Applying a hybrid binary harmony search algorithm for the obnoxious p-median problem

The obnoxious p-median problem is one of the most important facility location problems. It is known to be NP-hard, and has many practical applications. In this work, a hybrid binary harmony search algorithm (HHSA) is applied to solve the obnoxious p-median problem. Firstly, the harmony memory consideration rule is proposed to produce a new solution. The new solution is immediately conducted by a pitch adjustment rule. Second, a repair operator is used to repair the new produced solutions. Finally, a local search method is employed to improve the solution quality. A set of 72 instances is used to test the performance of the HHSA. Experimental results show that the HHSA is able to obtain high quality solutions.