Modified Cuckoo Search (MCS) is a powerful gradient free optimisation algorithm. The aim of this project is to develop a tool to make the process of coupling MCS to a given application simpler.

MCS is a fast optimisation algorithm in terms of number of objective function evaluations required to reach a solution. It is also able to handle functions which are non-smooth, multimodal and have many dimensions.

MCS was first presented in the article S. Walton; O. Hassan, K. Morgan and M.R. Brown (30 June 2011). "Modified cuckoo search: A new gradient free optimisation algorithm". Chaos, Solitons & Fractals. doi:10.1016/j.chaos.2011.06.004 which must be cited if the MCS code is used for research purposes.

The initial implementation of the code is in MATLAB which has been used to develop the algorithm itself. The algorithm was developed as part of a EPSRC funded DTA grant at Swansea University.

In future we wish to write implementations in other languages.

The current stable version of the MATLAB code can be downloaded from the download page. Please download the full package which contains documentation and examples, currently you can use the code to optimise a defined objective function for either constrained or unconstrained problems. If you come across any issues using the code please submit them on the issues page. The two branches of the code have recently been merged, the original algorithm as described in the paper cited above was improved in an algorithm where each dimension is scaled between 0 and 1. It is worth checking the issues page before using the code, as some issues may not have been resolved in the current version.

The latest development version of the code can be downloaded, along with updated documentation and examples, from the source code repository page here, this version will have the latest features but has been tested less than the archived version from the download page.

If you would like to get involved have a look at the source code where you can clone our git repository.

A google discussion group exists for this project, please join or e-mail modified-cs-discuss@googlegroups.com if you need support or have ideas to improve the project. The group is also a good way to keep up with code developments.