A relevant number of metaheuristics are based on population. Although conventions may establish different names, individuals in evolutionary algorithms, ants in ant colony optimization or particles in particle swarm optimization belong to the same side of a coin: they are all atomic elements of the population (a.k.a. building-blocks). In this context, spatially structured metaheuristics investigate how to improve the performance of metaheuristics by confining these elements in neighborhoods. This talk aims at presenting the working principles of spatially structured metaheuristics and practical applications to enhance diversity, scalability and robustness.

1. Spatially Structured Metaheuristics:
Principles and Practical Applications
Juan Luis Jiménez Laredo
University of Luxembourg

2. Spatially Structured Metaheuristics:
Principles and Practical Applications
Wikipedia
A metaheuristic is a higher-level procedure
or heuristic designed to find, generate, or
select a lower-level procedure or heuristic
that may provide a sufficiently good solution
to an optimization problem, especially with
incomplete or imperfect information or
limited computation capacity [Bianchi et al.].

3. Spatially Structured Metaheuristics:
Principles and Practical Applications
Wikipedia
A metaheuristic is a higher-level procedure
or heuristic designed to find, generate, or
select a lower-level procedure or heuristic
that may provide a sufficiently good solution
to an optimization problem, especially with
incomplete or imperfect information or
limited computation capacity [Bianchi et al.].
By Sam Derbyshire

4. Spatially Structured Metaheuristics:
Principles and Practical Applications
By Sam Derbyshire
by Johann "nojhan" Dréo, Caner Candan

5. By Sam Derbyshire
Spatially Structured Metaheuristics:
Principles and Practical Applications
by Johann "nojhan" Dréo, Caner Candan

6. By Sam Derbyshire
Spatially Structured Metaheuristics:
Principles and Practical Applications
by Johann "nojhan" Dréo, Caner Candan

7. By Sam Derbyshire
Spatially Structured Metaheuristics:
Principles and Practical Applications
Metaheuristics
Population
Evolutionary
algorithms

8. By Sam Derbyshire
Spatially Structured Metaheuristics:
Principles and Practical Applications
Evolutionary
algorithms

9. By Sam Derbyshire
Spatially Structured Metaheuristics:
Principles and Practical Applications
Evolutionary
algorithms
Graph of acquaintances having
a not-null probability of mating

10. By Sam Derbyshire
Spatially Structured Metaheuristics:
Principles and Practical Applications
Evolutionary
algorithms
Graph of acquaintances having
a not-null probability of mating

11. By Sam Derbyshire
Spatially Structured Metaheuristics:
Principles and Practical Applications

12. Spatially Structured Metaheuristics:
Principles and Practical Applications

13. Spatially Structured Metaheuristics:
Principles and Practical Applications
We are defining a
Spatially Structured
Metaheuristic
An individual can only mate
within a neighborhood.

14. Spatially Structured Metaheuristics:
Principles and Practical Applications
In panmictic populations
the environmental selection
pressure is very high

15. Spatially Structured Metaheuristics:
Principles and Practical Applications
But remember:
The graph can be any!!

16. Spatially Structured Metaheuristics:
Principles and Practical Applications
… and we can really relax
the selection pressure and
favoring niching

17. Spatially Structured Metaheuristics:
Principles and Practical Applications
Can we really do something
with ALL this?

18. Spatially Structured Metaheuristics:
Principles and Practical Applications
The answer is YES, and we are
gonna talk about 2 things:
• Diversity
• Scalability

19. Spatially Structured Metaheuristics:
Principles and Practical Applications
About diversity…

20. Spatially Structured Metaheuristics:
Principles and Practical Applications
About diversity…

21. Spatially Structured Metaheuristics:
Principles and Practical Applications
About diversity…
?

22. Spatially Structured Metaheuristics:
Principles and Practical Applications
This is P2P…

23. Spatially Structured Metaheuristics:
Principles and Practical Applications
This is P2P…

24. Spatially Structured Metaheuristics:
Principles and Practical Applications
This is P2P…

25. Spatially Structured Metaheuristics:
Principles and Practical Applications
Can P2P really
scale !?

26. Spatially Structured Metaheuristics:
Principles and Practical Applications
Simulator
J.L.J. Laredo, A.E. Eiben, M. van Steen, J. J. Merelo.
EvAg: a scalable peer-to-peer evolutionary algorithm.
Genetic Programming and Evolvable Machines , 11(2):227-246. 2010.
Simulator conducted
experimentation!!!

27. Spatially Structured Metaheuristics:
Principles and Practical Applications
Simulator

28. Spatially Structured Metaheuristics:
Principles and Practical Applications
Simulator

29. Spatially Structured Metaheuristics:
Principles and Practical Applications
Simulator

30. Spatially Structured Metaheuristics:
Principles and Practical Applications
https://forja.rediris.es/svn/geneura/drmWrapper
http://www.hlrs.de/systems/platforms/nec-nehalem-cluster

31. Spatially Structured Metaheuristics:
Principles and Practical Applications
https://forja.rediris.es/svn/geneura/drmWrapper
http://www.hlrs.de/systems/platforms/nec-nehalem-cluster

32. Spatially Structured Metaheuristics:
Principles and Practical Applications
1st large parallel P2P EA experiment
188 computers x 8 cores x 2 threads = 3008 agents
Seamless scalability
1000
par
seq
T
T
upSpeed

33. Thanks for your attention