An Optimization-Based Approach to Social Network Group Decision Making with an Application to Earthquake Shelter-Site Selection

Hengjie Zhang, Fang Wang, Huali Tang and Yucheng Dong
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Hengjie Zhang: Business School, Hohai University, Nanjing 211100, China
Fang Wang: Business School, Hohai University, Nanjing 211100, China
Huali Tang: Business School, State Key Laboratory of Hydraulics and Mountain River Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, China
Yucheng Dong: Business School, State Key Laboratory of Hydraulics and Mountain River Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, China

IJERPH, 2019, vol. 16, issue 15, 1-16

Abstract: The social network has emerged as an essential component in group decision making (GDM) problems. Thus, this paper investigates the social network GDM (SNGDM) problem and assumes that decision makers offer their preferences utilizing additive preference relations (also called fuzzy preference relations). An optimization-based approach is devised to generate the weights of decision makers by combining two reliable resources: in-degree centrality indexes and consistency indexes. Based on the obtained weights of decision makers, the individual additive preference relations are aggregated into a collective additive preference relation. Further, the alternatives are ranked from best to worst according to the obtained collective additive preference relation. Moreover, earthquakes have occurred frequently around the world in recent years, causing great loss of life and property. Earthquake shelters offer safety, security, climate protection, and resistance to disease and ill health and are thus vital for disaster-affected people. Selection of a suitable site for locating shelters from potential alternatives is of critical importance, which can be seen as a GDM problem. When selecting a suitable earthquake shelter-site, the social trust relationships among disaster management experts should not be ignored. To this end, the proposed SNGDM model is applied to evaluate and select earthquake shelter-sites to show its effectiveness. In summary, this paper constructs a novel GDM framework by taking the social trust relationship into account, which can provide a scientific basis for public emergency management in the major disasters field.

Keywords: social network; group decision making; additive preference relations; consistency; earthquake shelter-site selection (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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