A genetic algorithm for selection of fixed-size subsets with application to design problems

The r function kofnga conducts a genetic algorithm search for the best subset of k items from a set of n alternatives,given an objective function that measures the quality of a subset. the function fills a gap in the presently available subset selection software,which typically searches over a range of subset sizes,restricts the types of objective functions considered,or does not include freely available code. the new function is demonstrated on two types of problem where a fixed-size subset search is desirable: design of environmental monitoring networks,and d-optimal design of experiments. additionally,the performance is evaluated on a class of constructed test problems with a novel design that is interesting in its own right. © 2015,american statistical association. all rights reserved.