms and artificial intelligent, GIS-based models, etc., while in most cases have ignored to be interfered with regional and national regulations established by experts in the field. In this study, a new framework combining analytical hierarchy (AHP)/modified AHP methods (MAHP) plus metaheuristic optimization techniques has been suggested to find the best nitrogen application rate considering regional capacities and requirements. To reach the objectives of the present study a three yield field experiment was conducted upon which crop yield, nitrogen use efficiency, nitrogen uptake, soil nitrate, ammonia volatilization, N2O emissions, and N leaching were monitored or measured. Using the results from the field experiments and a survey from local experts, the models were developed. AHP-assisted optimization model could cause some biases in the final results due to its intrinsic nature which avoids direct pairwise comparison among indicators (so called sub-criteria) under two different main-criteria. On the contrary, MAHP-assisted model could well reflect the concerns of experts and notably decrease hotspot pollution. Such decision support system can satisfy both farmers and environmentalists’ need because of the created high profit and low environmental pollution, while saving resources and ensuring a sustainable production system.

A Comparative Study of Metaheuristic Techniques for the Thermoenvironomic Optimization of a Gas Turbine-Based Benchmark Combined Heat and Power System

Abstract This paper presents a comparative study of four metaheuristic techniques, namely, the particle swarm optimization (PSO), genetic algorithm (GA), simulated annealing (SA), and the harmony search (HS), used in thermoenvironomic optimization of a benchmark gas turbine-based combined heat and power system known as CGAM problem. The performance comparison of the metaheuristic techniques is conducted by executing each algorithm for 30 runs to evaluate the reproducibility and stability of the optimal solutions. The study takes the exergetic, economic, and environmental factors into consideration in defining the thermoenvironomic objective function in terms of system cost rate. The thermodynamic and the economic model vis-à-vis optimization is validated by comparing the present results with previously published ones. From the optimal results, the PSO was found to be the most effective technique for thermoenvironomic optimization of the CGAM problem. Further, to highlight the benefits of optimization, the results obtained from the best method (PSO) are compared with those obtained by using the base case design variables recommended previously for the classical CGAM problem. The comparative results reveal that the system cost rate and the exergoeconomic factor of the CGAM system are reduced by 10.25% and 5.58%, respectively. Besides, the CO2 emission also reduces from 16.34 tons/h to 15.17 tons/h.

An improved artificial ecosystem optimization algorithm for optimal configuration of a hybrid PV/WT/FC energy system

This paper mainly focuses on the optimal design of a grid-dependent and off-grid hybrid renewable energy system (RES). This system consists of Photovoltaic (PV), Wind Turbine (WT) as well as Fuel Cell (FC) with hydrogen gas tank for storing the energy in the chemical form. The optimal components sizes of the proposed hybrid generating system are achieved using a novel metaheuristic optimization technique. This optimization technique, called Improved Artificial Ecosystem Optimization (IAEO), is proposed for enhancing the performance of the conventional Artificial Ecosystem Optimization (AEO) algorithm. The IAEO improves the convergence trends of the original AEO, gives the best minimum objective function, reaches the optimal solution after a few iterations numbers as well as reduces the falling into the local optima. The proposed IAEO algorithm for solving the multiobjective optimization problem of minimizing the Cost of Energy (COE), the reliability index presented by the Loss of Power Supply Probability (LPSP), and excess energy under the constraints are considered. The hybrid system is suggested to be located in Ataka region, Suez Gulf (latitude 30.0, longitude 32.5), Egypt, and the whole lifetime of the suggested case study is 25 years. To ensure the accurateness, stability, and robustness of the proposed optimization algorithm, it is examined on six different configurations, representing on-grid and off-grid hybrid RES. For all the studied cases the proposed IAEO algorithm outperforms the original AEO and generates the minimum value of the fitness function in less execution time. Furthermore, comprehensive statistical measurements are demonstrated to prove the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm. Also, the results obtained by the conventional AEO and IAEO are compared with those obtained by several well-known optimization algorithms, Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO), Salp Swarm Algorithm (SSA), and Grey Wolf Optimizer (GWO). Based on the obtained simulation results, the proposed IAEO has the best performance among other algorithms and it has successfully positioned itself as a competitor to novel algorithms for tackling the most complicated engineering problems.

