Dolphin Pod Optimization

A novel nature-inspired deterministic derivative-free global optimization method, namely the dolphin pod optimization (DPO), is presented for solving simulation-based design optimization problems with costly objective functions. DPO implements, using a deterministic approach, the global search ability provided by a cetacean intelligence metaphor. The method is intended for unconstrained single-objective minimization and is based on a simplified social model of a dolphin pod in search for food. A parametric analysis is conducted to identify the most promising DPO setup, using 100 analytical benchmark functions and three performance criteria, varying the algorithm parameters. The most promising setup is compared with a deterministic particle swarm optimization and a DIviding RECTangles algorithm, and applied to two hull-form optimization problems, showing a very promising performance.