DEFINITE a DEcision support system for a FINITE set of alternatives
description
Transcript of DEFINITE a DEcision support system for a FINITE set of alternatives
1
DEFINITEa DEcision support system for a FINITE set of alternatives
Marjan van Herwijnen Institute for Environmental Studies
Vrije Universiteit - Amsterdam
June 14, 2006
2
Outline
• The DSS DEFINITE• Highway 73-South• A journey to Paris • Conclusions
3
What type of problems does DEFINITE support?
• DEcisions on a FINITE set of alternatives• Decisions with multiple objectives • This type of problems are common in almost every
private or public decision context:– Choosing the means of transport to the office;– Selecting the best candidate for a job vacancy;– Constructing a new airport; and of course …– Selecting the best alternative to solve the problem
in the Vecht area.
4
What does DEFINITE support?
Problemdefinition
Standardization
Weights
Ranking
Sensitivity analysis
Presentation
5
6
What does DEFINITE support?
• From problem definition to report generation• This structure fits with the general decision
process;• The structured approach ensures that the
decisions arrived at are systematic and consistent;• Five case studies are included each showing a
specific topic of the system.
7
What types of methods are incorporated in DEFINITE?
• Toolbox of methods:– Graphical methods to support representation,– Methods for weight assessment, – Multi-criteria methods,– Cost-benefit analysis,– Graphical evaluation methods,– Methods for sensitivity analysis on the results of
MCA and CBA.
8
History of DEFINITE (1)
• Commissioned by the Ministry of Finance;• The first version, DEFINITE for MSDOS, appeared
in 1994;• A wide range of users:
– ministries, provinces, public bodies and a number of larger cities;
– consultancy and engineering firms;– universities and other schools of higher education
for teaching purposes.
9
History of DEFINITE (2)
• The second edition, DEFINITE for Windows, appeared in 2001;
• Experiences of all previous users are included;• Better graphics are included;• New developments from the MCA field are
included;• Standard Windows structures are used.
10
Highway 73-south
• Problem: An area has problems with its living environment, accessibility and economic growth.
• Question: What is the best way to solve these problems?
11
12
13
14
Highway 73-south: Presentation of results
• Criteria tree;• Relative contribution of the criterion groups;• Ranking according to various perspectives;
15
Demo DEFINITE
16
A journey to Paris
• ‘Problem’: A couple wants to celebrate its 1st anniversary in Paris
• Question: What is the best way to travel?
17
18
A journey to Paris: From problem definition to report generation
• Problem definition• Multi-criteria analysis• Sensitivity analysis
19
Conclusions
• MCA makes the decision process more transparent;
• MCA makes the information better manageable;• Definite is more than just one MCA technique;• Definite is a large program with many options;• The simple step menus and the structured
approach prevent users from getting lost.