A User's Guide to PIKAIA 1.0

This user's guide, organized with a very brief review of the biological evolutionary process relevant to the understanding of genetic algorithms. While Chapter 2 is concerned with pragmatic issues including how to obtain, install and validate the code. Chapter 3 describes the various genetic operators and ecological strategies incorporated in PIKAIA fairly detailed discussions of specific implementation issues. Chapter 4 contains detailed descriptions of input parameters, calling sequence, additional routines required from the user, etc. Readers who favor the "hands on" approach to learning may start by going straight to chapter 4 upon successfully completing the installation, and only subsequently study the (important) material discussed in chapter 3. Chapter 5, presents and discusses examples of applications of the subroutine to a sequence of increasingly difficult data modeling problems, including code listings for example fitness functions. Chapter 6 provides additional information for users wanting to modify, expand and/or tailor the code itself, and includes an annotated bibliography pointing to what we think are good entry points in the genetic algorithm literature. We do attempt to discuss relevant background material and include practical tips and general guidelines useful in dealing with real life problems, wherever most appropriate in the text and in particular in Chapter 5.