Search

This research paper proposes a framework utilizing multicriteria tools for optimal site selection of photovoltaic solar farms. A comparative analysis was conducted using three quantitative methods—CRITIC (criteria importance through intercriteria correlation), PCA (principal component analysis), and entropy—to obtain the weights for the selection process. The evaluation considered environmental, demographic, financial, meteorological, and performance system criteria. TOPSIS (technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution) was employed to rank the alternatives based on their proximity to the ideal positive solution and distance from the ideal negative solution. The capital cities of the seven departments in the Colombian Caribbean region were selected for the assessment, characterized by high annual solar radiation, to evaluate the suitability of the proposed decision-making framework. The results demonstrated that Barranquilla consistently ranked in the top two across all methods, indicating its strong performance. Cartagena, for instance, fluctuated between first and third place, showing some stability but still influenced by the method used. In contrast, Sincelejo consistently ranked among the lowest positions. A sensitivity analysis with equal weight distribution confirmed the top-performing cities, though it also highlighted that the weight assignment method impacted the final rankings. Choosing the appropriate method for weight calculation depended on factors such as the diversity and interdependence of criteria, the availability of reliable data, and the desired sensitivity of the results. For instance, CRITIC captured inter-criteria correlation, while PCA focused on reducing dimensionality, and entropy emphasized the variability of information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recognising the urgency of addressing climate change and the imperative to mitigate its effects, the European Union (EU) has embarked on a transformative journey to reshape its energy landscape, with a pronounced emphasis on harnessing renewable energy sources (RESs) and augmenting their contribution to electricity generation. To propel Europe towards sustainable development through its energy transition, EU member states are encouraged to foster collaborative efforts on a European scale, inviting neighbouring countries to participate in joint ventures aimed at leveraging RESs for electricity generation. Consequently, it becomes imperative to evaluate the potential depth of cooperation among these nations, assessing how such partnerships can align with Europe's overarching objectives while fostering mutually beneficial conditions. This paper seeks to undertake a thorough analysis and evaluation of the potential impacts of such cooperation, both in advancing RES objectives and in promoting broader cooperation goals concerning the countries involved. The appropriate methodological framework has been developed, utilising and implementing the fuzzy PROMETHEE multicriteria decision analysis method, to address the problem's multidimensional character, intending to implement an appropriate action plan and promote production from RESs. The methodology has been applied to assess alternative strategies in two case study countries, Morocco and Egypt, while important outcomes have emerged towards the successful implementation of cooperation mechanisms promoting RES. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The maintenance of a satisfactory quality of life in rural areas is fundamental for sustainable development. One of the ways to improve quality of life indicators is through the gathering of rural workers in solidarity economy organizations as these enterprises aim to integrate development with economic, social, and environmental sustainability. Because solidarity economy organizations have a robust social purpose, their performance must be evaluated based on both social and financial indicators. The objective of this article is to propose a performance evaluation model for rural solidarity economy enterprises, aiming to support decision making in these enterprises based on multicriteria decision analysis (MCDA), particularly the ELECTRE-TRI methodology. In order to demonstrate the applicability of the developed model and to perform sensitivity analyses, the model was applied to a group of eight family agriculture co-operatives in the southwest state of Paraná, Brazil. All the participating co-ops were considered part of the solidarity economy, and they served 2500 rural producer families across at least 15 municipalities. The results showed the applicability and stability of the model, enabling us to identify the dimensions in which each co-op should concentrate their efforts to improve not only their performance but also the outcomes for the farmers that they serve. Based on these results, organizational and improvement activities can be developed and implemented. This analysis contributes to economic and social indicators by offering improvement strategies for the professionalization and strategic management of RSEEs, thus strengthening these enterprises and, consequently, family agriculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A holistic approach to decision-making in modern energy systems is vital due to their increase in complexity and interconnectedness. However, decision makers often rely on narrowly-focused strategies, such as economic assessments, for energy system strategy selection. The approach in this paper helps considers various factors such as economic viability, technological feasibility, environmental impact, and social acceptance. By integrating these diverse elements, decision makers can identify more economically feasible, sustainable, and resilient energy strategies. While existing focused approaches are valuable since they provide clear metrics of a potential solution (e.g., an economic measure of profitability), they do not offer the much needed system-as-a-whole understanding. This lack of understanding often leads to selecting suboptimal or unfeasible solutions, which is often discovered much later in the process when a change may not be possible. This paper presents a novel evaluation framework to support holistic decision-making in energy systems. The framework is based on a systems thinking approach, applied through systems engineering principles and model-based systems engineering tools, coupled with a multicriteria decision analysis approach. The systems engineering approach guides the development of feasible solutions for novel energy systems, and the multicriteria decision analysis is used for a systematic evaluation of available strategies and objective selection of the best solution. The proposed framework enables holistic, multidisciplinary, and objective evaluations of solutions and strategies for energy systems, clearly demonstrates the pros and cons of available options, and supports knowledge collection and retention to be used for a different scenario or context. The framework is demonstrated in case study evaluation solutions for a novel energy system of clean hydrogen generation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainable development monitoring reveals the extent to which local and national territories are progressing towards sustainability goals. This study considered 105 indicators associated with the Equitable and Sustainable Wellbeing (BES) framework and 139 indicators associated with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), using multicriteria decision analysis (MCDA) and cluster analysis to compare regional performance across the Italian territory in 2022. At the SDG level, Lombardia exhibited the highest performance, while the provinces of Trento and Bolzano led at the BES level. The results were further analyzed with respect to geographic macro-areas and the three dimensions of sustainability, via separate cluster analyses comparing the BES and SDG results. Northeast regions emerged as the top performers, and comparable performance was shown by regions in the center and northwest. The development of a sustainable innovation model, alongside territorial cooperation and synergy between regional specificities, may generate competitive advantages, especially when combined with resources and skills with an international profile. