Nature-inspired metaheuristic algorithms, especially those based on swarm
intelligence, have attracted much attention in the last ten years. Firefly
algorithm appeared in about five years ago, its literature has expanded
dramatically with diverse applications. In this paper, we will briefly review
the fundamentals of firefly algorithm together with a selection of recent
publications. Then, we discuss the optimality associated with balancing
exploration and exploitation, which is essential for all metaheuristic
algorithms. By comparing with intermittent search strategy, we conclude that
metaheuristics such as firefly algorithm are better than the optimal
intermittent search strategy. We also analyse algorithms and their implications
for higher-dimensional optimization problems.Comment: 15 page