Public initiatives of settlement transformation. A theoretical-methodological approach to selecting tools of multi-criteria decision analysis

In Europe, the operating context in which initiatives of settlement transformation are currently initiated is characterized by a complex, elaborate combination of technical, regulatory and governance-related factors. A similar set of considerations makes it necessary to address the complex decision-making problems to be resolved through multidisciplinary, comparative approaches designed to rationalize the process and treat the elements to be considered in systematic fashion with respect to the range of alternatives available as solutions. Within a context defined in this manner, decision-making processes must often be used to obtain multidisciplinary and multidimensional analyses to support the choices made by the decision-makers. Such analyses are carried out using multi-criteria tools designed to arrive at syntheses of the numerous forms of input data needed to describe decision-making problems of similar complexity, so that one or more outcomes of the synthesis make possible informed, well thought-out, strategic decisions. The technical literature on the topic proposes numerous tools of multi-criteria analysis for application in different decision-making contexts. Still, no specific contributions have been drawn up to date on the approach to take in selecting the tool best suited to providing adequate responses to the queries of evaluation that arise most frequently in the various fields of application, and especially in the settlement sector. The objective of this paper is to propose, by formulating a taxonomy of the endogenous and exogenous variables of tools of multi-criteria analysis, a methodology capable of selecting the tool best suited to the queries of evaluation which arise regarding the chief categories of decision-making problems, and particularly in the settlement sector

04271 Abstracts Collection -- Preferences: Specification, Inference, Applications

From 27.06.04 to 02.07.04, the Dagstuhl Seminar 04271 ``Preferences: Specification, Inference, Applications\u27\u27 was held in the International Conference and Research Center (IBFI), Schloss Dagstuhl. During the seminar, several participants presented their current research, and ongoing work and open problems were discussed. Abstracts of the presentations given during the seminar as well as abstracts of seminar results and ideas are put together in this paper. The first section describes the seminar topics and goals in general. Links to extended abstracts or full papers are provided, if available

An integrative fuzzy expert system shell based on structured knowledge: an object oriented approach.

by Wong Man Hon.Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1989.Bibliography: leaves 197-202

iAggregator: Multidimensional Relevance Aggregation Based on a Fuzzy Operator

International audienceRecently, an increasing number of information retrieval studies have triggered a resurgence of interest in redefining the algorithmic estimation of relevance, which implies a shift from topical to multidimensional relevance assessment. A key underlying aspect that emerged when addressing this concept is the aggregation of the relevance assessments related to each of the considered dimensions. The most commonly adopted forms of aggregation are based on classical weighted means and linear combination schemes to address this issue. Although some initiatives were recently proposed, none was concerned with considering the inherent dependencies and interactions existing among the relevance criteria, as is the case in many real-life applications. In this article, we present a new fuzzy-based operator, called iAggregator, for multidimensional relevance aggregation. Its main originality, beyond its ability to model interactions between different relevance criteria, lies in its generalization of many classical aggregation functions. To validate our proposal, we apply our operator within a tweet search task. Experiments using a standard benchmark, namely, Text REtrieval Conference Microblog,1 emphasize the relevance of our contribution when compared with traditional aggregation schemes. In addition, it outperforms state-of-the-art aggregation operators such as the Scoring and the And prioritized operators as well as some representative learning-to-rank algorithms

Bibliometric analysis of scientific production on methods to aid decision making in the last 40 years