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research investigates the optimal integration of Blockchain Technology (BT) in Supply Chain Management (SCM) within Chile's maritime ports. Utilizing fuzzy Logarithmic Methodology of Additive Weights (LMAW) and Double Normalization-based Multiple Aggregation Methods (DNMA), the study systematically identifies, prioritizes, and ranks key factors influencing BT adoption in SCM. The study's findings highlight crucial factors like enhanced transaction security, good supply chain practices, and risk management. Furthermore, it ranks the application of ports as prime candidates for BT integration. The research contributes theoretically by developing a hybrid model combining MCDA methods, and practically by guiding the strategic application of BT in the maritime logistics sector, aligning with the principles of Industry 5.0. This paper presents a novel approach that explores the utilization of BT in maritime supply chain management, incorporating MCDA in a vague environment. The research gap of this study lies in defining new contexts in both theoretical and practical literature reviews for extending the use of BT in SCM in the ports of Chile, according to Industry 5.0, to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of all aspects of operations in these places. The contribution of this research is applying hybrid MCDA methods in an uncertain environment to assist decision-makers (DMs) in better implementing BT in SCM in Chilean ports, according to Industry 5.0. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The blockchain has been proposed for use in various applications in the energy field. Although the blockchain has technical strengths, several obstacles affect the application of the technology in energy services. The scope of this study is to highlight and prioritise the most important barriers to such applications. The first step in this direction is specifying the potential areas of the implementation of blockchain technology in the energy sector. Two useful tools for market analysis were used: Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Legal and Environmental, PESTLE Analysis, and Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats, SWOT Analysis, which examine external and internal factors, respectively. Thus, a list of the most important elements hindering the incorporation of the blockchain in the energy sector was extracted. The detected barriers were classified and ranked by energy and IT experts using the multicriteria method, "Analytical Hierarchy Process for Group Decision Making". The results reveal that legal barriers relating to the complexities of deficiencies of regulations are the most significant, while technological barriers, especially those related to security issues, are also important. Sociopolitical barriers related mainly to lack of trust in blockchain, as well as economic concerns such as high upfront costs, are less influential but should still be considered. The conclusions of the conducted research have the potential to guide market actors in their endeavours to modernise energy systems through the use of the blockchain, assisting them in designing the most appropriate market strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a shared agenda among countries but also a rallying point for forward-looking policy dialogue. Analysis and monitoring of the SDGs are decisive steps in evaluating possible corrective actions. This paper aims to reach two research objectives: (i) providing methodological insights for the application of multicriteria decision analysis (MCDA) in the evaluation of the SDGs and (ii) emphasizing the relevance of monitoring the outcomes of the SDGs by evaluating the Italian regions. For the first objective, an online survey among twenty academics is used, while for the second, an MCDA is proposed that compares the temporal performance of a sustainability score for each Italian region. The results, based on 27 targets, show that in 2021 the northern regions showed better performance, with the province of Trento topping the list. This is followed by Valle d'Aosta and the province of Bolzano, confirming the trio that emerged in the previous year. A very interesting fact is the growth of the central regions, which overall tend to reach a value close to that of the northern regions. In particular, Toscana, Marche and Lazio stand out for a good performance. It is also confirmed that the southern regions occupy the last places in the ranking with the only exception of Abruzzo. The implications of this paper suggest collaboration between different regions in order to achieve a social community in which resources and skills can be enhanced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Neutrosophic Set (N s e t) represents the uncertainty in data with fuzzy attributes beyond true and false values independently. The problem arises when the summation of true (T r) , false (F a) , and indeterminacy I n values crosses the membership value of one, that is, T r + I n + F a < 1 . It becomes more crucial during decision-making processes like medical diagnoses or any data sets where T r + I n + F a < 1 . To achieve this goal, the F N s e t is recently introduced. This study employs the Interval-Valued Fermatean Neutrosophic Set ( I V F N s e t ) as its chosen framework to address instances of partial ignorance within the domains of truth, falsehood, or uncertainty. This selection stands out due to its unique approach to managing such complexities within multi-decision processes when compared to alternative methodologies. Furthermore, the proposed method reduces the propensity for information loss often encountered in other techniques. IVFNS excels at preserving intricate relationships between variables even when dealing with incomplete or vague information. In the present work, we introduce the I V F N s e t , which deals with partial ignorance in true, false, or uncertain regions independently for multi-decision processes. The I V F N s e t contains the interval-valued T r m e m b e r s h i p value, I n m e m b e r s h i p value, and F a m e m b e r s h i p for knowledge representation. The algebraic properties and set theory between the interval-valued F N s e t have also been presented with an illustrative example. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The decision regarding which slab type should be used in a building is generally made by the structural engineer, considering structural efficiency and compatibility with the architectural design, as well as the costs related to the amount of material used in each option. Because of the technical responsibilities inherent to this specialty, the decision-making process neglects to encompass various other factors of consequence that influence the construction process. These considerations include productivity, the visual and aesthetic characteristics of the slab, waste generation, and thermal and acoustic comfort. This paper aims to develop a multicriteria method to assist stakeholders in selecting the most suitable structural system for slabs based on project needs and objectives. The study utilized the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and information from bibliographic research, expert opinion using the Delphi Method, and machine learning on a dataset of over 2000 previously constructed slabs to achieve this goal. The analysis showed that the conventional solid slab type was the top priority, followed by the two-way waffle slab, one-way waffle slab, solid flat slab, and waffle slab. Additionally, the proposed AHP method was effective in developing a decision-making model for companies and the construction sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Stakeholders—farmers from four different European areas (Campania (IT), Kujawsko-Pomorskie (PL), Limburg (NL), Andalusia (ES))—are asked to share, from the OPERA project, their opinions on five criteria that all aim at improving the use of irrigation advisory services (IASs). Each criterion has different characteristics that affect the way farmers rank it. The present study has two objectives. The first is to individuate the priorities of the preferences expressed by the stakeholders. The second objective is to carry out a ranking of the weights of the criteria by case study, ranking the groups and their associated properties among farmers' profiles. Methods: The answers to 120 questionnaires dispensed to the future users of IASs in the four agricultural sites were analyzed in detail, and then the given priorities were evaluated through the analytic hierarchy process (AHP). The AHP methodology was used to determine the relative weights of the