  This paper is concerned with the performance optimisation of an stereoscopic
array of imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes (IACTs) as a function of
their positioning on the ground. In this first work we are concerned primarily
with the study of the optimisation method and its test on toy arrays of few
(3-6) telescopes. The ideas presented here were developed to investigate
alternative ways of studying IACT array geometries. The proposal is an attempt
to cover more exhaustively and systematically the parameter space involved in
the design of a stereoscopic IACT array, aiming to develop a support tool for
directing the computationally expensive Monte Carlo simulations commonly used
in the field. The methodology presented here involves a modelling step (in our
case a simplified, heuristic IACT array model) and the implementation of an
evolutionary algorithm for the geometric optimisation. In this initial work,
the heuristic model and the optimisation algorithm are presented, but no
detailed Monte Carlo validation is presented yet. The techniques used here may
have potential applications in other optimization problems in the field of
Gamma Ray Astronomy.
