Towards multi-criteria cloud service selection

Cloud computing despite being in an early stage of adoption is becoming a popular choice for businesses to replace in-house IT infrastructure due to its technological advantages such as elastic computing and cost benefits resulting from pay-as-you-go pricing and economy of scale. These factors have led to a rapid increase in both the number of cloud vendors and services on offer. Given that cloud services could be characterized using multiple criteria (cost, pricing policy, performance etc.) it is important to have a methodology for selecting cloud services based on multiple criteria. Additionally, the end user requirements might map to different criteria of the cloud services. This diversity in services and the number of available options have complicated the process of service and vendor selection for prospective cloud users and there is a need for a comprehensive methodology for cloud service selection. The existing research literature in cloud service selection is mostly concerned with comparison between similar services based on cost or performance benchmarks. In this paper we discuss and formalize the issue of cloud service selection in general and propose a multi-criteria cloud service selection methodology

Lansiranje delovnih nalogov v proizvodnjo lesnega podjetja z metodo večkriterijskega odločanja

Quality information is crucial for planning and running of production in wood industry companies. Information of crucial importance is the following: quality in the production process according to work orders and types of product, the information on the missing materials i.e. constituent parts according to projects i.e. work orders and the information on launching work orders into production. The method of multi-criteria decision-making was used for determining the order of launching group products into production. We studied three main criteria: market factors, organisation-production factors and economic factors. For computer support, we chose the computer programme DEXi, which represents the framework of the expert system for multi-criteria decision-making.Za planiranje in vodenje proizvodnje v lesnih podjetjih so ključne kakovostne informacije. Zelo pomembne so informacije o kakovosti v proizvodnem procesu glede na delovne naloge in vrste izdelkov, informacije o manjkajočih vrstah materialov oz. sestavnih delov glede na projekte oz. delovne naloge ter informacije o lansiranju delovnih nalogov v proizvodnjo. Metoda večkriterijskega odločanja nam je služila za določitev vrstnega reda lansiranja družin izdelkov v proizvodnjo. Proučevali smo tri glavne kriterije:trženjske dejavnike, organizacijsko-proizvodne dejavnike in ekonomske dejavnike. Za računalniško podporo smo izbrali programsko orodje DEXi, ki predstavlja lupino ekspertnega sistema za večkriterijsko odločanje

Structuring AHP-based maintenance policy selection

We aim to structure the maintenance policy selection process for ships, using the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). Maintenance is an important contributor to reach the intended life-time of capital technical assets, and it is gaining increasing interest and relevance. A maintenance policy is a policy that dictates which parameter triggers a maintenance action and it appears that selecting the right maintenance policy is a difficult group decision. To investigate maintenance policy selection (MPS), we use an eight stage method to structure the multiple criteria decision making process, and build on previous research to propose a refined decision hierarchy, aiming for a structured abstraction of MPS to reveal the core of the MPS problem. After a preliminary MPS session, this decision hierarchy is applied at a multi-company MPS session, where a group of companies from the same maintenance chain is present. We conclude that the chosen methodology, using our previous results as a starting point, greatly improves the workability of the decision hierarchy. Also, it turns out that discussing the exact meanings of the criteria plays a crucial role in the group decision process

A process based approach software certification model for agile and secure environment

In today’s business environment, Agile and secure software processes are essential since they bring high quality and secured software to market faster and more cost effectively. Unfortunately, some software practitioners are not following the proper practices of both processes when developing software. There exist various studies which assess the quality of software process; nevertheless, their focus is on the conventional software process. Furthermore, they do not consider weight values in the assessment although each evaluation criterion might have different importance. Consequently, software certification is needed to give conformance on the quality of Agile and secure software processes. Therefore, the objective of this thesis is to propose Extended Software Process Assessment and Certification Model (ESPAC) which addresses both software processes and considers the weight values during the assessment. The study is conducted in four phases: 1) theoretical study to examine the factors and practices that influence the quality of Agile and secure software processes and weight value allocation techniques, 2) an exploratory study which was participated by 114 software practitioners to investigate their current practices, 3) development of an enhanced software process certification model which considers process, people, technology, project constraint and environment, provides certification guideline and utilizes the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) for weight values allocation and 4) verification of Agile and secure software processes and AHP through expert reviews followed by validation on satisfaction and practicality of the proposed model through focus group discussion. The validation result shows that ESPAC Model gained software practitioners’ satisfaction and practical to be executed in the real environment. The contributions of this study straddle research perspectives of Software Process Assessment and Certification and Multiple Criteria Decision Making, and practical perspectives by providing software practitioners and assessors a mechanism to reveal the quality of software process and helps investors and customers in making investment decisions

