A Strategy for Using Multicriteria Analysis in Decision-Making A Gui

This book develops a complete strategy for decision-making, with the full participation of the decision-maker and utilizing continuous feedback. It introduces the use of the very well-known and proven methodology, linear programming, but specially adapted

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Nolberto Munier

A Strategy for Using Multicriteria Analysis in Decision-Making A Guide for Simple and Complex Environmental Projects

Nolberto Munier Carrer Poeta Josep Cervera i Grifol 14 - 33 46013 Valencia Spain [email protected]

ISBN 978-94-007-1511-0 e-ISBN 978-94-007-1512-7 DOI 10.1007/978-94-007-1512-7 Springer Dordrecht Heidelberg London New York Library of Congress Control Number: 2011933229 © Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2011 No part of this work may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, microfilming, recording or otherwise, without written permission from the Publisher, with the exception of any material supplied specifically for the purpose of being entered and executed on a computer system, for exclusive use by the purchaser of the work. Cover image: © 2011 JupiterImages Corporation Printed on acid-free paper Springer is part of Springer Science+Business Media (www.springer.com)

Preface

First of all, it is necessary to point out that this is not a mathematical book, albeit obviously the subject of decision-making rests a good deal on this discipline, since it is almost impossible to take decisions without the help of some indicators, ratios, weights, procedures, algorithms, etc. which are in essence mathematical concepts. However, bien entendu, it is the Decision Maker (DM) who takes a decision, not a mathematical model, no matter how elaborate or sophisticated it could be. Once this is clarified, perhaps the reader asks what the purpose of this book is then. It aims at giving the DM the information he/she needs to collect the necessary data; to analyze that intelligence and facts, to process them, and to extract valid conclusions. However, because usually the decision-making process is a complex task, with large amounts of information, it is extremely difficult or even impossible to take a rational decision, due to the number of intervening variables, their interre­ lationships, potential solutions that might exist, diverse objectives envisioned for a project, etc.; therefore some help is called for, and some strategy is required to organize, classify, and evaluate this information. The strategy includes methods to analyze the results and to get help from them. This book aims precisely at developing such strategy. Help comes in the form of computerized models or methodologies which not only take the burden off normally tedious calculations (which also offer the opportunity for many mistakes), but, which is more important, are designed to obtain coherent responses based on a rational analysis, on the grounds of a series of principles and algorithms particular to each method. The DM may or may not accept the result yielded by such models, whatever they might be and whatsoever the reasons, but they offer an outcome which could be analyzed by the DM, adding or deleting concepts, alternatives, criteria, etc., and from this point of view this book tries to be a guide or road map. This work reviews the m