Solving Euclidean minimal spanning tree problem using a new meta-heuristic approach: Imperialist Competitive algorithm (ICA)

The minimum spanning tree (MST) problem has numerous applications in design of communication, computer and transportation networks. This paper proposes an application of a new meta-heuristic called Imperialist Competitive algorithm (ICA) for solving a special case of MST defined on a Euclidean plane, called the Euclidean minimum spanning tree (EMST) problem. ICA is inspired by human´s socio-political evolution. The solution quality and speed of the proposed are verified by numerical examples compared to a commercial optimization solver.