A TreeSoft Set with Interval Valued Neutrosophic Set in the era of Industry 4.0

The introduction of Industry 4.0 has brought about a significant shift in the manufacturing and supply chain management sectors, requiring supplier selection procedures to be adjusted to this rapidly changing technical environment. This study aims to improve supplier selection in Industry 4.0. This selection contains various criteria, so multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) is used to deal with these criteria. The interval-valued neutrosophic sets (IVNSs) are used to deal with uncertainty in the evaluation process. The IVNSs are integrated with the TreeSoft Set. The TOPSIS method is an MCDM method used to rank the alternatives. The results show that the economic criterion is the most important, and supplier 7 is the best

An Evaluation of Energy and Economic Efficiency in Residential Buildings Sector: A Multi-criteria Analisys on an Italian Case Study

The aim of the paper is to evaluate by means of a multi-criteria analysis (Multi Criteria Decision Making - MCDM) the multiplicity of measures regarding energy efficiency and reduction in consumption of fossil fuels, with relative implementation of integrated renewable energy sources, for planning and renovation of single family residential buildings. The work analize the energy (thermal, electrical) consumed by a building of this type (an Italian case study), and, for the choice of the best technology to adopt for environmental heating (hot sanitary water and cooling), a MCDM model was used, which, in addition to economic evaluation, incorporates too energy efficiency, the reduction of CO2 emissions, the ease of procurement of raw material and the governative incentives available. Our results underline that the best solution concerns the installation of solar thermal panels combined with the heat pump. Keywords: energy efficiency, economic evaluation, residential buildings JEL Classifications: Q410, Q420, L94

Climate change risk management for the sustainable development of the historic city: from the material to the territory

191 p.La ciencia de la conservación del patrimonio histórico se caracteriza por la amplia y articulada variedad de disciplinas que la componen. Sin embargo, no siempre existe una visión integral del sistema cultural capaz de identificar las acciones y estrategias para preservar, tutelar y valorizar el patrimonio, considerando la evolución de la sociedad contemporánea y del medioambiente.El trabajo de investigación propuesto se basa en una aproximación proactiva y conceptual de la conservación, cuyo objetivo es reducir al mínimo la perdida de los bienes culturales, a través de un estudio de vulnerabilidad para prevenir, mitigar y controlar los factores de riesgos y minimizar sus efectos en el patrimonio. La complejidad de algunos conjuntos, como son los centros históricos requieren el uso de métodos de trabajos sistemáticos y herramientas de gestión adaptables a las particularidades de cada lugar. El acercamiento metodológico para la evaluación de riesgos en las ciudades históricas se basa en estrategias de planificación tanto a nivel de edificio como de su entorno, combinando, de forma integral y holística, conocimientos de mitigación de desastres naturales, adaptación al cambio climático, conservación del patrimonio, gestión de la información y toma de decisión, como proceso sostenible para el desarrollo de la ciudad histórica, objetivo último de la presente investigación.Tecnalia Politecnico Milano 1863

Methods to inform the development of concise objectives hierarchies in multi-criteria decision analysis

Building a well-structured objectives hierarchy is central to multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA). However, in the absence of a systematic methodology to support the process, this task has been described as “more art than science”. Objectives hierarchies often tend to become large and constraining the size of a hierarchy can be challenging. This paper proposes and illustrates the use of a set of methods to support the simplification of the hierarchies in contexts that are “datarich” and characterised by many objectives. The aim of using the proposed approach is to support decision analysts in developing an appropriately concise decision model for the further interactions with the stakeholders. Using data from two completed environmental cases we show retrospectively how qualitative (means-ends networks), semiquantitative (relevancyanalysis) and quantitative (correlation analysis, principal component analysis, local sensitivity analysis of weights) methods, used alone or in combination, can inform hierarchy development. We evaluate the potential benefits and challenges of each method and discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the simplification of an objectives hierarchy. Questionnaire-based relevancy analysis can be a useful method to identify and communicate important objectives in the early phases of an MCDA process with stakeholders, while correlation analysis can help to identify overlapping objectives, particularly in cases having many objectives and alternatives. It is intended that the methods support a facilitator in developing a clear understanding of the problem and also prompt deeper thinking about and discussion of the appropriate structure and content of an objectives hierarchy with the stakeholders involved