Iterative Greedy Selection Hyper-heuristic with Linear Population Size Reduction

Selecting appropriate algorithms for specific problems has become a significant challenge with the remarkable growth of heuristics and meta-heuristics. To address this challenge, an iterative greedy selection hyper-heuristic algorithm with linear population size reduction (LIGSHH) was proposed in this paper. Using an iterative greedy strategy to choose the high level of exploration, this heuristic selects the Low-Level Heuristics (LLHs) that best suit the current problem. Nine LLHs are specifically designed for continuous optimization problems. Additionally, the exploration and exploitation capabilities of the LIGSHH are balanced by reducing the population size linearly at different stages of the problem. The proposed LIGSHH algorithm and comparison algorithms are tested on the CEC2017 benchmark test suite, and the experimental results show that the LIGSHH algorithm outperforms other comparison algorithms.