Algorithm xxx: EDOLAB, a Platform for Research and Education in Evolutionary Dynamic Optimization

  • Mei PENG
  • , Delaram YAZDANI
  • , Danial YAZDANI
  • , Zeneng SHE
  • , Wenjian LUO
  • , Changhe LI
  • , Jürgen BRANKE
  • , Trung Thanh NGUYEN
  • , Amir H. GANDOMI*
  • , Shengxiang YANG
  • , Yaochu JIN
  • , Xin YAO*
  • *Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Journal PublicationsJournal Article (refereed)peer-review

Abstract

Many real-world optimization problems exhibit dynamic characteristics, posing significant challenges for traditional optimization methods. Evolutionary Dynamic Optimization Algorithms (EDOAs) have been developed to address these challenges by adapting to changing environments over time. However, the reproducibility and consistency of experimental results in the literature remain limited due to the lack of publicly available source codes and the complexity of accurately re-implementing algorithms and performance evaluation protocols. To support the community, we introduce EDOLAB (Evolutionary Dynamic Optimization LABoratory), an open-source MATLAB platform designed for both research and educational purposes. EDOLAB includes 27 EDOAs, four highly configurable benchmark generators, and a growing suite of performance indicators. The platform supports full parameter tuning, batch experiment management, parallel execution, and automated statistical comparisons—including rankings, significance testing, box plots, and performance trend visualizations over time. An educational application allows users to observe: a) dynamic changes in a 2D problem landscape, b) the movement of individuals in response to these changes, and c) the ability of an algorithm to track moving optima. By providing an integrated environment for experimentation, benchmarking, and instructional use, EDOLAB promotes reproducibility, comparative analysis, and a deeper understanding of EDOAs in dynamic environments.
Original languageEnglish
JournalACM Transactions on Mathematical Software
DOIs
Publication statusE-pub ahead of print - 16 Dec 2025

Funding

This work was supported by a National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 62250710682), a Lingnan University internal grant, a Shenzhen Fundamental Research Program (Grant No. JCYJ20220818102414030), a Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Novel Security Intelligence Technologies (Grant No. 2022B1212010005), a National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 62476006), a Hubei Provincial Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 2023AFA049), a Fundamental Research Funds of the AUST (Grant No. 2024JBZD0007), a National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. U23B2058), an NSFC ICFCRT (Grant No. W2441019), an NSFC (Grant No. 62136003), a Liverpool John Moores University Vice-Chancellor PhD Scholarship, and Australian Government through the Australian Research Council under Project DE210101808.

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