Pareto Optimization or Cascaded Weighted Sum: A Comparison of Concepts

According to the published papers and books since the turn of the century, Pareto optimization is the dominating assessment method for multi-objective nonlinear optimization problems treated by population-based optimizers like Evolutionary Algorithms. However, is it always the method of choice for real-world applications, where either more than four objectives have to be considered, or the same type of task is repeated again and again with only minor modifications, in an automated optimization or planning process? This paper presents a classification of application scenarios and compares the Pareto approach with an extended version of the weighted sum, called cascaded weighted sum, for the different scenarios. Its range of application within the field of multi-objective optimization is discussed as well as its strengths and weaknesses.