Newsgroups: comp.ai.genetic
Path: cantaloupe.srv.cs.cmu.edu!das-news.harvard.edu!news2.near.net!MathWorks.Com!news.duke.edu!convex!cs.utexas.edu!howland.reston.ans.net!agate!doc.ic.ac.uk!cc.ic.ac.uk!jeb1
From: jeb1@ic.ac.uk (Dr J.E. Beasley)
Subject: Set covering
Message-ID: <1994Oct3.090514.17092@cc.ic.ac.uk>
Nntp-Posting-Host: mscmga.ms
Organization: Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine, London
Date: Mon, 3 Oct 94 09:05:14 BST
Lines: 15

The following paper is available in postscript form by email 
request to j.beasley@ic.ac.uk

A Genetic Algorithm for the Set Covering Problem
J.E.Beasley and P.C.Chu

In this paper we present a genetic algorithm-based heuristic for
non-unicost set covering problems.  We propose several modifications to the
basic genetic procedures including a new fitness-based crossover operator
(fusion), a variable mutation rate and a heuristic feasibility operator
tailored specifically for the set covering problem.  The performance of our
algorithm was evaluated on a large set of randomly generated problems.
Computational results showed that the genetic algorithm-based heuristic is
capable of producing high-quality solutions.