five assessment criteria, and finally, to select the one with major value. Results and conclusions: The results show that A5 (assuring economic sustainability) was the most important criterion. The contributions provided by this study are twofold: Firstly, it presents an application of a methodology that involves the conversion of a linguistic judgement of farmers in a correspondence weight. Secondly, it tackles decision making regarding improving the use of IASs, evaluating the preferences expressed by the stakeholders. Irrigation advisory services can play a key role in assisting users to adopt new techniques and technologies for more efficient water use and increased production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In decision support tasks, one often has to deal with uncertainty due to fuzzy judgments of the decision maker or the expert. This paper proposes methods that allow you to rank the alternatives based on fuzzy evaluations. This is achieved by using fuzzy weighted summation, fuzzy implication, a computation graph showing the criteria, and a fuzzy dominance graph showing the alternatives. If the criteria have equal importance, then fuzzy graphs corresponding to the dominance of each of the criteria are used. An algorithm that is used for both the transition from fuzzy dominance graphs and the ranking of alternatives is proposed. This algorithm is based on the idea of constructing Kemeny medians or other concordant rankings at a given confidence level in the existence of corresponding arcs. Computational experiments have shown the performance of these approaches. It is reasonable to apply them in problems that require complex expert evaluations with a large number of alternatives and criteria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The unprecedented global health crisis caused by COVID-19 is undoubtedly having a major impact on international tourism for two reasons. While the imposed travel restrictions have discouraged people from traveling, travelers are struggling with growing anxiety in coping with the new travel environment. We address the changing risk perceptions of travelers in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Our primary objective is to identify and weigh significant emerging travel risks and develop a Risk Score Index to measure destination performance and strategic interventions for South African travelers. In this case, we used MACBETH and web-Delphi to construct that index with the help of 32 experts in the field. We found that the risks perceived by tourists are multifaceted and encompass categories, such as additional costs, exchange rates, and reimbursement-related factors. These three criteria are most important to the general perception of travel risk. We applied the developed risk assessment index to five destinations to assess their performance relative to the identified risks. The UK was the best-performing country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rainwater harvesting (RWH) has the potential to enhance the sustainability of ground and surface water to meet increasing water demands and constrained supplies, even under a changing climate. Since arid and semi-arid regions frequently experience highly variable spatiotemporal rainfall patterns, rural communities have developed indigenous RWH techniques to capture and store rainwater for multiple uses. However, selecting appropriate sites for RWH, especially across large regions, remains challenging since the data required to evaluate suitability using critical criteria are often lacking. This study aimed to identify the essential criteria and develop a methodology to select potential RWH sites in Rajasthan (India). We combined GIS modeling (multicriteria decision analysis) with applied remote sensing techniques as it has the potential to assess land suitability for RWH. As assessment criteria, spatial datasets relating to land use/cover, rainfall, slope, soil texture, NDVI, and drainage density were considered. Later, weights were assigned to each criterion based on their relative importance to the RWH system, evidence from published literature, local expert advice, and field visits. GIS analyses were used to create RWH suitability maps (high, moderate, and unsuited maps). The sensitivity analysis was also carried out for identified weights to check the inadequacy and inconsistency among preferences. It was estimated that 3.6%, 8.2%, and 27.3% of the study area were highly, moderately, and unsuitable, respectively, for Chauka implementation. Further, sensitivity analysis results show that LULC is highly sensitive and NDVI is the least sensitive parameter in the selected study region, which suggests that changing the weight of these parameters is more likely to decide the outcome. Overall, this study shows the applicability of the GIS-based MCDA approach for up-scaling the traditional RWH systems and its suitability in other regions with similar field conditions, where RWH offers the potential to increase water resource availability and reliability to support rural communities and livelihoods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

E-tourism refers to the broader integration of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in the tourism sector and infrastructure. In this context, tourists can choose the travel destination, use price comparison sites and buy online tickets at low prices, while tourism entrepreneurs enhance their marketing strategies in response to the increasing demands of modern tourism Over the last few decades, alternative tourism has gained considerable interest among tourists and enterprises in the tourism industry. At the same time, it acts as an enabler and a facilitator of sustainable development. This paper presents an overview of the current situation of content characteristics of the websites of enterprises involved with alternative tourism services in Greece. The websites are evaluated according to 30 characteristics through multicriteria method. Furthermore, the final ranking of websites is presented to identify the most successful strategies, as well as the website that need improvements. According to the results, an e-tourism website model is suggested for the entrepreneurs to exploit the opportunities that arise in the digitalization transformation of the tourism industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Poor waste management and illegal waste shipments adversely affect the environment and public health, resulting in environmental degradation. Indeed, environmental degradation is one of the most visible problems in Hargeisa. Currently, solid waste is disposed of at two dumping sites within the city limits, causing problematic and unsanitary conditions. Moreover, the existing dumpsites are on the verge of closure, highlighting an important need that must be addressed. This research aimed to integrate multicriteria decision analysis and GIS to evaluate the site suitability for landfill in Hargeisa, Somaliland. For this purpose, eleven significant parameters were selected: proximity to built-up areas, surface water, groundwater well points, sensitive sites (airports), land use/land cover, geology, soil type, elevation, slopes, roads, and separation from existing dumpsites. Next, these were combined via an analytical hierarchy technique. Subsequently, restriction buffer analysis was performed on the seven parameters to obtain better and more accurate results, and restricted zones were omitted. Furthermore, the pair-wise comparison used to obtain priorities between the selected criteria showed that the LULC is the most significant criterion in the model, with a relative weight of 0.1829, followed by habitations, with 0.1506. The overall result reveals that approximately 68.96% (21,060.9 ha) of the study area is unsuitable, while 24.36% (7441.53 ha) and 6.68% were considered less and highly appropriate zones, respectively. As a result, this study reveals that despite the vast extent of the study area, the areas ideal for landfill remain severely limited. Therefore, in light of the findings of this study, the municipal council of Hargeisa must reevaluate dumpsite locations and waste management practices to address the issues in the region in a timely manner. Furthermore, this systematic research approach will assist regional and global researchers, policymakers, and municipal governments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainable pedagogical approaches and practices have changed during the years, generating