A fuzzy multi-criteria decision analysis model for advanced technology assessment at Kennedy Space Center

Abstract

The rapid development of computer and information technology has made project evaluation and selection a difficult task at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) Shuttle Project Engineering Office. Decision Makers (DMs) are required to consider a vast amount of intuitive and analytical information in the decision process. Fuzzy Euclid is a Multi-criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) model that captures the DMs’ beliefs through a series of intuitive and analytical methods such as the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and subjective probability estimation. A defuzzification method is used to obtain crisp values from the subjective judgments provided by multiple DMs. These crisp values are synthesized with Entropy and the theory of displaced ideal to assist the DMs in their selection process by plotting the alternative projects in a four-zone graph based on their Euclidean distance from the ‘ideal choice’.

Keywords:

• multi-criteria decision analysis
• fuzzy systems
• analytic network process
• entropy
• theory of displaced ideal

Acknowledgements

The authors thank the anonymous reviewers and the editor for their insightful comments and suggestions. This research was supported in part by NASA grants NGT-52605 and NGT-60002. The authors thank the Shuttle Project Engineering Office at Kennedy Space Center for their support and guidance.

Notes

1 All the project names presented in this paper are changed to protect the anonymity of the projects. In addition, the data presented in this study is significantly reduced to allow a meaningful illustration of the model.