Consistent completion of incomplete judgments in decision making using AHP

Decision making (DM) processes are becoming increasingly complex. The reasons are manifold. DM usually involves many aspects; some are purely technical, while others are subjective and derived from social, political, and environmental factors, among others. As a result, they involve items that are not easily comparable under the same units of measurement. Problems are made even more complex by the fact that current governance processes tend to involve all the stakeholders in the DM process. In this paper we consider the AHP methodology (analytic hierarchy process), which is used to build consistent aggregate results from data provided by decision makers. As some of the actors involved may not be completely familiar with all the criteria under consideration, it is common that the body of opinion, expressed in terms of pairwise comparison, is incomplete. To overcome this weakness, we propose a framework that enables users to provide data on their preferences in a partial and/or incomplete way and at different times. This article is an advance towards a dynamic model of AHP. The authors have addressed the problem of adding a new criterion or deleting obsolete criteria. Here, we address the consistent completion of a reciprocal matrix as a mechanism to obtain a consistent body of opinion issued in an incomplete manner by a specific actor. This feature is incorporated into a process of linearization previously introduced by the authors, which is concisely presented. Finally, we provide an application for leakage control in a water supply company. The adoption of suitable control leakage policies in water supply is a problem of enormous interest in the water industry, particularly in urban hydraulics.This work has been funded as part of project IDAWAS, DPI2009-11591 by the Direccion General de Investigacion del Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovacion (Spain); with supplementary support from ACOMP/2011/188 from the Conselleria d'Educacio of the Generalitat Valenciana. The first author also received support from Spanish project PAID-06-12. The use of English in this paper was revised by John Rawlins.Benítez López, J.; Delgado Galván, XV.; Izquierdo Sebastián, J.; Pérez García, R. (2015). Consistent completion of incomplete judgments in decision making using AHP. Journal of Computational and Applied Mathematics. 290:412-422. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cam.2015.05.023S41242229

Aplikasi Analytical Hierarchy Process: Sistem Pendukung Keputusan untuk Seleksi Desa Inovasi di Wilayah Sorong

Rural-urban social inequality is a problem that must be solved to achieve prosperity and economic justice that is desired by all human beings. Efforts to overcome the problem are to create and carry out the Program of Marine and Fisheries Innovation Village which is a program of marine and fisheries community empowerment to be able to take advantage of technology and innovation as an effort to improve their lives. Limited budget and resources cause not all villages that are partners in community service at the Sorong Marine and Fisheries Polytechnic can be turned into Marine and Fisheries Innovation Villages. This research was conducted to determine the priority ranking of villages to be selected and to carry out innovation and technology interventions according to the predetermined criteria. Decision making in this marine and fisheries innovation village requires a systematic and accurate method using the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP). In the case study, the selection of the innovation village program was carried out at three locations in the Sorong area (Walal Village, Rimbapala Village, and Pulau Raam Village). The criteria used in the selection of alternative innovation villages were: 1) having local government support, 2) community response, 3) having superior fishery commodities, 4) accessibility, and 5) in accordance with the resources owned by the KP Sorong Polytechnic. The results obtained based on the AHP method were Raam Island 58,7%, Walal 21,9%, and Rimbapala 19,4%. The conclusion is that the village selected as the innovation village is Raam Island with the highest score of 58,7%.   Keywords: alternatives, analytical hierarchy process, criteria, innovation village, option

I Decide, Therefore I Am (Relevant!): A Project-Based Learning Experience in Linear Algebra