a set of philosophical, theoretical, and scientific concepts. Inside them, regenerative design is a proactive method based on systemic frameworks and developmental processes for maintaining the integrity of natural ecosystems, also enhancing human life, environmental awareness, social equity, and economic sustainability through the support of codesign techniques. This approach is widely used in architectural design, both for existing and heritage buildings, to address negative impacts of global warming, climate change, urban sprawl, touristic pressure, and other contemporary challenging phenomena. Specific workflows for archaeological sites have been never proposed, despite the fact that these sites face problems and risks completely different from other cultural heritage settings (e.g., physical development, pollution, tourism pressure, vandalism, looting, inappropriate excavations or interventions, lack of maintenance, funding, and legislation). This study presents a multicriteria decision analysis workflow for preserving and regenerating archaeological sites in a sustainable way through a deep understanding of current problems, values, features, and risks at urban and building levels. This method is tested with a pedagogical experiment at the UNESCO Site of Casterseprio (Italy), to investigate the interaction between heritage, environmental, social, and economic dynamics as well as to define its feasibility, applicability, limitations, and opportunities for further developments. The didactic process is supported by a participatory program among the key players of the site (owners, heritage and public authorities, and local associations), to create strong public support and a shared vision of the sustainable regeneration of the area. Differences between traditional and regenerative design processes, key design principles, shared criteria, replicability, novelty, and limitations of the pedagogic approach are also identified. Key findings of the present study are: (i) students need clear and shared design workflows for supporting their design projects; (ii) "regenerative design" involves multilevel dynamic training methodologies that motivate and involve the student while also improving their consciousness; (iii) the cooperation and the involvement of the stakeholders is important to favor a human-centered approach based also on social and economic interactions; (iv) digital technologies are fundamental for quantifying the key performance indicators in each design stage; (v) "regenerative design" boosts long-term planning and financial self-sustainability of the intervention; and (vi) multicultural design teams producing more innovative design ideas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this research is to propose an improved multidimensional quality of life index, which could replace the current methodology designed by Eurostat and applied by the national statistical institutes of the European Union member states. The novelty of the proposed index is that it is based on a non-compensatory multicriteria decision method (ELECTRE III). All other quality of life indices propose compensatory aggregation methods at some stage in the construction of the index. The data used in this study are openly available on the website of the INE, which is the Spanish National Statistics Institute, and were obtained by INE from population surveys. The data were entered by the authors in the Diviz software to conduct an ELECTRE III method. Three innovative versions for the multidimensional quality of life index are proposed in this study, which are called Basic ELECTRE, Full ELECTRE, and Full Fuzzy ELECTRE. The comparison of the results obtained by INE with the results provided by our proposals shows that it is possible to construct an improved multidimensional quality of life index to be applied by the member states of the European Union. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Regional climate models (RCMs) are key in the current context of global warming, and they are increasingly used to support decision-making and to identify adaptation measures in response to climate change. However, considering the wide range of available RCMs, it is important to identify the most suitable ones prior to climate impact studies, especially at small scales like catchments. In this study, a multicriteria decision analysis approach, namely the technique for order preferences by similarity to an ideal solution (TOPSIS) was applied to select the best performing RCMs in the Mono River Basin of Benin and Togo (West Africa). The TOPSIS method was used to systematically rank 15 RCMs accessed from the coordinated regional downscaling experiment (CORDEX) database. Six RCMs were finally selected and averaged into an ensemble to assess the future climate in the Mono River Basin until 2070 compared to the period 1966–2015. Two climate change scenarios, RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5, were considered. The results show that under both climate change scenarios, the annual temperature has an increasing trend during the period 1966–2070, whereas annual rainfall for the next 50 years presents high variability and no statistically significant trend. Furthermore, seasonal cycles of rainfall are expected to change in the different parts of the catchment with delayed onset of rainfall, longer dry seasons, and rainfall intensification. In response to the projected changes, impact studies and risk assessments need to be carried out to evaluate potential implications for human security in the Mono River Basin and to provide adequate adaptation measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The coastal zone is the environment that connects terrestrial and marine environments. It is the most productive ecosystem on the planet. It has been estimated that 23 percent of the population lives in the coastal regions. The attractive landscape and seascape of the coastal zone environments attract human settlement and increase the economic activities in the area. Unfortunately, massive human urbanization is also attributed to coastal zone ecosystem degradation. In addition, water-related phenomena due to the changing climate also affect the said environment. The negative impacts of human activities and the water-related phenomena typically deplete the environment's health. Thus, this study developed an adaptive index framework to assess the coastal zone environment condition. The principle of this framework is the sustainable co-existence of human development with the coastal zone environment. The identified coastal cities in the Philippines were utilized as the case study for developing the framework. The results show that the decision-makers are conservationists while extractive. In contrast, environmental educators are conservationists in nature. Moreover, each city has its own unique framework and signifies that the framework is adaptive to the perspective of the decision makers in their city. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the significance of environmental aspects, the modeling of hybrid systems should be performed with the lowest cost and environmental pollution. Therefore, an effective and optimum sizing method can ensure acceptable performance. This paper implements a "technique for order performance by similarity to the ideal solution" (TOPSIS) method combined with the "analytic hierarchy process (AHP)" method to size a standalone system based on techno-economic parameters. For this reason, a survey was conducted to collect local load data on Monpura Island, located in Bhola, Bangladesh. Visible and design faults of the existing PV/diesel mini-grid have also been identified. Five alternative hybrid configurations have been considered as to evaluate the best optimum system. Two economic and one environmental criterion was used to size the system. Two experts specialized in energy systems evaluated the criteria and proposed the suitable system. Battery, wind and PV capital cost multipliers have been considered as to perform sensitivity analysis. According to techno-economic analysis and expert opinion, PV/biogas/wind has been found to be the most appropriate system among these configurations. The system has a cost of electricity (COE) of 0.691 (USD/kWh) and emits only 4.43 kg of CO2 per year. The net present cost of the proposed system is 18% lower than the existing microgrid, and the model has lower emissions due to high renewable penetration. It was also found that integrating wind can