Comparing Cuckoo Search, Bee Colony, Firefly Optimization, and Electromagnetism-Like Algorithms for Solving the Set Covering Problem

Abstract

The set covering problem is a classical model in the subject of combinatorial optimization for service allocation, that consists in finding a set of solutions for covering a range of needs at the lowest possible cost. In this paper, we report various approximate methods to solve this problem, such as Cuckoo Search, Bee Colony, Firefly Optimization, and Electromagnetism-Like Algorithms. We illustrate experimental results of these metaheuristics for solving a set of 65 non-unicost set covering problems from the Beasley's OR-Library.