We present a project-based learning experience in the context of linear algebra developed for the recently launched double major in business administration and management/engineering of technology and telecommunication services at the universitat politecnica de valencia 2014-15. Decision-making is used to motivate students towards applying, understanding, and appreciating linear algebra in a diversity of projects. this experience introduces students to the analytic hierarchy process (AHP), a multi-attribute, decision-making technique that is rooted in linear algebra. Through a simulation scenario, each team of students develops a project about any real-world problem consisting of a decision-making process in the presence of multiple intangibles. At the same time, the algebraic fundamentals that make the process valid and consistent are clarified. The students showed great interest in the experience; and the results obtained confirmed that the activities helped them understand several complex concepts related to linear algebra, and fostered a significant interest in a subject traditionally considered frighteningly abstract. Finally, the students appreciated the stimulating insights provided by linear algebra that are crucial in decision-making. This multi-disciplinary experience enables the evaluation of several cross skills and competencies such as critical thinking and ethical leadership. (C) 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.Izquierdo Sebastián, J.; Benítez López, J.; Berenguer, A.; Lago-Alonso, C. (2016). I Decide, Therefore I Am (Relevant!): A Project-Based Learning Experience in Linear Algebra. Computer Applications in Engineering Education. 24(3):481-492. doi:10.1002/cae.21725S481492243Blumenfeld, P. C., Soloway, E., Marx, R. W., Krajcik, J. S., Guzdial, M., & Palincsar, A. (1991). Motivating Project-Based Learning: Sustaining the Doing, Supporting the Learning. Educational Psychologist, 26(3-4), 369-398. doi:10.1080/00461520.1991.9653139J. R. Savery 5 2015Loo, C. W., & Choy, J. L. F. (2013). Sources of Self-Efficacy Influencing Academic Performance of Engineering Students. American Journal of Educational Research, 1(3), 86-92. doi:10.12691/education-1-3-4L. C. ArchieH. Coffey http://www.learnnc.org/lp/pages/4753Citron, F. M. M., & Goldberg, A. E. (2014). Metaphorical Sentences Are More Emotionally Engaging than Their Literal Counterparts. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 26(11), 2585-2595. doi:10.1162/jocn_a_00654C. Telenko B. Camburn K. Hölttä-Otto K. Wood K. OttoLitzinger, T., Lattuca, L. R., Hadgraft, R., & Newstetter, W. (2011). Engineering Education and the Development of Expertise. Journal of Engineering Education, 100(1), 123-150. doi:10.1002/j.2168-9830.2011.tb00006.xM. Savin-Baden C. Howell 20042015 http://competencias.webs.upv.es/wp/Maltese, A. V., & Tai, R. H. (2011). Pipeline persistence: Examining the association of educational experiences with earned degrees in STEM among U.S. students. Science Education, 95(5), 877-907. doi:10.1002/sce.20441L. C. Wilcox M. S. WilcoxHOTALING, N., FASSE, B. B., BOST, L. F., HERMANN, C. D., & FOREST, C. R. (2012). A Quantitative Analysis of the Effects of a Multidisciplinary Engineering Capstone Design Course. Journal of Engineering Education, 101(4), 630-656. doi:10.1002/j.2168-9830.2012.tb01122.xSaaty, T. L. (1977). A scaling method for priorities in hierarchical structures. Journal of Mathematical Psychology, 15(3), 234-281. doi:10.1016/0022-2496(77)90033-52015 http://bie.org/about/why_pblBenítez, J., Delgado-Galván, X., Izquierdo, J., & Pérez-García, R. (2011). Achieving matrix consistency in AHP through linearization. Applied Mathematical Modelling, 35(9), 4449-4457. doi:10.1016/j.apm.2011.03.013Benítez, J., Delgado-Galván, X., Gutiérrez, J. A., & Izquierdo, J. (2011). Balancing consistency and expert judgment in AHP. Mathematical and Computer Modelling, 54(7-8), 1785-1790. doi:10.1016/j.mcm.2010.12.023Benítez, J., Izquierdo, J., Pérez-García, R., & Ramos-Martínez, E. (2014). A simple formula to find the closest consistent matrix to a reciprocal matrix. Applied Mathematical Modelling, 38(15-16), 3968-3974. doi:10.1016/j.apm.2014.01.007Elmer, F., Seifert, I., Kreibich, H., & Thieken, A. H. (2010). A Delphi Method Expert Survey to Derive Standards for Flood Damage Data Collection. Risk Analysis, 30(1), 107-124. doi:10.1111/j.1539-6924.2009.01325.xIsasi, P., Quintana, D., Saez, Y., & Mochon, A. (2007). APPLIED COMPUTATIONAL INTELLIGENCE FOR FINANCE AND ECONOMICS. Computational Intelligence, 23(2), 111-116. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8640.2007.00297.xBenítez, J., Delgado-Galván, X., Izquierdo, J., & Pérez-García, R. (2012). An approach to AHP decision in a dynamic context. Decision Support Systems, 53(3), 499-506. doi:10.1016/j.dss.2012.04.015Benítez, J., Delgado-Galván, X., Izquierdo, J., & Pérez-García, R. (2015). Consistent completion of incomplete judgments in decision making using AHP. Journal of Computational and Applied Mathematics, 290, 412-422. doi:10.1016/j.cam.2015.05.023Delgado-Galván, X., Izquierdo, J., Benítez, J., & Pérez-García, R. (2014). Joint stakeholder decision-making on the management of the Silao–Romita aquifer using AHP. Environmental Modelling & Software, 51, 310-322. doi:10.1016/j.envsoft.2013.10.008Burguillo, J. C. (2010). Using game theory and Competition-based Learning to stimulate student motivation and performance. Computers & Education, 55(2), 566-575. doi:10.1016/j.compedu.2010.02.018Halpern, D. F., & Hakel, M. D. (2003). Applying the Science of Learning to the University and Beyond: Teaching for Long-Term Retention and Transfer. Change: The Magazine of Higher Learning, 35(4), 36-41. doi:10.1080/00091380309604109Tauer, J. M., & Harackiewicz, J. M. (2004). The Effects of Cooperation and Competition on Intrinsic Motivation and Performance. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 86(6), 849-861. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.86.6.849M. L. Martinez G. Romero J. J. Marquez J. M. PerezSrdjevic, B. (2007). Linking analytic hierarchy process and social choice methods to support group decision-making in water management. Decision Support Systems, 42(4), 2261-2273. doi:10.1016/j.dss.2006.08.001Saaty, T. L. (2003). Decision-making with the AHP: Why is the principal eigenvector necessary. European Journal of Operational Research, 145(1), 85-91. doi:10.1016/s0377-2217(02)00227-8G. W. Stewart 2001J. Benítez X. Delgado-Galván J. Izquierdo R. Pérez-Garcí

