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DEFINITE a DEcision support system for a FINITE set of alternatives. Marjan van Herwijnen Institute for Environmental Studies Vrije Universiteit - Amsterdam June 14, 2006. Outline. The DSS DEFINITE Highway 73-South A journey to Paris Conclusions.
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DEFINITEa DEcision support system for a FINITE set of alternatives Marjan van Herwijnen Institute for Environmental StudiesVrije Universiteit - Amsterdam June 14, 2006
Outline • The DSS DEFINITE • Highway 73-South • A journey to Paris • Conclusions
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.
What does DEFINITE support? Standardization Problem definition Presentation Ranking Weights Sensitivity analysis
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.
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.
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.
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.
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?
Highway 73-south: Presentation of results • Criteria tree; • Relative contribution of the criterion groups; • Ranking according to various perspectives;
A journey to Paris • ‘Problem’: A couple wants to celebrate its 1st anniversary in Paris • Question: What is the best way to travel?
A journey to Paris: From problem definition to report generation • Problem definition • Multi-criteria analysis • Sensitivity analysis
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.