A structural taxonomy for metaheuristic optimisation search methods.

Metaheuristic search algorithms have become ubiquitous in the applied optimisation world. Various works have appeared classifying and improving these algorithms and the particular processes embedded within the algorithms. Successful metaheuristic approaches have a common general structure to their search processes. To this end, we offer a structural taxonomy of metaheuristic search methods. This taxonomy serves as a framework for constructing and evaluating metaheuristic approaches from a general structural perspective as well as for conducting empirical research regarding the effectiveness of more detailed structural components. Implementation mechanisms of the detailed components within each structural component are left for future taxonomy research and development.