CoBRA: A Coevolutionary Metaheuristic for Bi-level Optimization

This article presents CoBRA, a new parallel coevolutionary algorithm for bi-level optimization. CoBRA is based on a coevolutionary scheme to solve bilevel optimization problems. It handles population-based meta-heuristics on each level, each one cooperating with the other to provide solutions for the overall problem. Moreover, in order to evaluate the relevance of CoBRA against more classical approaches, a new performance assessment methodology, based on rationality, is introduced. An experimental analysis is conducted on a bi-level distribution planning problem, where multiple manufacturing plants deliver items to depots, and where a distribution company controls several depots and distributes items from depots to retailers. The experimental results reveal significant enhancements with respect to a more classical approach, based on a hierarchical scheme.

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