International Journal of Multicriteria Decision Making (9 papers in press)

Special Issue on: Composite Indicators and Multicriteria Decision Making New Developments and Applications

• Open Access

  Monitoring multidimensional phenomena with a multicriteria composite performance interval approach ( Free Full-text Access )

  by Ana Garcia-Bernabeu, Adolfo Hilario-Caballero, David Pla-Santamaria, Francisco Salas-Molina 
  Abstract: In the last two decades, composite indicators' construction to measure and compare multidimensional phenomena in a broad spectrum of domains has increased considerably. Different methodological approaches are used to summarize huge data sets of information in a single figure. This paper proposes a new approach that consists of computing a multicriteria composite performance interval based on different aggregation rules. The suggested approach provides an additional layer of information as the performance interval displays a lower bound from a non-compensability perspective, and an upper bound allowing for full-compensability. The outstanding features of this proposal are: (i) a distance-based multicriteria technique is taken as the baseline to construct the multicriteria performance interval (ii) the aggregation of distances/separation measures is made using particular cases of Minkowski's $L_p$ metrics; (iii) the span of the multicriteria performance interval can be considered as a sign of the dimensions or indicators balance.
  Keywords: Composite indicators; Multicriteria decision making; Compensability; Perfomance Interval.
  
  
• A Non-linear Multivariate Method for Constructing Profiles of Country Performance  
  by Sara Casacci, Adriano Pareto 
  Abstract: Composite indices for measuring multi-dimensional phenomena such as sustainable development, quality of life, and competitiveness, are based on individual indicators that have no common unit of measurement. As a rule, individual indicators are normalized by univariate methods, independently of each other. However, normalization has a strong impact on results since it creates a correspondence system among different variables. Thus the normalization method should take into account the relationships existing in the data. In this paper, a non-linear multivariate method is proposed for normalizing a set of individual indicators in order to aggregate them into a composite index and construct profiles of country performance. An application to the measurement and analysis of socio-economic development is also shown.
  Keywords: composite index; indicators; normalization; non-linear relationship.
  
  
• Development and Evaluation of a New Tool for Multiple Criteria Decision Making  
  by Majid Jangi, Seyyed Hadi Ghasemi, Mahin Ghorban Sabbagh, Hamed Tabesh, Sayyed Mostafa Mostafavi, Mahmood Tara 
  Abstract: Multi-Criteria Decision making is intricate in the medical domain. The purpose of this study was to develop a new software tool called Expository-Posthaste-Effective-Resembling-Tool (ExPERT) for multi-criteria decision making in 2018-2019 in multi-stages. First, scenario and MCDM steps were determined. Then MCDM steps were implemented in HTML/CSS/JavaSript and the query was sent to the server using a PHP script. After that, the tool was evaluated in real clinical settings. The developed tool included dynamic interconnected weight assignment of factors, visualization of implicit knowledge, incorporating written descriptions, and instant feedback to change implicit knowledge into explicit knowledge. As such, the tool enables the user to produce visual presentations, simultaneously display multi-criteria decisions, and provide written feedback on user-assigned weightings. Using a visual presentation, this tool can potentially reduce the time required to assign weightings to different criteria, easy to use, and eliminating the need for specific training of participants.
  Keywords: Multi Criteria Decision Making; Implicit Knowledge; Feedback; Factor Weighting; Visualization;.
  
  
• Ranking of the environmental sustainability of Cuban provinces using a non-compensatory multi-criteria model  
  by Daiana Ivis Suárez Ordaz, Ignacio Contreras Rubio, Víctor Ernesto Pérez León 
  Abstract: Environmental sustainability has evolved to become a multidimensional concept, applied to diverse fields of study, to ensure the balance between society and the environment. Among the initiatives for its application, composite indicators have been proposed as one of the options for the management and protection of natural resources. Cuba, with the updating of its economic and social model, has progressively advanced in these aspects, but there is still a lack of knowledge necessary to promote greater involvement in the processing of environmental statistical information and work with composite indicators. In the present work, a proposal for a synthetic indicator for the evaluation of sustainability at the provincial level was made to facilitate the interpretation of the information by the stakeholders and policy makers. The construction of the synthetic indicator was carried out using a non-compensatory procedure computed by a mixed-integer linear programming model.
  Keywords: Environmental sustainability; composite indicator; MCDM techniques; non-compensatory procedure; Cuba.
  
  
• Inferring criteria weight parameters in CODAS method  
  by Mouna REGAIRG, Hela Moalla Frikha 
  Abstract: COmbinative Distance-based ASsessment (CODAS) method is a new method for multi-criteria decision-making and evaluation. However, Decision Maker (DM) assigns criteria relative importance coefficients (weight criteria) subjectively. According to the process of Multi-Criteria Decision-Making (MCDM), the problem consists in finding the parameter values that minimize the inconsistency between the model obtained with those parameters and the final decision. To overcome this issue, this research aims to develop a mathematical programming model eliciting objective weight parameters of the CODAS method without the DMs preferences and then allows ranking the different alternatives. An illustrative example is performed to check the performance of this tool. Finally, results are compared with previous studies.
  Keywords: Multi-criteria decision-making; CODAS method; weight elicitation; Lagrange function; criteria weight values.
  