Purpose: Multicriteria methods have gained traction in both academia and industry practices for effective decision-making over the years. This bibliometric study aims to explore and provide an overview of research carried out on multicriteria methods, in its various aspects, over the past forty-four years. Design/Methodology/Approach: The Web of Science (WoS) and Scopus databases were searched for publications from January 1945 to April 29, 2021, on multicriteria methods in titles, abstracts, and keywords. The bibliographic data were analyzed using the R bibliometrix package. Findings: This bibliometric study asserts that 29,050 authors have produced 20,861 documents on the theme of multicriteria methods in 131 countries in the last forty-four years. Scientific production in this area grows at a rate of 13.88 per year. China is the leading country in publications with 14.14%; India with 10.76%; and Iran with 8.09%. Islamic Azad University leads others with 504 publications, followed by the Vilnius Gediminas Technical University with 456 and the National Institute of Technology with 336. As for journals, Expert Systems With Applications; Sustainability; and Journal of Cleaner Production are the leading journals, which account for more than 4.67% of all indexed literature. Furthermore, Zavadskas E. and Wang J have the highest publications in the multicriteria methods domain regarding the authors. Regarding the most commonly used multicriteria decision-making methods, AHP is the most favored approach among the ten countries with the most publications in this research area, followed by TOPSIS, VIKOR, PROMETHEE, and ANP. Practical implications: The bibliometric literature review method allows the researchers to explore the multicriteria research area more extensively than the traditional literature review method. It enables a large dataset of bibliographic records to be systematically analyzed through statistical measures, yielding informative insights. Originality/value: The usefulness of this bibliometric study is summed in presenting an overview of the topic of the multicriteria methods during the previous forty-four years, allowing other academics to use this research as a starting point for their research

Approaches to selecting information systems projects under uncertainty

The rapid advance in information and communication technologies has effectively facilitated the development and implementation of information systems (IS) projects in modern organizations for reorganizing their business processes and streamlining the provision of their products and services in today's dynamic environment. Such a development brings organizations with numerous benefits including increased automation of business processes, improved customer service, and timely provision of effective decision support. As a result, evaluating and selecting the most appropriate IS project for development and implementation from a pool of available IS projects becomes a critical decision to make in modern organizations. Evaluating and selecting appropriate IS projects for development in an organization, however, is complex and challenging. The complexity of the evaluation and selection process is due to the multi-dimensional nature of the decision making process, the conflicting nature of the multiple selection criteria, and the presence of subjectiveness and imprecision of the human decision making process. The challenging of the evaluation and selection comes from the need for making transparent and balanced decisions based on a comprehensive evaluation of all available IS projects in a timely manner. Much research has been done on the development of various approaches for evaluating and selecting IS projects, and numerous applications of those approaches for addressing real world IS project evaluation and selection problems have been reported in the literature. In general, existing approaches can be classified into (a) cost-benefit analysis based approaches, (b) utility based approaches, and (c) optimization oriented approaches. These approaches, however, are not totally satisfactory due to various shortcomings including (a) the inability to tackle the subjectiveness and imprecision of the selection process, (b) the failure to adequately handle the multi-dimensional nature of the problem, and (c) cognitively very demanding on the decision maker. To address these issues above, this research has developed three novel approaches for effectively solving the IS project evaluation and selection problem under uncertainty in an organization. The first approach is developed for helping the decision maker better model the subjectiveness and imprecision inherent in the decision-making process with the use of linguistic variables approximated by fuzzy numbers. The second approach is designed to reduce the cognitive demanding on the decision maker in the IS project evaluation and selection process with the introduction of fuzzy pairwise comparison. The third approach is formulated with respect to the use of intelligent decision support systems for facilitating the use of specific multi-criteria analysis approaches in relation to individual IS project evaluation and selection situations. The developed approaches have been applied for solving three IS project evaluation and selection problems in the real world settings. The results show that the three developed ap proaches are of practical significance for effectively and efficiently solving the IS project evaluation and selection problem due to (a) the simplicity and comprehensibility of the underlying concept, (b) the adequate handling of inherent uncertainty and imprecision, and (c) the ability to help the decision maker better understand the IS project selection problem and the implications of their decision behaviours

Estimating the effectiveness of a mobile phone network's deferred revenue calculated through the use of a business automation and support system