Joint stakeholder decision-making on the management of the Silao-Romita aquifer using AHP

Over-exploitation and pollution have been identified as the main problems facing the Silao-Romita aquifer in Guanajuato, Mexico. The objective of this paper is to analyze the current situation, characterized by a clear lack of legislative enforcement, dispersion of competences, and scarcity of economic resources, in order to establish a new prioritization of action plans, and choose from among three specific management options. One of the main challenges when addressing these problems in a holistic manner is the conflicting viewpoints of the sectors involved. As each stakeholder has a different perception, there is a clear need for appropriate mechanisms to reach a consensus in decision-making. To achieve the objective, we use the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), because of its flexibility and the availability of mathematical axiomatic principles and techniques to obtain group preferences and priorities. In addition, we use several tools developed by the authors to obtain consistency, streamline the trade-off between stakeholder know-how and synthetic consistency, and consistently complete partial judgments given by some of the stakeholders. The problem of obtaining a consensus among the actors involved regarding criteria and alternatives is also considered. The obtained results are intended to serve as guidelines for conducting priority actions to help solve the general problem of the study area, and to identify the management model that best meets the needs of the aquifer, according to the actors involved. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.This work has been supported by project IDAWAS, DPI2009-11591 of the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation; with supplementary support from ACOMP/2011/188 of the education department of the Generalitat Valenciana. The first author wishes to thank CONACYT for the 10007-2011-01 scholarship program. The use of English in this paper was revised by John Rawlins.Delgado Galván, XV.; Izquierdo Sebastián, J.; Benítez López, J.; Pérez García, R. (2014). Joint stakeholder decision-making on the management of the Silao-Romita aquifer using AHP. Environmental Modelling & Software. 51:310-322. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsoft.2013.10.008S3103225

Incomplete pairwise comparative judgments: Recent developments and a proposed method

The current paper deals with incomplete Pairwise Comparisons (‘PWs’) when a large number of alternatives is evaluated. PWs are used to quantify decision maker's preferences, both ordinal and cardinal, in multi-criteria decision-making settings for eliciting the priorities of alternative options or weights of criteria. We use additive PWs with a different scale and show how 2-diagonal samples are used to deduce the implied weights thus prioritizing the alternatives. As a consequence, the number of PWs in incomplete judgment decision matrices is greatly reduced while preserving consistency and quality of the results. Computational results are provided and an example from the literature is applied to demonstrate the effectiveness of this method

Characterisation of the consistent completion of AHP comparison matrices using graph theory