A novel hybrid optimization approach for reactive power dispatch problem considering voltage stability index

This paper proposes a novel, reliable, and effective hybrid approach based on the integration of the firefly algorithm (FA) and the adaptive particularly tunable fuzzy particle swarm optimization (APT-FPSO) method to address reactive power dispatch (RPD) problem, a crucial optimization problem in the operation of power systems. Similar to many other original meta-heuristic optimization techniques, the standard FA suffers from some severe drawbacks, most importantly being easily trapped into a locally optimal solution. In order to tackle these difficulties, in the current study, an improved version of fuzzy-based particle swarm optimization is utilized in the internal structure of the original FA. The developed hybrid approach, which is capable of avoiding premature convergence of the original FA by enhancing exploration and exploitation procedures, is employed to determine the optimum control variables (i.e., the voltage of generation buses, tap positions of tap-changer transformers, and reactive power output of shunt compensators) through optimizing three distinct objective functions consisting of total transmission real power loss, the voltage magnitude deviations as well as voltage stability index. To validate the accuracy and competency of the proposed hybrid approach, it is firstly used for solving several benchmark optimization functions and then applied to three test systems at different scales, consisting of IEEE 30-bus, IEEE 57-bus, and IEEE 118-bus power systems, for solving the RPD problem. Eventually, the results of the presented hybrid method will be compared to those obtained by other implemented swarm intelligence-based approaches. The statistical analysis of this research substantiates the robustness and effectiveness of the developed algorithm to handle sophisticated optimization problems, particularly the RPD problem.

A novel grid-oriented dynamic weight parameter based improved variant of Jaya algorithm

Jaya algorithm (JA) is a single-step metaheuristic optimization technique that is free from algorithm-specific parameters. Regardless of its simplicity, JA proved its effective performance against the variety of optimization algorithms (Du et al., 2018). However, like other swarm-based optimization techniques, the JA also suffers from the inadequacies of slow or premature convergence (Farah and Belazi, 2018). In this study, an improved variant of JA (IJaya) is proposed whose functioning depends on the randomly initiated bounds based grid-oriented weight parameters. Initially, aiming to balance the global exploration and local exploitation capabilities of JA, a dynamic weight parameter is introduced as a varying coefficient for the entire solution updating expression of JA. Then, to maintain the population diversity and to mitigate the complexity of parameter tuning, the introduced weight parameter is dealt with the randomly selected parameter bounds based grid-search mechanism. The proposed IJaya algorithm is benchmarked on well-known 15 unconstrained mathematical test functions, and its performance is analyzed against the standard JA, one modified variant of JA, some well-known state-of-the-art, and few newly introduced optimization algorithms. Furthermore, the non-parametric Friedman and Quade rank tests are also conducted which confirmed the superiority of proposed IJaya both in convergence rate and solution quality. The paper also presents the results obtained by IJaya in two classical structural design problems (a cantilever beam and a 3-bar truss) and a real-world electrical power engineering problem. Numerical results clearly prove the efficiency of the proposed algorithm.

Bio‐inspired metaheuristic framework for clustering optimisation in VANETs

Vehicular ad-hoc network (VANET) is a key enabling technology of intelligent transportation systems. VANETs are characterised by the rapidly changing topology and the unbounded network size. These characteristics present a range of challenges to different VANET applications such as routing and security. Clustering has strongly presented itself as an efficient solution to such challenges. In this study, the authors formulate the clustering algorithm as a many-objective optimisation problem. Then, they propose a unified framework to optimise the configuration parameters arbitrary clustering algorithms. Three many-objective metaheuristic optimisation techniques, ESPEA, MOEA/DD and NSGA-III, are compared in context of this framework, and various commonly used quality indicators are utilised to identify the metaheuristic with the best quality of solutions. The proposed framework is then used to optimise a recent clustering algorithm. Using the optimal configuration resulting from the proposed framework significantly improves the performance of the clustering algorithm under-test compared to the non-optimised algorithm as well as other clustering approaches. This is demonstrated by the simulation results which showed up to 182% improvement in the cluster head lifetime and a reduction of 36% in the clustering packets overhead in the highway environment.