Thesis (MComm (Logistics))--University of Stellenbosch, 2011.ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Mobile phone networks form an integral part of economic and social development globally. Mobile phones have become an everyday part of life and it is hard to imagine a competitive economy without the availability of mobile communications. Emerging markets benefit most from the implementation of mobile technology and growth trends are outperforming earlier predictions. The most popular and sustainable payment model used by mobile phone networks in emerging markets is the pre paid mechanism used for the distribution of airtime. This mechanism brings about unique challenges for networks in emerging markets. In this thesis the importance of the mobile phone network pre paid value channel is introduced through an analysis of pre paid revenue. A brief introduction is given to the systems and products that contribute to the functioning of the pre paid value channel. The revenue generation process is described with regards to the pre paid sector of the market and an in-depth explanation of the importance of deferred revenue is given, how it is recorded and what role it fulfils in the generation of revenue. The complexity of the network environment, both technical and operational makes the use of a business automation and support system (BSS) a necessary tool for effective execution of tasks and processes within the network environment. These systems record information from a wide spectrum of available technical network resources and use this information to automate the flow of network products. The use of such a system for the calculation of deferred revenue is suggested. Saaty‟s Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) algorithm and the Elimination and Choice Expressing Reality (ELECTRE) method are used to compare the newly proposed method for the calculation of deferred revenue using a BSS. Using Saaty's algorithm to estimate the effectiveness of deferred revenue as reported through the use of a BSS yields favourable results for the proposed method. This helps to bridge the gap in the poorly researched mobile telecommunications industry. ELECTRE is used to substantiate the findings of the model using AHP and meaningful tests are done to motivate correctness and accuracy of the results obtained throughout. Most importantly, the findings were shared with academic and industry experts, adding meaningful resemblance to the goals set out to achieve.AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Mobiele foon netwerke is wêreldwyd 'n onlosmaakbare deel van ekonomiese en sosiale ontwikkeling. Mobiele fone is deel van ons alledaagse lewe en dit is moeilik om 'n kompeterende ekonomie te bedink sonder die beskikbaarheid van mobiele kommunikasie. Ontluikende markte trek die meeste voordeel uit die implementering van mobiele tegnologie en groeitendense vertoon beter as wat vroeër voorspel is. Die mees gewilde en volhoubare betaalmetode wat deur mobiele foon netwerke in ontluikende markte gebruik word, is die voorafbetalingsmeganisme wat vir die verspreiding van lugtyd gebruik word. Hierdie meganisme bring unieke uitdagings vorendag in ontluikende markte. Die tesis beskryf die belangrikheid van die mobiele foon netwerk voorafbetalingswaardekanaal deur 'n analise te maak van vooruitbetalingsinkomste. 'n Kort oorsig oor die sisteme en produkte wat bydra tot die funksionering van die vooruitbetalingswaardekanaal word verskaf. 'n Beskrywing van die inkomste-genereringsproses vir die vooruitbetaling-sektor van die mark word verskaf en 'n in-diepte verduideliking van die belangrikheid van uitgestelde inkomste, hoe dit vasgelê word en watter rol dit speel in die generering van inkomste word verduidelik. Die kompleksiteit van die netwerkomgewing, beide op 'n tegniese en operasionele vlak, maak die gebruik van 'n besigheidsoutomatisering en ondersteuningsisteem (BSS) 'n noodsaaklike instrument vir die effektiewe uitvoer van take en prosesse binne die netwerkomgewing. Hierdie sisteme stoor informasie vanuit 'n wye spektrum van beskikbare tegniese netwerkbronne en gebruik die inligting om die vloei van netwerkprodukte te outomatiseer. Die gebruik van sodanige sisteem word voorgestel vir die berekening van uitgestelde inkomste. Saaty se Analitiese Hierargie Proses-algoritme (AHP) en die Eliminasie en Realiteit-Deur-Keuse Uitdrukkingsmetode (ELECTRE) word gebruik vir die vergelyking van die voorgestelde metode vir die berekening van uitgestelde inkomste deur middel van 'n BSS. Die gebruik van Saaty se algoritme om die effektiwiteit te bereken van uitgestelde inkomste soos gemeld deur die gebruik van 'n BSS, lewer gunstige resultate vir die voorgestelde metode. Dit vul 'n leemte in die swak nagevorsde mobiele telekommunikasie industrie. ELECTRE word gebruik om die bevindinge van die AHP-model te substansieer en betekenisvolle toetse word deurentyd gedoen om die korrektheid en akkuraatheid van die resultate te motiveer. Die belangrikste aspek van die navorsing is dat die bevindinge gedeel is met kenners binne die akademie sowel as die industrie, wat nou aansluit by die doelstellings wat aanvanklik beoog is