Multi-method algorithms: Investigating the entity-to-algorithm allocation problem

This paper investigates the algorithm selection problem, otherwise referred to as the entity-to-algorithm allocation problem, within the context of three recent multi-method algorithm frameworks. A population-based algorithm portfolio, a meta-hyper-heuristic and a bandit based operator selection method are evaluated under similar conditions on a diverse set of floating-point benchmark problems. The meta-hyper heuristic is shown to outperform the other two algorithms.