Approach by ant tabu agents for Traveling Salesman Problem

The ant system (AS) algorithm of M. Dorigo et al. (1996) is a new computational paradigm, which is a stochastic combinatorial algorithm. It solves optimization problems by means of "ants", that is, agents with a very simple basic capability, which mimic the behavior of real ants. The AS proposed by Dorigo has appealing features, but in its standard form it has some limitations. Applied to the Traveling Salesman Problem, the AS approach encounters difficulties when applied to random graphs. To remedy this, we design a new type of agent by using intensification and diversification strategies, based on the proposals of tabu search, in order to reach better solutions.