Using evolutionary programming for modeling: an ocean acoustic example

The process of natural evolution is used as a basis for a search technique that can locate the extremum of complex response surfaces despite the existence of multiple local minima or maxima. Background on research in simulated evolution is offered. The fundamental properties of natural evolution are simulated for the purpose of modeling a set of ocean acoustic signals. The experimental results indicate that simulated evolution provides a method for estimating both the appropriate order and parameter values of a model. Some theoretical comparisons are made to standard estimation methods