significantly reduce battery capacity in the mini-grid. The proposed system consumes 34% less batteries than the existing system. Implementing this optimum system can result in greater benefit to the local people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Data envelopment analysis (DEA) is one the most successful techniques in the field of Operations Research. DEA is a non-parametric and objective approach for evaluating the relative efficiency of a set of decision-making units. The original DEA proposal contemplated the total freedom of variation of weights. This free variation may lead to situations with non-realistic weights and to the impossibility of incorporating the judgments of decision-makers. This work studies the links between multicriteria decision analysis (MCDA) and DEA by introducing weight restrictions in a DEA model using a methodology developed to obtain criteria weights in a MCDA context: the so-called Revised Simos' Procedure. The presented approach is suitable to be applied in the field of economics and management, being an intuitive and simple enough method for decision-makers who are not familiar with working with DEA models or multicriteria decision analysis. A classic example is presented, where the results found with this approach are compared with the results of other approaches which also use multicriteria decision analysis as a tool to obtain weight restrictions for a DEA model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Providing electricity in off-grid island communities is a big challenge, exacerbated by the high cost of transporting fossil fuels and the non-viability of extending grid connections. Installing renewable energy systems in these areas is deemed a practical solution, especially supporting just energy transitions in these communities. However, the lack of information about resource availability and the most suitable locations hinders effective planning. This paper aims to determine the sufficiency of available renewable energy sources to meet the electricity demand of off-grid island communities. It is achieved through a three-phased approach: (1) an assessment stage; (2) geospatial analysis; and (3) technical potential estimation. The approach is applied in three island communities in Palawan, namely Araceli, Balabac, and Cuyo, where a diesel power plant currently provides electricity to its households and commercial/institutional establishments. The results indicate that the three islands can be powered by 3, 1.5, and 11 MW solar photovoltaic farms, respectively, which is sufficient to meet the projected demand until 2030. The approach can be helpful, especially for off-grid island communities, as they plan to provide universal electricity access using renewable energy sources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ecosystem services (ES) and urban services (US) can comparably improve human well-being. Models for integrating ES and US with unexpressed and objective needs of defined groups of stakeholders may prove helpful for supporting decisions in landscape planning and management. In fact, they could be applied for highlighting landscape areas with different characteristics in terms of services provided. From this base, a suitability spatial assessment model (SUSAM) was developed and applied in a study area considering different verisimilar scenarios that policy makers could analyse. Each scenario is based on the prioritization of a set of services considering a defined group of stakeholders. Consistent and comparable ES and US indices of spatial benefiting areas (SBA) of services were calculated using GIS spatialization techniques. These indices were aggregated hierarchically with the relevance of services according to a spatial multicriteria decision analysis (S-MCDA). Results include maps for each scenario showing detailed spatial indices of suitability that integrate the local availability of SBA of ES and US, along with their relevance. The results were compared with known landscape classes identified in previous studies, which made it possible to interpret the spatial variation of suitability in the light of known landscape features. A complete sensitivity analysis was performed to test the sensitiveness of the model's outputs to variations of judgements and their resistance to the indicators' variation. The application of the model demonstrated its effectiveness in a landscape suitability assessment. At the same time, the sensitivity analysis and helping to understand the model behaviour in the different landscape classes also suggested possible solutions for simplifying the whole methodology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present research study develops and implements an integrated methodology for the evaluation and prioritization of appropriate sites for sustainable offshore wind-farm development at a regional level. The methodological framework includes the application of several siting criteria (technical, spatial, economic, social and environmental) proposed either by the national legislative framework (Specific Plan for Spatial Planning and Sustainable Development for Renewable Energy) or the international literature with the combined use of geographic information systems (GIS) and multi-criteria decision methods, namely the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) and technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS). The whole methodology provides a decision-making process for offshore wind-farm planning at regional level. The proposed methodology and the outputs of this work can be used to ensure the sustainable spatial development and policy of renewable energy resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses and compares the sustainability of the water plans in the Spanish River basins according to the objectives of the Water Framework Directive. Even though the concept of sustainability has been traditionally associated with the triple bottom line framework, composed of economic, environmental, and social dimensions, in this paper sustainability has been enlarged by including governance aspects. Two multicriteria decision analysis approaches are proposed to aggregate the sustainability dimensions. Results show that the environmental dimension plays the most important role in the whole sustainability (40%) of water basins, followed by both economic and social criteria (25%). By contrast, the dimension of governance is the least important for sustainability (11%). A classification of the Spanish basins according to their sustainability indicates that the water agency with the highest sustainability is Western Cantabrian, followed by Eastern Cantabrian and Tagus. By contrast, Minho-Sil, Jucar, and Douro are the least sustainable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy planning has become one of the most powerful tools for urban planning even if several constraints, (i.e., aesthetic, archaeological, landscape) and technological (low diffusion of Renewable Energy Sources, RES) reduce its spreading. An efficient and sustainable urban planning process should be based on detailed energy issues, such as: (i) the effective energetic characteristics and needs of the area like urban density and energy consumption, (ii) the integration of different RES and (iii) the diffusion of high efficiency technologies for energy production like cogeneration and district heating. The above-mentioned energetic issues and constraints must be constantly updated, in order to evaluate the consequences on environment and landscape due to new distributed generation technologies. Moreover, energy strategies and policies must be adapted to the actual evolution of the area. In this paper the authors present a Geographical Information Database System (GIS DB) based on: (i) the availability of land use (Land Capability Classification, LCC) to evaluate the productive potential; (ii) the estimation of residential energy consumptions (e.g., electricity), (iii) the integration of RES. The GIS DB model has been experimented in a wide area of Central Italy, considering exclusively the solar energy source for energy generation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A pressing question that arises during the planning of an ecological restoration process is: where to restore first? Answering this question is a complex task; it requires a multidimensional approach to consider economic constrains and the preferences of stakeholders. Being the problem of spatial nature, it may be