This lecture primarily focuses on describing the structure and operation of Ant System (AS), a precursor to the Ant Colon Optimization (ACO) metaheuristic. It discusses the key algorithmic components of the approach and briefly describes the ant trail-laying behavior that inspired it. At the end of the lecture, Bacterial Foraging Optimization (BFO) is introduced. A full treatment of BFO will be covered in the next lecture.
Whiteboard notes for this lecture can be found at:
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/oreo91lww327dcbtwq6e3/IEE598-Lecture6B-2025-04-01-ACO_and_Introduction_to_Bacterial_Foraging_Optimization_BFO-Notes.pdf?rlkey=66jx4pfv369kbcngicntv3lem&dl=0