[EN] Decision-making is frequently affected by uncertainty and/or incomplete information, which turn decision-making into a complex task. It is often the case that some of the actors involved in decision-making are not sufficiently familiar with all of the issues to make the appropriate decisions. In this paper, we are concerned about missing information. Specifically, we deal with the problem of consistently completing an analytic hierarchy process comparison matrix and make use of graph theory to characterize such a completion. The characterization includes the degree of freedom of the set of solutions and a linear manifold and, in particular, characterizes the uniqueness of the solution, a result already known in the literature, for which we provide a completely independent proof. Additionally, in the case of nonuniqueness, we reduce the problem to the solution of nonsingular linear systems. In addition to obtaining the priority vector, our investigation also focuses on building the complete pairwise comparison matrix, a crucial step in the necessary process (between synthetic consistency and personal judgement) with the experts. The performance of the obtained results is confirmed.Benítez López, J.; Carpitella, S.; Certa, A.; Izquierdo Sebastián, J. (2019). Characterisation of the consistent completion of AHP comparison matrices using graph theory. Journal of Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis. 26(1-2):3-15. https://doi.org/10.1002/mcda.1652S315261-2Benítez, J., Carrión, L., Izquierdo, J., & Pérez-García, R. (2014). Characterization of Consistent Completion of Reciprocal Comparison Matrices. Abstract and Applied Analysis, 2014, 1-12. doi:10.1155/2014/349729Benítez, J., Delgado-Galván, X., Gutiérrez, J. A., & Izquierdo, J. (2011). Balancing consistency and expert judgment in AHP. Mathematical and Computer Modelling, 54(7-8), 1785-1790. doi:10.1016/j.mcm.2010.12.023Benítez, J., Delgado-Galván, X., Izquierdo, J., & Pérez-García, R. (2011). Achieving matrix consistency in AHP through linearization. Applied Mathematical Modelling, 35(9), 4449-4457. doi:10.1016/j.apm.2011.03.013Benítez, J., Delgado-Galván, X., Izquierdo, J., & Pérez-García, R. (2015). Consistent completion of incomplete judgments in decision making using AHP. Journal of Computational and Applied Mathematics, 290, 412-422. doi:10.1016/j.cam.2015.05.023Benítez, J., Delgado-Galván, X., Izquierdo, J., & Pérez-García, R. (2012). Improving consistency in AHP decision-making processes. Applied Mathematics and Computation, 219(5), 2432-2441. doi:10.1016/j.amc.2012.08.079Benítez, J., Izquierdo, J., Pérez-García, R., & Ramos-Martínez, E. (2014). A simple formula to find the closest consistent matrix to a reciprocal matrix. 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A note on the analysis of subjective judgment matrices. Journal of Mathematical Psychology, 29(4), 387-405. doi:10.1016/0022-2496(85)90002-1Dong, M., Li, S., & Zhang, H. (2015). Approaches to group decision making with incomplete information based on power geometric operators and triangular fuzzy AHP. Expert Systems with Applications, 42(21), 7846-7857. doi:10.1016/j.eswa.2015.06.007Ergu, D., Kou, G., Peng, Y., Li, F., & Shi, Y. (2014). Data Consistency in Emergency Management. International Journal of Computers Communications & Control, 7(3), 450. doi:10.15837/ijccc.2012.3.1386Ergu, D., Kou, G., Peng, Y., & Zhang, M. (2016). Estimating the missing values for the incomplete decision matrix and consistency optimization in emergency management. Applied Mathematical Modelling, 40(1), 254-267. doi:10.1016/j.apm.2015.04.047Floricel, S., Michela, J. L., & Piperca, S. (2016). Complexity, uncertainty-reduction strategies, and project performance. 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Applied Mathematics and Computation, 290, 392-411. doi:10.1016/j.amc.2016.05.041Hsu, W.-K. K., Huang, S.-H. S., & Tseng, W.-J. (2016). Evaluating the risk of operational safety for dangerous goods in airfreights – A revised risk matrix based on fuzzy AHP. Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment, 48, 235-247. doi:10.1016/j.trd.2016.08.018Hua, Z., Gong, B., & Xu, X. (2008). A DS–AHP approach for multi-attribute decision making problem with incomplete information. Expert Systems with Applications, 34(3), 2221-2227. doi:10.1016/j.eswa.2007.02.021Karanik, M., Wanderer, L., Gomez-Ruiz, J. A., & Pelaez, J. I. (2016). Reconstruction methods for AHP pairwise matrices: How reliable are they? Applied Mathematics and Computation, 279, 103-124. doi:10.1016/j.amc.2016.01.008Kubler, S., Robert, J., Derigent, W., Voisin, A., & Le Traon, Y. (2016). A state-of the-art survey & testbed of fuzzy AHP (FAHP) applications. Expert Systems with Applications, 65, 398-422. doi:10.1016/j.eswa.2016.08.064Liu, S., Chan, F. T. S., & Ran, W. (2016). Decision making for the selection of cloud vendor: An improved approach under group decision-making with integrated weights and objective/subjective attributes. Expert Systems with Applications, 55, 37-47. doi:10.1016/j.eswa.2016.01.059Lolli, F., Ishizaka, A., Gamberini, R., & Rimini, B. (2017). A multicriteria framework for inventory classification and control with application to intermittent demand. Journal of Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis, 24(5-6), 275-285. doi:10.1002/mcda.1620Massanet, S., Vicente Riera, J., Torrens, J., & Herrera-Viedma, E. (2016). A model based on subjective linguistic preference relations for group decision making problems. Information Sciences, 355-356, 249-264. doi:10.1016/j.ins.2016.03.040Ortiz-Barrios, M. A., Aleman-Romero, B. A., Rebolledo-Rudas, J., Maldonado-Mestre, H., Montes-Villa, L., De Felice, F., & Petrillo, A. (2017). The analytic decision-making preference model to evaluate the disaster readiness in emergency departments: The A.D.T. model. Journal of Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis, 24(5-6), 204-226. doi:10.1002/mcda.1629Pandey, A., & Kumar, A. (2016). A note on ‘‘Applying fuzzy linguistic preference relations to the improvement of consistency of fuzzy AHP”. Information Sciences, 346-347, 1-5. doi:10.1016/j.ins.2016.01.054Qazi, A., Quigley, J., Dickson, A., & Kirytopoulos, K. (2016). Project Complexity and Risk Management (ProCRiM): Towards modelling project complexity driven risk paths in construction projects. International Journal of Project Management, 34(7), 1183-1198. doi:10.1016/j.ijproman.2016.05.008Saaty, T. L. (1977). A scaling method for priorities in hierarchical structures. Journal of Mathematical Psychology, 15(3), 234-281. doi:10.1016/0022-2496(77)90033-5Saaty, T. L. (2008). Relative measurement and its generalization in decision making why pairwise comparisons are central in mathematics for the measurement of intangible factors the analytic hierarchy/network process. Revista de la Real Academia de Ciencias Exactas, Fisicas y Naturales. Serie A. Matematicas, 102(2), 251-318. doi:10.1007/bf03191825Seiti, H., Tagipour, R., Hafezalkotob, A., & Asgari, F. (2017). Maintenance strategy selection with risky evaluations using RAHP. Journal of Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis, 24(5-6), 257-274. doi:10.1002/mcda.1618Shiraishi, S., Obata, T., & Daigo, M. (1998). PROPERTIES OF A POSITIVE RECIPROCAL MATRIX AND THEIR APPLICATION TO AHP. Journal of the Operations Research Society of Japan, 41(3), 404-414. doi:10.15807/jorsj.41.404Srdjevic, B., Srdjevic, Z., & Blagojevic, B. (2014). First-Level Transitivity Rule Method for Filling in Incomplete Pair-Wise Comparison Matrices in the Analytic Hierarchy Process. 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Aplicación del método de las jerarquías analíticas para la toma de decisiones participativa en la gestión de fugas en redes de abastecimiento de agua