explored effectively through Multicriteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) performed in a Geographical Information System (GIS) environment. The proposed approach is based on the definition and weighting of multiple criteria for evaluating land suitability. An MCDA-based methodology was used to identify priority areas for Forest Landscape Restoration in the Upper Mixtec region, Oaxaca (Mexico), one of the most degraded areas of Latin America. Socioeconomic and environmental criteria were selected and evaluated. The opinions of four different stakeholder groups were considered: general public, academic, Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and governmental officers. The preferences of these groups were spatially modeled to identify their priorities. The final result was a map that identifies the most preferable sites for restoration, where resources and efforts should be concentrated. MCDA proved to be a very useful tool in collective planning, when alternative sites have to be identified and prioritized to guide the restoration work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Early access to medicines allows the prescription of a medicine before it is available in the public formulary to patients with severe or rare diseases with high unmet needs who have no authorised therapeutic alternatives available. In this context, consistent decision making is difficult, and a systematic assessment procedure could be useful to tackle complex situations and guarantee the equity of medicines' access. A multidisciplinary panel (MP) conducted four workshops to develop an early access framework based on a reflective multiple criteria decision analysis (MCDA). A set of 12 criteria was agreed: eight quantitative (severity of disease, urgency, efficacy, safety, internal and external validity, therapeutic benefit and plausibility) and four qualitative (therapeutic alternative, existence of precedents, management impact and costs). Quantitative criteria were weighted using a five-point scale. The relative importance of quantitative criteria had mean weights from 4.7 to 3.6, showing its relevance in the decisions. The framework was tested using two case studies, and reliability was assessed by re-test. The re-test revealed no statistical differences, indicating the consistency and replicability of the framework developed. MCDA may help to structure discussions for heterogeneous treatment requests, providing predictability and robustness in decision making involving sensitive and complex situations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most water distribution networks were built a few decades ago, showing symptoms of deterioration. Additionally, current renewal rates are insufficient to overcome pipe networks' continuous ageing process. The development of methodologies for assisting the definition of pipe rehabilitation, including which pipes, and when and what financial amounts to allocate to this activity, are of the utmost importance. These methodologies typically have to attend to several points of view, for which multicriteria decision analysis (MCDA) techniques may be used. The current paper demonstrates and discusses the application of two MCDA techniques—the ELECTRE TRI-C and FlowSort—to a real water distribution network. Both techniques allowed assigning every single pipe to a predefined priority category, although the ELECTRE TRI-C proved to be more effective. These approaches imply that the planning of investment needs is carried out based on individual pipes, but these approaches are not consistent with the actual rehabilitation projects. A clustering technique called affinity propagation, together with cost functions, were applied to define and quantify homogeneous rehabilitation units. Even so, the methodology did not prove to be rigorous enough for the selection of pipes to be rehabilitated. On the other hand, it proved effective to estimate annual budgets for rehabilitation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the context of the energy transition, sound decision making regarding the development of renewable energy systems faces various technical and societal challenges. In addition to climate-related uncertainties affecting technical issues of reliable grid planning, there are also subtle aspects and uncertainties related to the integration of energy technologies into built environments. Citizens' opinions on grid development may be ambiguous or divergent in terms of broad acceptance of the energy transition in general, and they may have negative attitudes towards concrete planning in their local environment. First, this article identifies the issue of discrepancies between preferences of a fixed stakeholder group with respect to the question of the integration of renewable energy technology, posed from different perspectives and at different points in time, and considers it as a fundamental problem in the context of robust decision making in sustainable energy system planning. Second, for dealing with that issue, a novel dynamic decision support methodology is presented that includes multiple surveys, statistical analysis of the discrepancies that may arise, and multicriteria decision analysis that specifically incorporates the opinions of citizens. Citizens are considered as stakeholders and participants in smart decision-making processes. A case study applying agent-based simulations underlines the relevance of the methodology proposed for decision making in the context of renewable energies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, evidence-based policymaking and risk mitigation have been confronted with limited decision-making mechanisms under conditions of increased uncertainty. Such methods are particularly called for in contexts where reliable data to a large extent are missing and where the chosen policy would impact a variety of sectors. In this paper, we present an application of an integrated decision-making framework under ambiguity on how to contain the COVID-19 virus spread from a national policy point of view. The framework was applied in Jordan and considered both local epidemiologic and socioeconomic estimates in a multistakeholder multicriteria context. In particular, the cocreation process for eliciting attitudes, perceptions, and preferences amongst relevant stakeholder groups has often been missing from policy response to the pandemic, even though the containment measures' efficiency largely depends on their acceptance by the impacted groups. For this, there exist several methods attempting to elicit criteria weights, values, and probabilities ranging from direct rating and point allocation methods to more elaborated ones. To facilitate the elicitation, some of the approaches utilise elicitation methods whereby prospects are ranked using ordinal importance information, while others use cardinal information. Methods are sometimes assessed in case studies or more formally by utilising systematic simulations. Furthermore, the treatment of corresponding methods for the handling of the alternative's values has sometimes been neglected. We demonstrate in our paper an approach for cardinal ranking in policy decision making in combination with imprecise or incomplete information concerning probabilities, weights, and consequences or alternative values. The results of our cocreation process are aggregated in the evaluation of alternative mitigation measures for Jordan, showcasing how a multistakeholder multicriteria decision mechanism can be employed in current or future challenges of pandemic situations, to facilitate management and mitigation of similar crises in the future, in any region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper demonstrates the application of multicriteria decision analysis (MCDA) methodology in a real case study aiming to choose the best rehabilitation intervention of an industrial water main. This methodology is composed of three main stages: problem identification, structuring, and evaluation. Problem structuring, a crucial stage for the outcomes, includes identifying objectives, selecting scenarios within the analysis period, defining problem alternatives, and defining the problematic type. Problem evaluation includes the selection of assessment metrics, selection of the aggregation method, application of the method, and a sensitivity and robustness analysis. Two scenarios, nine assessment metrics, and seven alternatives are established, and two ranking methods (the additive model and ELECTRE III method) are used to compare the alternatives. The results show that the best solution corresponds to building a new pipe and deactivating the existing one, as it significantly reduces the pipe failure risk and O&M costs, whereas the worst solution is always the status quo case, since it is the only alternative that does not improve the system performance, independently of the ranking method and the analyzed scenario. