A Multi-Objective Particle Swarm Optimization Algorithm for
Multifactorial Optimization Problems
Abstract
This paper presents a new Multi-Objective Particle Swarm Optimization
algorithm for Multifactorial Optimization Problems referred to as
MOPSO-mfact. It operates in two distinct steps with two processing
steps. Initially, a pre-search is conducted in a unified search space
where all individuals are optimized to address various tasks
simultaneously. Then, the dominance operator is used to explore the
solution encoding search space and identify the best skill factor. In
the subsequent step, individuals with identical solution skill factors
are grouped together to create multiple sub-swarms for multitasking
optimization. This approach leverages the dominance operator instead of
relying on random mating probabilities. The MOPSO-mfact algorithm was
tested on a set of Multifactorial test benchmarks called “ETMOF” which
includes 36 multi/many objectives optimization problems. A comparative
study is conducted toward the Inverted General Distance (IGD) and the
Mean Inverted General Distance (MIGD) metrics. The Mean Standard Score
(MSS) is used to determine the best approach for multitasking
optimization. Parameter optimization for MOPSO-mfact is achieved through
sensitivity analysis using the Taguchi method, ensuring optimal
performance. The MOPSO-mfact algorithm demonstrated promising results,
achieving a good MSS result for solving the 28/26 ETMOF test suite as
assessed by the IGD indicators. Additionally, it performed well, solving
33 out of 36 problems in the ETMOF suite when evaluated using the MIGD
metric.