Global Optimization - Applications of Global Optimization

Applications of Global Optimization

Typical examples of global optimization applications include:

• Protein structure prediction (minimize the energy/free energy function)
• Computational phylogenetics (e.g., minimize the number of character transformations in the tree)
• Traveling salesman problem and electrical circuit design (minimize the path length)
• Chemical engineering (e.g., analyzing the Gibbs free energy)
• Safety verification, safety engineering (e.g., of mechanical structures, buildings)
• Worst case analysis
• Mathematical problems (e.g., the Kepler conjecture)
• Object packing (configuration design) problems
• The starting point of several molecular dynamics simulations consists of an initial optimization of the energy of the system to be simulated.
• Spin glasses
• Calibration of radio propagation models and of many other models in the sciences and engineering
• Curve fitting like Non-linear least squares analysis and other generalizations, used in fitting model parameters to experimental data in chemistry, physics, medicine, astronomy, engineering.