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Starting from the most recent international debate on the theme of cultural landscape, this study explores the theme of landscape as a 'common good' and as a field of investigation and experimentation of an innovative model of long-term sustainable tourism development. In this context, the document illustrates a multi-stakeholder spatial decision-making process based on an evaluation approach that is useful to support decision-makers in defining improvement strategies for resilient landscapes. The methodology was experimented on and tested as part of the 'Sila Labscape' project conducted in Sila National Park (Southern Italy), a UNESCO site of excellence. The purpose of the study is to support the park's community in acquiring a greater awareness of the values and resources present within the park and to stimulate co-design for the enhancement and management of environmental and cultural sites. Starting from the representation of the landscape perceived by users, it is possible to trace the values and meanings of the most attractive places. The most relevant results concern the identification of perceived landscape values, the recognition of shared values, and their consequent use to map 'places of value'. The elaboration, structuring, and evaluation processes allow the tracing of new touristic routes and the expression of shared intersubjective perception that are useful for supporting decision-makers in the development of potential integrated development strategies and actions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the solutions to reduce environmental emissions is related to the deployment of electric vehicles (EVs) with sustainable energy. In order to be able to increase the number of electric vehicles in circulation, it is important to implement optimal planning and design of the infrastructure, with particular reference to areas equipped with charging stations. The suitable analysis of the location of current electric vehicle charging stations (EVCSs) is the central theme of this document. The research focused on the actual location of the charging stations of five major EVCS companies in the province by selecting Istanbul as the study area. The study was conducted through a three-step approach and specifically (i) the application of the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) method for creating the weights of the 6 main and 18 secondary criteria that influence the location of EVCSs; (ii) a geospatial analysis using GIS considering each criterion and developing the suitability map for the locations of EVCSs, and (iii) application of the technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS) to evaluate the location performance of current EVCSs. The results show that the ratio between the most suitable and unsuitable areas for the location of EVCSs in Istanbul and the study area is about 5% and 4%, respectively. The results achieved means of improving sustainable urban planning and laying the basis for an assessment of other areas where EVCSs could be placed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agriculture decision support systems (DSSs) play an important role in facilitating evidence-based agricultural decision-making for improving agribusiness productivity. Evaluating and selecting the most appropriate agriculture DSS for sustainable agribusiness is, however, challenging due to the existence of production and marketing alternatives, a variety of objective functions from economic to lifestyle to long-term sustainability, and the subjectiveness and imprecision involved in the evaluation process. To help decision makers effectively deal with these issues, this paper presents a multicriteria analysis approach for evaluating and selecting the most appropriate agriculture DSS for sustainable agribusiness. The subjective assessments of decision makers in the evaluation process are formulated using linguistic variables approximated by fuzzy numbers. The concept based on the positive and the negative ideal solutions is applied for producing a performance index value for every agriculture DSS alternative across all evaluation criteria based on which the most appropriate agriculture DSS is. An empirical study is presented for demonstrating the step-wise process for evaluating and selecting the most appropriate agriculture DSS for sustainable agribusiness. The outcome from the performance evaluation process allows agribusinesses to effectively adopt appropriate agriculture DSSs for achieving competitive advantages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The nonparametric assessment of police efficiency and effectiveness is challenging due to the stochastic nature of criminal behavior and the subjective dependence on multiple decision criteria, leading to different prospects depending on the regulation, necessity, or organizational objective. There is a trade-off between sustainable efficiency and effectiveness in many police performance assessments, because many departments can be crime-specialized or cannot reproduce good results effectively on more severe or complex occurrences. This study aims to provide a non-compensatory ranking classification combining Conditional Frontier Analysis with the PROMETHEE II methodology for the multidimensional efficiency and effectiveness analysis of police. The results on Pernambuco (Brazil) Police departments offer interesting perspectives for public administrations concerning prioritizations of units based on the mitigation of resources and strategic objectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In fire-suppressed landscapes, managers make difficult decisions about devoting limited resources for prescribed fire. Using GIS-based multicriteria decision analysis, we developed a model assessing ecological need for prescribed fire on Michigan's state-owned lands, ranging from fire-dependent prairies, savannas, barrens, and oak and pine forests to fire-intolerant mesic forests, and including a diversity of wetlands. The model integrates fine-scale field-collected and broad-scale GIS data to identify where prescribed fire needs are greatest. We describe the model's development and architecture, present results at multiple scales, introduce the concepts of "fire gaps" and "fire sink", and rate the fire needs of more than 1.8 million hectares into one of six fire needs classes. Statewide, fire needs increase with decreasing latitude. The highest and lowest needs occur in southwestern Michigan and the Upper Peninsula, respectively, but actual fire application rates for these regions are inverted. The model suggests burn rates should be increased 2.2 to 13.4 times to burn all lands with greater than high fire needs. The model identifies regional patterns; highlights specific sites; and illustrates the disparity of fire needs and fire application. The modeling framework is broadly applicable to other geographies and efforts to prioritize stewardship of biodiversity at multiple scales. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research expands the applicability of the Feasible Goals (FGoal) Pareto frontier multiple criteria method to display the Edgeworth–Pareto hull using interactive decision maps (IDMs). Emphasis is placed upon the development of a communication architecture to display the Pareto frontiers, which includes a client device, a web server, and a dedicated computation server implemented with sockets. A standalone application on the latter processes client-server requests and responses to display updated information on the client. Specifically, the dedicated computation server is responsible for calculating the information needed to generate the Edgeworth–Pareto hull. This is delivered to the web server to generate the IDM to be displayed on the client device. The key innovation of this work is a tool that is developed to aid decision-makers with a network-based computational architecture that includes a computational server constantly in communication with a web server for fast responses to client requests to represent IDMs. Results show that this innovation avoids time-consuming communication, and this approach to represent IDMs on the web facilitates collaboration among decision-makers because they can analyze several complex problems in different browser windows and decide which problem and solution better correspond to their aims. