A Fuzzy Approach to a Multiple Criteria and Geographical Information System for Decision Support on Suitable Locations for Biogas Plants

Camilo Franco, Mikkel Bojesen (), Jens Leth Hougaard () and Kurt Nielsen ()
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Mikkel Bojesen: Department of Food and Resource Economics, University of Copenhagen
Jens Leth Hougaard: Department of Food and Resource Economics, University of Copenhagen
Kurt Nielsen: Department of Food and Resource Economics, University of Copenhagen

No 05_2013, MSAP Working Paper Series from University of Copenhagen, Department of Food and Resource Economics

Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to model the multi-criteria decision problem of identifying the most suitable facility locations for biogas plants under an integrated decision support methodology. Here the Geographical Information System (GIS) is used for measuring the attributes of the alternatives according to a given set of criteria. Measurements are taken in interval form, expressing the natural imprecision of common data, and the Fuzzy Weighted Overlap Dominance (FWOD) procedure is applied for aggregating and exploiting this kind of data, obtaining suitability degrees for every alternative. The estimation of criteria weights, which is necessary for applying the FWOD procedure, is done by means of the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP), such that a combined AHP-FWOD methodology allows identifying the more suitable sites for building biogas plants. We show that the FWOD relevance-ranking procedure can also be successfully applied over the outcomes of different decision makers, in case a unique social solution is required to exist. The proposed methodology can be used under an integrated decision support frame for identifying the most suitable locations for biogas facilities, taking into account the most relevant criteria for the social, economic and political dimensions.

Keywords: : Decision support; Multiple criteria; Geographical information; Interval data; Facility location; Biogas plants (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 23 pages
Date: 2013-11
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Related works:
Journal Article: A fuzzy approach to a multiple criteria and Geographical Information System for decision support on suitable locations for biogas plants (2015)
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