  

Regular Issues

• A new threshold for the detection of possible rank reversal occurrences in Promethee II rankings  
  by Gilles Dejaegere, Yves De Smet 
  Abstract: Multicriteria decision aid consists in helping decision makers to compare (rank, choose, sort, etc.) different alternatives which are evaluated on conflicting criteria. A well-known family of decision aid methods is the Promethee family. It has been highlighted that these methods may suffer from rank reversal occurrences. However, Mareschal et al. and later Verly & De Smet have pointed out that rank reversal could only occur between alternatives having similar flow scores. In this work, a stricter threshold on the difference of net flow scores is proposed. It is shown using real datasets that the new threshold significantly reduces the pairs of alternatives subject to rank reversal. A comparison of the different thresholds according to the information on which they are based is also given. These new insights suggest to reconsider carefully the definition of the indifference and the incomparability relation in the context of Promethee methods.
  Keywords: Multicriteria; Decision aid; Promethee; Rank Reversal; Parameters; Threshold; Net flow score; Indifference; Incomparability.
  
  
• Multi-criteria evaluation of power generation alternatives towards lignite phase-out: the case of Ptolemaida V  
  by Georgios P. Trachanas, Nikos Mantzaris, Vangelis Marinakis, Haris Doukas 
  Abstract: Replacing existing lignite power plants with cleaner infrastructure serves as a quite complicated problem in the presence of economic, environmental, and societal crucial factors. In the present paper, we explore replacement options for the case of Ptolemaida V lignite power plant, Greece, which is planned to stop its operation by 2028 at the latest. In this context, we analyze four replacement technology alternatives: CO_2 capture and storage, biomass, combined cycle gas turbine with fossil gas, and thermal energy storage coupled with renewable energy. Evaluation is based on an extended version of the VIKOR method, incorporating simultaneously uncertain data and incomplete criteria weights. Numerical results show a narrow advantage of thermal energy storage in most scenarios, while CO_2 capture and storage, and lignite-biomass cooperation constitute rather inadequate solutions. Finally, we formulate a regret-oriented VIKOR-based decision support framework to cope with similar problems under the presence of scenario uncertainty.
  Keywords: lignite phase-out; power generation planning; multi-criteria decision making; VIKOR; incomplete weights.
  
  

Special Issue on: MCDM for Sustainable Development and Economic Growth

• An Integrated CRITIC-VIKOR Model for Overtourism Assessment in Spain: Post-COVID-19 Sustainable Actions  
  by JOSEFA GARCIA MESTANZA, R.I.M. BAKHAT 
  Abstract: The tourism industry has developed rapidly in recent decades. This boom has led to overtourism in some tourist areas of Spain. The COVID-19, on the other hand, has paralyzed the sector and must be reactivated without reproducing past errors. Faced with this period of uncertainty, economic reactivation, and tourism sustainability, overtourism has become one of the most discussed topics in debates and scientific articles. However, overtourism is at a very early stage in its empirical measurement and remains open to subjective interpretations due to the paucity of precise measurements. This emanates from the fact that overtourism lacks a realistic set of indicators to quantitatively measure its negative impact and inherent risk on the host community. In this way, the main objective of this paper is to provide a set of indicators that allow reviewing and redirecting decision-making at the business and political levels. An integrated MCDM approach has been applied, namely the CRITIC method (CRiteria Importance Through Intercriteria Correlation) for calculating the weights of the indicators and the VIKOR method (VIsekriterijumska optimizacija i KOmpromisno Resenje) for assessing the alternatives. The case study of Spain provides useful insights, and the obtained results demonstrated that the economic indicators hinder sustainable development and contribute to worsening the tourist attitude more than the social factor do. In this regard, a need remains for determining valid public policies to improve territorial planning, manage the carrying capacity, and further implement sustainable actions in the affected communities during this exceptional health crisis as suggested in the discussion section.
  Keywords: Overtourism; Sustainable Indicators; MCDM; CRITIC; VIKOR; COVID-19.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJMCDM.2022.10044292
   
  
• A Metaheuristic for a sustainable distribution process  
  by Dalila Tayachi, Sidonie Ienra Nyako, Moncef Tagina 
  Abstract: This paper deals with a bi-objective green vehicle routing problem, where conventional economic and environmental objectives are both considered. More precisely, our work minimizes distance and fuel consumption in the Capacitated Vehicle Routing Problem (FCVRP). Firstly, we consider fuel consumption minimization and we propose an Iterated Local Search to solve it as it is an NP-complete problem. In the fuel consumption calculation function, distance, load, and speed are considered simultaneously. The proposed metaheuristic is tested on Solomon's instances for each single objective and the experimental results are compared with those in the literature. Secondly, the epsilon-constraint method is applied to solve the bi-objective FCVRP where the total traveled distance and the fuel consumption are both minimized. A real-world case in Cameroon is considered in order to bring help to the decision-maker.
  Keywords: Green VRP; Fuel Consumption; Bi-objective optimization; Meta-heuristic; epsilon-constraint.