[ES] Adoptar un enfoque proactivo en la toma de decisiones es fundamental en las políticas de control de fugas de un abastecimiento de agua urbana. Cada vez es más importante que intervengan todas las partes implicadas. El objetivo de esta tesis es el establecimiento de técnicas de agregación de juicios para alcanzar el consenso de grupos de actores. (español)[EN] Adoption of a proactive approach in decision-making is essential in leak control policies by urban water supply companies.It is increasingly important to involve all stakeholders. The aim of this work is the establishment of some aggregation techniques to reach consensus judgments of groups of actors.Carrión Sánchez, L. (2013). Aplicación del método de las jerarquías analíticas para la toma de decisiones participativa en la gestión de fugas en redes de abastecimiento de agua. http://hdl.handle.net/10251/37969Archivo delegad

Constructors' Decision-Support Framework for NZEB Projects

Efficient construction project management is crucial to project success. As the construction industry changes, constructors find themselves confronted by new issues and must undertake roles that have not traditionally been part of their responsibility. This change in roles requires their traditional responsibilities to be supplemented with non-engineering knowledge and skills to meet today's professional demands. While many studies have examined competency for effective project management, few have done so in the context of NetZero Energy Building (NZEB) construction. Achieving NZEB is a complex process. The decisions made in the early stages of a project impacts its outcomes most in meeting NetZero energy (NZE) goals, which requires knowledge sharing of NZEB constructors in a collaborative work environment. So, the decision-making process and the delivery of the completed project should be integrated, and crucial for NZEBs in achieving the NZE goals. Another important aspect for NZEB projects is the successful integration of Building Information Modeling (BIM) and Building Performance Simulation (BPS) tools, which aid the constructors in selecting optimal solutions from a set of available alternatives. Therefore, this study primarily aimed to determine the critical knowledge areas and skills that are necessary to respond to NZEB construction challenges. Through a survey and follow up interviews with NZEB constructors, this study identified the knowledge and skills base for constructors to be competitive and to effectively execute NZEB projects. Results from this study revealed that the most important challenges were workers’ unawareness of the correct methods and procedures, reluctance to change from traditional practices, and lack of the technical skill regarding Green/NZEB technologies. The most important knowledge areas were communication management, schedule management and planning, and cost management. The most important skills required to mitigate the challenges were teamwork, leadership, and problem-solving skills. In addition, this study summarized attitudes of the participants regarding the relative importance of the various mechanisms for professional development. The contribution of on the job site experience was rated higher than that of formal industry training provided by employers. The contribution of academic education to the competency of NZEB constructors was rated lower than that of industry training. For BIM implementation, industry’s resistance to change from traditional working practices, inadequate in-depth expertise and know-how to operate sustainability related analysis software program, and high initial investment in staff training costs were the top challenges. Accuracy, intelligence, and usability were the important features for BPS tools. This study is expected to be beneficial for the constructors’ decision making in NZEB project context. Construction educators are also expected to benefit from this study in developing their academic curriculum with a goal to meet the industry need

Multi-criteria decision methods to support the maintenance management of complex systems

