Comparison between hierarchical distributed evolutionary algorithms and general distributed evolutionary algorithms

As a special type of distributed evolutionary algorithms (DEAs), hierarchal distributed evolutionary algorithms (HDEAs) have been proposed for years. However, the number of their applications is very limited while simple DEAs are widely used in many field. In this paper, the advantage of HDEAs over simple DEAs is analyzed. Then a comparison experiment between a HDEA and a simple DEA is carried on. Both algorithms are based on the same EA and have the same settings. The results show that the former is significantly better in solutions. Then, the advantage of HDEAs is demonstrated.