Reference Set Generator: A Method for Pareto Front Approximation and Reference Set Generation

In this paper, we address the problem of obtaining bias-free and complete finite size approximations of the solution sets (Pareto fronts) of multi-objective optimization problems (MOPs). Such approximations are, in particular, required for the fair usage of distance-based performance indicators, which are frequently used in evolutionary multi-objective optimization (EMO). If the Pareto front approximations are biased or incomplete, the use of these performance indicators can lead to misleading or false information. To address this issue, we propose the Reference Set Generator (RSG), which can, in principle, be applied to Pareto fronts of any shape and dimension. We finally demonstrate the strength of the novel approach on several benchmark problems.