Shuffled frog-leaping algorithm: a memetic meta-heuristic for discrete optimization

A memetic meta-heuristic called the shuffled frog-leaping algorithm (SFLA) has been developed for solving combinatorial optimization problems. The SFLA is a population-based cooperative search metaphor inspired by natural memetics. The algorithm contains elements of local search and global information exchange. The SFLA consists of a set of interacting virtual population of frogs partitioned into different memeplexes. The virtual frogs act as hosts or carriers of memes where a meme is a unit of cultural evolution. The algorithm performs simultaneously an independent local search in each memeplex. The local search is completed using a particle swarm optimization-like method adapted for discrete problems but…