A novel preference-driven evolutionary algorithm for dynamic multi-objective problems

Abstract

Most studies in dynamic multi-objective optimization have predominantly focused on rapidly and accurately tracking changes in the Pareto optimal front (POF) and Pareto optimal set (POS) when the environment undergoes changes. However, there are real-world scenarios where it is necessary to simultaneously solve changing objective functions and satisfy the preference of Decision Makers (DMs). In particular, the DMs may be only interested in a partial region of the POF, known as the region of interest (ROI), rather than requiring the entire POF. To meet the challenge of simultaneously predicting a changing POF and/or POS and dynamic ROI, this paper proposes a new dynamic multi-objective evolutionary algorithm (DMOEAs) based on the preference. The proposed algorithm consists of three key components: an evolutionary direction adjustment strategy based on changing reference points to accommodate shifts in preferences, an angle-based search strategy for tracking the varying ROI, and a hybrid prediction strategy that combines linear prediction models and population manifold estimation within the ROI to ensure convergence and distribution in scenarios where preferences remain unchanged. Experimental studies conducted on 30 widely used benchmark problems in which it outperforms contrasting algorithms on 71% of test suits. Empirical results demonstrate the significant advantages of the proposed algorithm over existing state-of-the-art DMOEAs.