Abstract

Memetic algorithm, a combination of genetic algorithm with local search, is one of the most successful metaheuristics to solve complex combinatorial optimization problems. In this paper, we will introduce an object-oriented framework which allows the construction of memetic algorithms with a maximum reuse. This framework has been developed in Java using design patterns to allow its easy extension and utilization in different problem domains. Our framework has been experimented through the development of a memetic algorithm for solving set covering problems.