[ES] Esta tesis doctoral propone el uso de métodos de toma de decisiones multi-criterio (MCDM, por sus iniciales en inglés) como herramienta estratégica para apoyar la gestión del mantenimiento de sistemas complejos. El desarrollo de esta tesis doctoral se enmarca dentro de un acuerdo de cotutela entre la Università degli Studi di Palermo (UNIPA) y la Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV), dentro de sus respectivos programas de doctorado en 'Ingeniería de Innovación Tecnológica' y 'Matemáticas'. Estos programas están estrechamente vinculados a través del tópico MCDM, ya que proporciona herramientas cruciales para gestionar el mantenimiento de sistemas complejos reales utilizando análisis matemáticos serios. El propósito de esta sinergia es tener en cuenta de forma sólida la incertidumbre al atribuir evaluaciones subjetivas, recopilar y sintetizar juicios atribuidos por varios responsables de la toma de decisiones, y tratar con conjuntos grandes de esos elementos. El tema principal del presente trabajo de doctorado es el gestionamiento de las actividades de mantenimiento para aumentar los niveles de innovación tecnológica y el rendimiento de los sistemas complejos. Cualquier sistema puede ser considerado objeto de estudio, incluidos los sistemas de producción y los de prestación de servicios, entre otros, mediante la evaluación de sus contextos reales. Esta tesis doctoral propone afrontar la gestión del mantenimiento a través del desarrollo de tres líneas principales de investigación estrechamente vinculadas. ¿ La primera es el núcleo, e ilustra la mayoría de los aspectos metodológicos de la tesis. Se refiere al uso de métodos MCDM para apoyar decisiones estratégicas de mantenimiento, y para hacer frente a la incertidumbre que afecta a los datos/evaluaciones, incluso cuando están involucrados varios responsables (expertos en mantenimiento) en la toma de decisiones. ¿ La segunda línea desarrolla análisis de fiabilidad para sistemas complejos reales (también en términos de fiabilidad humana) sobre cuya base se debe implementar cualquier actividad de mantenimiento. Estos análisis consideran la configuración de fiabilidad de los componentes del sistema en estudio y las características específicas del entorno operativo. ¿ La tercera línea de investigación aborda aspectos metodológicos importantes de la gestión de mantenimiento y enfatiza la necesidad de monitorizar el funcionamiento de las actividades de mantenimiento y de evaluar su efectividad utilizando indicadores adecuados. Se ha elaborado una amplia gama de casos de estudio del mundo real para evaluar la eficacia de los métodos MCDM en el mantenimiento y así probar la utilidad del enfoque propuesto.[CA] Aquesta tesi doctoral proposa l'ús de mètodes de presa de decisions multi-criteri (MCDM, per les seves inicials en anglès) com a eina estratègica per donar suport a la gestió del manteniment de sistemes complexos. El desenvolupament d'aquesta tesi doctoral s'emmarca dins d'un acord de cotutela entre la Università degli Studi di Palermo (UNIPA) i la Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV), dins dels seus respectius programes de doctorat en 'Enginyeria d'Innovació Tecnològica' i ' Matemàtiques '. Aquests programes estan estretament vinculats a través del tòpic MCDM, ja que proporciona eines crucials per gestionar el manteniment de sistemes complexos reals utilitzant anàlisis matemàtics profunds. El propòsit d'aquesta sinergia és tenir en compte de forma sòlida la incertesa en atribuir avaluacions subjectius, recopilar i sintetitzar judicis atribuïts per diversos responsables de la presa de decisions, i tractar amb conjunts grans d'aquests elements en els problemes plantejats. El tema principal del present treball de doctorat es la gestió de les activitats de manteniment per augmentar els nivells d'innovació tecnològica i el rendiment dels sistemes complexos. Qualsevol sistema pot ser considerat objecte d'estudi, inclosos els sistemes de producció i els de prestació de serveis, entre d'altres, mitjançant l'avaluació dels seus contextos reals. Aquesta tesi doctoral proposa afrontar la gestió del manteniment mitjançant el desenvolupament de tres línies principals d'investigació estretament vinculades. ¿ La primera és el nucli, i il·lustra la majoria dels aspectes metodològics de la tesi. Es refereix a l'ús de mètodes MCDM per donar suport a decisions estratègiques de manteniment, i per fer front a la incertesa que afecta les dades/avaluacions, fins i tot quan estan involucrats diversos responsables (experts en manteniment) en la presa de decisions. ¿ La segona línia desenvolupa anàlisis de fiabilitat per a sistemes complexos reals (també en termes de fiabilitat humana) sobre la qual base s'ha d'implementar qualsevol activitat de manteniment. Aquestes anàlisis consideren la configuració de fiabilitat dels components del sistema en estudi i les característiques específiques de l'entorn operatiu. ¿ La tercera línia d'investigació aborda aspectes metodològics importants de la gestió de manteniment i emfatitza la necessitat de monitoritzar el funcionament de les activitats de manteniment i d'avaluar la seva efectivitat utilitzant indicadors adequats. S'ha elaborat una àmplia gamma de casos d'estudi del món real per avaluar l'eficàcia dels mètodes MCDM en el manteniment i així provar la utilitat de l'enfocament proposat.[EN] This doctoral thesis proposes using multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) methods as a strategic tool to support maintenance management of complex systems. The development of this doctoral thesis is framed within a cotutelle (co-tutoring) agreement between the Università degli Studi di Palermo (UNIPA) and the Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV), within their respective programmes of doctorates in 'Technological Innovation Engineering' and 'Mathematics'. Regarding this thesis, these programmes are closely linked through the topic of MCDM, providing crucial tools to manage maintenance of real complex systems by applying in-depth mathematical analyses. The purpose of this connection is to robustly take into account uncertainty in attributing subjective evaluations, collecting and synthetizing judgments attributed by various decision makers, and dealing with large sets of elements characterising the faced issue. The main topic of the present doctoral work is the management of maintenance activities to increase the levels of technological innovation and performance of the analysed complex systems. All kinds of systems can be considered as objects of study, including production systems and service delivery systems, among others, by evaluating their real contexts. Thus, this doctoral thesis proposes facing maintenance management through the development of three tightly linked main research lines. ¿ The first is the core and illustrates most of the methodological aspects of the thesis. It refers to the use of MCDM methods for supporting strategic maintenance decisions, and dealing with uncertainty affecting data/evaluations even when several decision makers are involved (experts in maintenance). ¿ The second line develops reliability analyses for real complex systems (also in terms of human reliability analysis) on the basis of which any maintenance activity must be implemented. These analyses are approached by considering the reliability configuration of both the components belonging to the system under study and the specific features of the operational environment. ¿ The third research line focuses on important methodological aspects to support maintenance management, and emphasises the need to monitor the performance of maintenance activities and evaluate their effectiveness using suitable indicators. A wide range of real real-world case studies has been faced to evaluate the effectiveness of MCDM methods in maintenance and then prove the usefulness of the proposed approach.Carpitella, S. (2019). Multi-criteria decision methods to support the maintenance management of complex systems [Tesis doctoral no publicada]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/11911

