Using global and local catastrophes across sub-populations in parallel evolutionary computing

A computer program product for invoking a local catastrophe on a sub-population in a parallel evolutionary algorithm computing process, the computer program product comprising:

• a computer readable storage medium having computer usable program code embodied therewith, the computer usable program code comprising a computer usable program code configured to:
• track forward progress of a population of candidate solutions across generations thereof, wherein the population is divided into a plurality of sub-populations across a plurality of computing entities that iteratively create new generations of the plurality of sub-populations of candidate solutions in search of a solution to an optimization problem;
• track local catastrophes invoked on the plurality of computing entities by the plurality of computing entities;
• at a current generation of the population, determine that forward progress of the population fails a set of one or more forward progress criteria;
• in response to a determination that the forward progress of the population fails the set of one or more forward progress criteria at the current generation,
• select parameter values that influence the global catastrophe, wherein the selection is based, at least in part, on forward progress of the local catastrophes,
• command the plurality of computing entities to collectively apply a global catastrophe to the plurality of sub-populations in accordance with the parameter values.

A computer program product for invoking a local catastrophe on a sub-population in a parallel evolutionary algorithm computing process, the computer program product comprising:

• a computer readable storage medium having computer usable program code embodied therewith, the computer usable program code comprising a computer usable program code configured to:
• track forward progress of a first sub-population across generations thereof, wherein the first sub-population is one of a plurality of sub-populations that form a population of candidate solutions to an optimization problem for which a solution is being searched by a parallel evolutionary computing process;
• at a current generation of the first sub-population, determine that forward progress of the first sub-population fails a set of one or more forward progress criteria;
• in response to a determination that the forward progress of the first sub-population fails the set of one or more forward progress criteria at the current generation, invoke a local catastrophe on the current generation of the first sub-population;
• re-populate the first sub-population after the local catastrophe is invoked;
• and
• constrain migration to the first sub-population while re-establishing the first sub-population after re-population.

An apparatus for invoking a local catastrophe on a sub-population in a parallel evolutionary algorithm computing process comprising:

• a processor;
• a network interface operable to communicate at least fitness metric values;
• a local catastrophe unit operable to,
• track forward progress of a first sub-population across generations thereof, wherein the first sub-population is one of a plurality of sub-populations that form a population of candidate solutions to an optimization problem for which a solution is being searched by a parallel evolutionary computing process;
• at a current generation of the first sub-population, determine that forward progress of the first sub-population fails a set of one or more forward progress criteria;
• in response to a determination that the forward progress of the first sub-population fails the set of one or more forward progress criteria at the current generation, invoke a local catastrophe on the current generation of the first sub-population;
• re-populate the first sub-population after the local catastrophe is invoked;
• and
• constrain migration to the first sub-population while re-establishing the first sub-population after re-population.