A critical review of multi-criteria decision making methods with special reference to forest management and planning

Ananda, Jayanath; Herath, Gamini

doi:10.1016/j.ecolecon.2009.05.010

Cited by 359 publications

(243 citation statements)

References 112 publications

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“…In each of the phases it is possible to utilize computer-based decision support systems (DSS) or tools. Several computer-based tools have been used to provide background information as well as to generate new information in the course of the planning cases (Díaz-Balteiro and Romero, 2008;Ananda and Herath, 2009). DSS can also be used to provide illustrations for evaluating the proposed actions (e.g.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

The usefulness of Decision Support Systems in participatory forest planning: a comparison between Finland and Italy

Meo¹,

Ferretti

Hujala³

et al. 2013

For. syst.

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Aim of study: Participation of stakeholders is considered an essential element in producing, at different spatial and temporal scales, forest plans accepted by local community and fulfilling the requirements of Sustainable Forest Management. Increasingly, computer-based decision support systems (DSS) and tools are being introduced to assist stakeholders and decision-makers in coping with the complexities inherent in participatory forest planning. The study aimed to investigate how useful the users and researchers see DSS tools and which opportunities they perceive DSS might carry for enhancing participatory forest planning in their field of activity.Area of study: 15 Italian and Finnish researchers and practitioners were interviewed.Material and Methods: Face-to-face structured interviews were used to collect opinions and experiences. Quantitative and qualitative information were analyzed to investigate differences between Italian and Finnish respondents as well as between researchers and practitionersMain results: Results showed that in Italy there has been more focus on forest-level and medium-term problems and the intelligence phase, while in Finland there has been more attention to region-level and long-term problems and equally intelligence, design, and choice phases of decision-making. Deviations probably reflect different planning contexts and culture, variability in experiences and expertise in DSS and in availability of suitable DSS.Research highlights: The study suggests to pay attention to evaluating the success criteria of participatory planning when preparing for the use of DSS and related tools in practical forest planning processes. Experience sharing is a key to reaching more successful use of DSS.Keywords: computer-based decision support; participatory processes; spatial scale; success criteria; temporal scale; users' perception.

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The usefulness of Decision Support Systems in participatory forest planning: a comparison between Finland and Italy

Meo¹,

Ferretti

Hujala³

et al. 2013

For. syst.

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“…Most methods follow a general process: 1) decision objectives are defined, 2) selection criteria are established that reflect the objectives, 3) alternative options are identified, 4) the performance of each option is evaluated for each criterion, 5) criteria are weighted according to their importance, 6) criteria evaluations and weights are combined into an overall performance estimate for each option and 7) an option is selected based on overall performance (Ananda and Herath, 2009;Linkov et al, 2004). However, methods differ in the procedures used to execute each step and are only suitable for particular applications.…”

Section: The Multi-criteria Approach To Decommissioningmentioning

confidence: 99%

A multi-criteria decision approach to decommissioning of offshore oil and gas infrastructure

Fowler

Macreadie

Jones

et al. 2014

Ocean & Coastal Management

148

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Article (refereed) -postprintFowler, A.M.; Macreadie, P.I.; Jones, D.O.B.; Booth, D.J.. 2014 A multi-criteria decision approach to decommissioning of offshore oil and gas infrastructure. Ocean & Coastal Management, 87. 20-29. 10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2013 Contact NOC NORA team at publications@noc.soton.ac.ukThe NERC and NOC trademarks and logos ('the Trademarks') are registered trademarks of NERC in the UK and other countries, and may not be used without the prior written consent of the Trademark owner.A multi-criteria decision approach to decommissioning of offshore oil and gas infrastructure AbstractThousands of the world's offshore oil and gas structures are approaching obsolescence and will require decommissioning within the next decade. Many nations have blanket regulations requiring obsolete structures to be removed, yet this option is unlikely to yield optimal environmental, societal and economic outcomes in all situations. We propose that nations adopt a flexible approach that allows decommissioning options to be selected from the full range of alternatives (including 'rigs-to-reefs' options) on a case-by-case basis. We outline a method of multi-criteria decision analysis (Multi-criteria Approval, MA) for evaluating and comparing alternative decommissioning options across key selection criteria, including environmental, financial, socioeconomic, and health and safety considerations. The MA approach structures the decision problem, forces explicit consideration of trade-offs and directly involves stakeholder groups in the decision process. We identify major decommissioning options and provide a generic list of selection criteria required for inclusion in the MA decision process. To deal with knowledge gaps concerning environmental impacts of decommissioning, we suggest that expert opinion feed into the MA approach until sufficient data become available. We conducted a limited trial of the MA decision approach to demonstrate its application to a complex and controversial decommissioning scenario; Platform Grace in southern California. The approach indicated, for this example, that the option 'leave in place intact' would likely provide best environmental outcomes in the event of future decommissioning. In summary, the MA approach will allow the environmental, social, and economic impacts of decommissioning decisions to be assessed simultaneously in a transparent manner.

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“…One way to handle this problem and still retain the user-friendliness of AHP is to use hybrid methods that combine AHP with other MCDA methods, such as value or utility functions, goal programming, or heuristic optimization [5,10]. In this study we propose the combination of AHP and the Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Decision Support for Participatory Forest Planning Using AHP and TOPSIS

Nilsson

Nordström

Öhman

2016

Forests

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Long-term forest management planning often involves several stakeholders with conflicting objectives, creating a complex decision process. Multiple-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) presents a promising framework for finding solutions in terms of suitable trade-offs among the objectives. However, many of the MCDA methods that have been implemented in forest management planning can only be used to compare and evaluate a limited number of management plans, which increases the risk that the most suitable plan is not included in the decision process. The aim of this study is to test whether the combination of two MCDA methods can facilitate the evaluation of a large number of strategic forest management plans in a situation with multiple objectives and several stakeholders. The Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) was used to set weights for objectives based on stakeholder preferences and the Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) was used to produce an overall ranking of alternatives. This approach was applied to a case study of the Vilhelmina municipality, northern Sweden. The results show that the combination of AHP and TOPSIS is easy to implement in participatory forest planning and takes advantage of the capacity of forest decision support systems to create a wide array of management plans. This increases the possibility that the most suitable plan for all stakeholders will be identified.

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A critical review of multi-criteria decision making methods with special reference to forest management and planning

Cited by 359 publications

References 112 publications

The usefulness of Decision Support Systems in participatory forest planning: a comparison between Finland and Italy

The usefulness of Decision Support Systems in participatory forest planning: a comparison between Finland and Italy

A multi-criteria decision approach to decommissioning of offshore oil and gas infrastructure

Decision Support for Participatory Forest Planning Using AHP and TOPSIS

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