Sectorización de redes de abastecimiento de agua potable basada en detección de comunidades en redes sociales y optimización heurística

The partition of Water Supply Networks (WSNs) into sectors can be considered as a management strategy that entails its subdivision into homogeneous subgroups. This subdivision aims to enhance the management in each sub-area (sector) carried out by permanently monitoring the inlet flows of each sector This thesis presents a series of innovative sectorization methodologies where the sectors are previously defined by means of social networks community detection algorithms. In a second step, the arrangement boundary valves/sector entrance is optimized based upon optimization heuristic techniques. Such techniques include the benefits of sectorization in terms of both, leakage reduction, as a result of reducing pressure, and increasing the capacity to detect new leakage events. To tackle the later, the Monte Carlo technique is used to simulate the occurrence of new leakage events. WSNs subdivision strategies, must take into account their network topology. In networks dependent on a main conduction network, also called trunk network, any sectorization strategy should avoid closure of its pipes in order to preserve the reliability of the system. The herein proposed trunk network identification method, is based on the concept of Shortest Path from the graph theory, in combination with an analysis of the flows (and their directions) circulating through the network in the pick-demand scenario. As a result, the pipes are graded, and the range of pipes belonging to the trunk network can be selected. Once the trunk network is identified, it is isolated from the distribution network and sectors are defined on the later, based on three social network based community detection algorithms, namely: Hierarchical Clustering, Multilevel Detection Algorithm or Louvaine Method and Random Walk community detection. After defining the area corresponding to each sector, the arrangement entrance / boundary valves must be established. To this end, heuristic-based optimization algorithms (Genetic Algorithms, Particle Swarm Optimization and Agent Swarm Optimization) are implemented. The first procedure not only takes into account the benefit of sectorization in terms of reduction of flows associated with background leakage as a result of reducing pressure, but also considers other effects of great relevance. This leads to a more realistic cost-benefit analysis than the one that could be carried out if only the reduction of background leakage flows was considered. In the second method, multilevel optimization is implemented to optimize the arrangement of boundary valves / sector entrance, in the first level, and to determine the set point of pressure reducing valves located at the entrance of each sector, in the second level. In the third optimization method, only the boundary valves/sector entrance arrangement is optimized based on an economic analysis that does not take into account the effect on the occurrence of new leakages. For the application of the proposed methodologies, it is mandatory to count on an appropriately calibrated hydraulic model. Thus, a WSN calibration method which considers emitter coefficients at the nodes was developed. For exemplification purposes, the proposed methodologies are implemented on a section of the WSN of Managua city, capital of Nicaragua. As a result of the implementation, a net profit of 104,764 $ (American dollars)/year is reported.La sectorización de las Redes de Abastecimiento de Agua Potable (RDAPs) se puede considerar como una estrategia de gestión que implica su subdivisión en subgrupos homogéneos a fin poder gestionar de mejor manera cada sub-área (sector) mediante el monitoreo permanente de los caudales que ingresan a cada sector. En esta tesis se plantea una serie de metodologías de sectorización innovadoras en que primero se definen los sectores basados en algoritmos de detección de comunidades en grafos de redes sociales. En un segundo paso, se optimiza el conjunto de entradas y válvulas de cierre (CEVC) de cada sector utilizando técnicas heurísticas de optimización. En dicha optimización se incluyen los beneficios de la sectorización en términos de reducción de fugas producto de la reducción de presión y de la capacidad aumentada para detectar nuevos eventos de fugas. Para el abordaje del segundo aspecto se hace uso de la técnica de Monte Carlo para representar eventos de fugas en cada sector basados en una distribución de probabilidades dada. Las estrategias empleadas para subdividir RDAPs deben tener en cuenta la topología de las mismas. En redes dependientes de una red de conducción principal, cualquier estrategia de sectorización que se plantee deberá evitar cierres en la misma, a fin de preservar la fiabilidad del sistema. Es por esta razón que dentro de las metodologías que se plantean en este trabajo, se lleva a cabo un proceso de identificación y segregación de la red de conducción principal. El método de identificación de la red troncal propuesto en este trabajo se basa en el concepto de Caminos más Cortos, propio de la teoría de grafos, en combinación con un análisis de los caudales (y direcciones de los mismos) que circulan por la red en el escenario de mayor demanda. Como resultado, se obtiene un ranking de tuberías, a partir del cual se puede seleccionar el alcance de la red de conducción principal. Una vez identificada la red troncal, la misma se aísla de la red distribución y, sobre esta última, se definen los sectores utilizando tres algoritmos de detección de comunidades en redes sociales: Clústering Jerárquico, Algoritmo de Detección Multinivel y Detección de Comunidades a través de Caminos Aleatorios. Tras definir el área que