Call for Papers
Scope of the conference
Swarm intelligence is a relatively new discipline that deals with the study of self-organizing processes both in nature and in artificial systems. Researchers in ethology and animal behavior have proposed many models to explain interesting aspects of social insect behavior such as self-organization and shape-formation. Recently, algorithms and methods inspired by these models have been proposed to solve difficult problems in many domains.
An example of a particularly successful research direction in swarm intelligence is ant colony optimization, the main focus of which is on discrete optimization problems. Ant colony optimization has been applied successfully to a large number of difficult discrete optimization problems including the traveling salesman problem, the quadratic assignment problem, scheduling, vehicle routing, etc., as well as to routing in telecommunication networks. Another interesting approach is that of particle swarm optimization, that focuses on continuous optimization problems. Here too, a number of successful applications can be found in the recent literature. Swarm robotics is another relevant field. Here, the focus is on applying swarm intelligence techniques to the control of large groups of cooperating autonomous robots.
ANTS 2012 will give researchers in swarm intelligence the opportunity to meet, to present their latest research, and to discuss current developments and applications.
The three-day conference will be held in Brussels, Belgium, on September 12-14, 2012.
Relevant Research Areas
ANTS 2012 solicits contributions dealing with any aspect of swarm intelligence. Typical, but not exclusive, topics of interest are:
- Behavioral models of social insects or other animal societies that can stimulate new algorithmic approaches.
- Empirical and theoretical research in swarm intelligence.
- Application of swarm intelligence methods, such as ant colony optimization or particle swarm optimization, to real-world problems.
- Theoretical and experimental research in swarm robotics systems.
Publication Details
Accepted papers will be published in conference proceedings that will be published by Springer in the LNCS series. The journal Swarm Intelligence will publish a special issue dedicated to ANTS 2012 that will contain extended versions of the best research works presented at the conference.
Best Paper Award
A best paper award will be presented at the conference. Continuing the tradition of the ANTS Conference Series, the prize winner will receive a sculpture of an ant expressly created for the ANTS Conference by the Italian sculptor Matteo Pugliese.
Invited talks
Prof. Dirk Helbing (ETH Zurich, Switzerland), Prof. Nigel R. Franks (University of Bristol, UK) and Prof. Vijay Kumar (University of Pennsylvania, USA) have accepted to give a plenary invited talk.
Further Information
Up-to-date information will be published on the web site http://iridia.ulb.ac.be/ants2012/. For information about local arrangements, registration forms, etc., please refer to the above-mentioned web site or contact the local organizers at the address below.
Conference Address
| ANTS 2012 | |
| IRIDIA-CoDE, CP 194/6 | Tel +32-2-6502729 |
| Université Libre de Bruxelles | Fax +32-2-6502715 |
| Av. F. D. Roosevelt 50 | http://iridia.ulb.ac.be/ants2012/ |
| 1050 Bruxelles, Belgium | email: ants iridia.ulb.ac.be |
Conference Location
Salle Dupreel, Building S, Campus du Solbosch, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Av. Jeanne 44, 1050 Brussels, Belgium.
Important Dates
| Extended submission deadline | March 9, 2012 |
| Notification of acceptance | May 3, 2012 |
| Camera ready copy | May 17, 2012 |
| Conference | September 12-14, 2012 |
ANTS 2012 Conference Committee
General Chair:
| Marco DORIGO IRIDIA, ULB, Brussels, Belgium |
Technical Program Chairs:
| Christian BLUM ALBCOM, LSI, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya |
| Andries ENGELBRECHT University of Pretoria, South Africa |
| Roderich GROß Sheffield University, UK |
Publication Chair:
| Anders Lyhne CHRISTENSEN, Instituto Universitario de Lisboa, Portugal |
Organization Chairs:
| Mauro BIRATTARI IRIDIA, ULB, Brussels, Belgium |
| Thomas STÜTZLE IRIDIA, ULB, Brussels, Belgium |
Local Arrangements:
| Andreagiovanni REINA IRIDIA, ULB, Brussels, Belgium |
| Arne BRUTSCHY IRIDIA, ULB, Brussels, Belgium |