A selection process for genetic algorithm using clustering analysis (Q2633197)

Summary: This article presents a newly proposed selection process for genetic algorithms on a class of unconstrained optimization problems. The \( k\)-means genetic algorithm selection process (KGA) is composed of four essential stages: clustering, membership phase, fitness scaling and selection. Inspired from the hypothesis that clustering the population helps to preserve a selection pressure throughout the evolution of the population, a membership probability index is assigned to each individual following the clustering phase. Fitness scaling converts the membership scores in a range suitable for the selection function which selects the parents of the next generation. Two versions of the KGA process are presented: using a fixed number of clusters \( K\) (KGA\( _f\)) and via an optimal partitioning \(K_{opt}\) (KGA\(_o\)) determined by two different internal validity indices. The performance of each method is tested on seven benchmark problems.