corresponde a cada sector, se debe establecer el conjunto de válvulas cerradas y el punto de abastecimiento del sector. Para tal fin, se implementan procedimientos de optimización basados en los algoritmos de optimización heurística: Algoritmos Genéticos (Genetic Algorithms), Optimización de Enjambres de Partículas (Particle Swarm Optimization) y Optimización de Enjambres de Agentes (Agent Swarm Optimization). En el primer procedimiento, no sólo se toma en cuenta el beneficio de la sectorización en términos de reducción de caudales asociados a fugas de fondo, como consecuencia de reducir la presión, sino que también se tienen en cuenta otros efectos de gran relevancia. Esto permite que el análisis coste/beneficio de la sectorización sea más realista que el que se podría realizar si sólo se tuviera en cuenta la reducción de caudales de fugas de fondo. En el segundo método se emplea optimización multinivel para, además de optimizar el conjunto de válvulas cerradas/entrada de sectores, determinar el punto de ajuste de válvulas reductoras de presión en la entrada de los sectores. En el tercer método de optimización sólo se optimiza el CEVC mediante un análisis económico que no tiene en cuenta el efecto sobre la aparición de nuevas fugas. Para la aplicación de las metodologías propuestas es importante contar con un modelo hidráulico correctamente calibrado. Para ello, se desarrolló un método de calibración de RDAPs que tiene en cuenta los coeficientes de emisor en los nodos. Las metodologías propuestas se implementan sobre una sección de la RDAP de la ciudad de Managua, Nicaragua. Como resultado de la implemeLa sectorització de les Xarxes d'Abastament d'Aigua Potable (XAAPs) es pot considerar com una estratègia de gestió que implica la seva subdivisió en subgrups homogenis. Aquesta subdivisió té com a finalitat poder gestionar de millor manera en cada subàrea (sector) aspectes com ara: fuites, reparacions, aspectes de qualitat, entre d'altres, mitjançant el monitoratge permanent dels cabals que ingressen a cada sector. En aquesta tesi es planteja una sèrie de metodologies de sectorització innovadores en que primer es defineixen els sectors basats en algoritmes de detecció de comunitats en grafs de xarxes socials. En un segon pas, s'optimitza el conjunt d'entrades i vàlvules de tancament (CEVT) de cada sector utilitzant tècniques heurístiques d'optimització. En aquesta optimització s'inclouen els beneficis de la sectorització en termes de reducció de fuites producte de la reducció de pressió i de la capacitat augmentada per detectar nous esdeveniments de fuites. Per l'abordatge del segon aspecte es fa ús de la tècnica de Monte Carlo per representar esdeveniments de fuites en cada sector basats en una distribució de probabilitats donada. Les estratègies emprades per subdividir XAAPs han de tenir en compte la topologia de les mateixes. En xarxa depenent d'una xarxa de conducció principal o xarxa troncal (d'aquest punt en endavant els termes són intercanviables), qualsevol estratègia de sectorització que es plantegi d'evitar tancaments en la mateixa, a fi de preservar la fiabilitat del sistema. El mètode d'identificació de la xarxa troncal proposat en aquest treball es basa en el concepte de camins més curts, propi de la teoria de grafs, en combinació amb una anàlisi dels cabals (i direccions dels mateixos) que circulen per la xarxa en l'escenari de major demanda. Com a resultat, s'obté un rànquing de canonades, a partir del qual es pot seleccionar l'abast de la xarxa de conducció principal. Una vegada identificada la xarxa troncal, la mateixa s'aïlla de la xarxa de distribució i, a aquesta última, es defineixen els sectors utilitzant tres algoritmes de detecció de comunitats en xarxes socials: Clustering jeràrquic, Algorisme de Detecció Multinivell o Mètode Louvain i Detecció de Comunitats a través de Camins Aleatoris. Després de definir l'àrea que correspon a cada sector, s'ha d'establir el conjunt de vàlvules tancades i el punt d'abastament del sector. Per a tal fi, s'implementen procediments d'optimització basats en els algoritmes d'optimització heurística: Algorismes Genètics (Genetic Algorithms), Optimització de Eixams de Partícules (Particle Swarm Optimization) i Optimització de Eixams d'Agents (Agent Swarm Optimization). En el primer procediment, no només es té en compte el benefici de la sectorització en termes de reducció de cabals associats a fuites de fons, com a conseqüència de reduir la pressió, sinó que també es tenen en compte altres efectes de gran rellevància. Això permet que l'anàlisi cost / benefici de la sectorització sigui més realista que el que es podria fer si només es tingués en compte la reducció de cabals de fuites de fons. En el segon mètode s'empra optimització multinivell per, a més d'optimitzar el conjunt de vàlvules tancades / entrada de sectors, determinar el punt d'ajust de vàlvules reductores de pressió a l'entrada dels sectors. En el tercer mètode d'optimització només s'optimitza el CEVT mitjançant una anàlisi econòmica que no té en compte l'efecte sobre l'aparició de noves fuites. Per a l'aplicació de les metodologies proposades és important comptar amb un model hidràulic correctament calibrat. Per a això, es va desenvolupar un mètode de calibratge de XAAPs que té en compte els coeficients d'emissor en els nodes. Per a fins d'exemplificació, les metodologies proposades s'implementen sobre una secció de la XAAP de la ciutat de Managua, Nicaragua. Com a resultat de la implementació es reportaCampbell Gonzalez, E. (2017). Sectorización de redes de abastecimiento de agua potable basada en detección de comunidades en redes sociales y optimización heurística [Tesis doctoral]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/86206TESISPremios Extraordinarios de tesis doctorale