Algorithm selection based on exploratory landscape analysis and cost-sensitive learning

Abstract

The steady supply of new optimization methods makes the algorithm selection problem (ASP) an increasingly pressing and challenging task, specially for real-world black-box optimization problems. The introduced approach considers the ASP as a cost-sensitive classification task which is based on Exploratory Landscape Analysis. Low-level features gathered by systematic sampling of the function on the feasible set are used to predict a well-performing algorithm out of a given portfolio. Example-specific label costs are defined by the expected runtime of each candidate algorithm. We use one-sided support vector regression to solve this learning problem. The approach is illustrated by means of the optimization problems and algorithms of the BBOB'09/10 workshop.