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We propose an efficient integrated approach of spatial decision-making systems and geographical information science for spatially explicit sustainable development mapping. The approach was developed, and its efficiency examined for sustainability assessment in East Azerbaijan Province, Iran. To achieve this goal, sustainable development indicators were employed through GIS decision rule and spatial analysis. Accordingly, 13 main criteria and 44 sub-criteria were identified and prepared as GIS dataset. The fuzzy analytical network process (FANP) method was employed to derive the criteria weights and their significance. We also applied the Global Sensitivity Analysis (GSA) for minimizing the uncertainties associated with the FANP weights. The Ordered Weighted Averaging (OWA) method was applied to aggregate the indicators and develop the sustainable development maps. Results confirmed that integrated GIS-based decision rules can be applied for any sustainable development mapping efficiently. Results of this research present an approach for sustainable development assessment and can be applied for similar research effectually. In the case of East Azerbaijan Province, the detailed results represent the unbalanced sustainable development within the different counties of this province. This requires taking necessary actions to ensure more balanced and just economic development in the province. The degree of sustainable development shows a significant spatial correlation with the industrial activities, employment, demography, poverty and infrastructure properties. The obtained results are of great importance for decision makers to identify efficient approaches in light of sustainable development mapping. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To reduce emissions in the energy sector and reach worldwide climate goals, further expansion of renewable energy sources (RES) is inevitable. Local opposition has increased in recent years, resulting in the need for more consideration of acceptance issues in the planning process of RES projects. To fill this gap, a method is introduced to consider the dimension of social acceptance in a holistic approach and at an early project stage. In a two-step procedure, a municipal interest profile is created, followed by an examination of possible expansion projects based on the municipal profile. Both hard and soft characteristics of a given project are assessed in combination. Using the example of two potential scenarios for biomass expansion in a given municipality in Germany, the methodology is put to the test. The results show that with the new method House of municipal Energy (HomE), the interest profile of a municipality can be quantified in a comprehensible and transparent way. It is further shown that, depending on the initial objective function of the municipality, different expansion scenarios can be advantageous. In the examined case, the larger biogas plant achieves a higher utility value, since a clearly higher local added value can be generated. A smaller plant, which is only operated with waste materials, is preferable with regard to the required area and lower environmental impact. However, the advantages of the larger plant outweigh those of the smaller plant for the investigated example. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the dynamics of floods in dry environments and predicting an accurate flood hazard map considering multiple standards and conflicting objectives is of great political and planning importance in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's vision for the year 2030, in order to reduce losses in lives, property, and infrastructure. The objectives of this study are (1) to develop a flood vulnerability map identifying flood-prone areas along the Al-Shamal train railway pathway; (2) to forecast the vulnerability of urban areas, agricultural land, and infrastructure to possible future floods hazard; and (3) to introduce strategic solutions and recommendations to mitigate and protect such areas from the negative impacts of floods. In order to achieve these objectives, multicriteria decision analysis based on geographic information systems (GIS-MCDA) is used to build a flood hazard map of the study area. The analytic hierarchy process (AHP) is applied to extract the weights of eight criteria which affect the areas which are prone to flooding hazards, including flow accumulation, distance from the wadi network, slope, rainfall density, drainage density, and rainfall speed. Furthermore, the receiver operating characteristic (ROC Curve) method is used to validate the presented flood hazard model. The results of the study reveal that there are five degrees of flooding hazard along the Al-Shamal train path, ranging from very high to very low. The high and very high hazard zones comprise 19.2 km along the path, which constitutes about 26.45% of the total path length, and are concentrated at the intersections of the Al-Shamal train pathway with the Bayer and Al-Makhrouk wadis. Moderate, low, and very low flood severity areas constitute nearly 53.39 km, representing 73.55% of the total length (72.59 km) of the track. These areas are concentrated at the intersection of the Al-Shamal train track with the Haseidah Al-Gharbiyeh and Hsaidah Umm Al-Nakhleh wadis. Urban and agricultural areas that are vulnerable to high and very high flooding hazards are shown to have areas of 29.23 km2 (22.12%) and 59.87 km2 (46.39%), respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the quality of the municipal waste sorting process in seven waste management centers in Slovenia was assessed using the qualitative multicriteria analysis (MCA) method DEX (Decision EXpert) implemented in DEXi software, which is based on multicriteria decomposition of the problem and utility functions in the form of "if–then" decision rules. The study was based on eight types of secondary raw materials. The quality of the secondary raw materials, the regularity of the delivery of secondary raw materials to recycling units based on the sorting efficiency, and the loading weight of the individual baled fractions in the transport of secondary raw materials for recycling were the main parameters used in the model. The final assessment shows "good" waste management service in centers A and D. Centers B, C, and F were rated "average". The "bad" rating was assigned to centers E and G. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Systematic failure analysis generally enhances the ability of engineering decision-makers to obtain a holistic view of the causal relationships that often exist within the systems they manage. Such analyses are made more difficult by uncertainties and organisational complexities associated with critical and inevitable industrial maintenance activities such as major overhauls, outages, shutdowns, and turnarounds (MoOSTs). This is perhaps due to the ratio of tasks-to-duration typically permitted. While core themes of MoOSTs including planning, contracts, costing, execution, etc., have been the focus of most research activities, it is worth noting that the ability to successfully transfer and retain MoOSTs knowledge is still under-investigated. Effectively implementing a case study-based approach for data collection, the current study explores the harmonisation of various risk assessments (i.e., fault tree analysis and reliability block diagrams) and multicriteria decision analysis (MCDA) tools to investigate perceived barriers to MoOSTs knowledge management and experience transfer. The case study selected for this study is a dual process line all-integrated cement manufacturing plant (the largest of such process configuration in its region). The justification for this choice of industry was driven by the volume and frequency of MoOSTs executed each year (typically 4–1 per process line), thereby providing a good opportunity to interact with industrial experts with immense experience in the management/execution of MoOSTs within their industry. A multilayered methodology was adopted for information gathering, whereby baseline knowledge from an earlier conducted systematic review of MoOSTs practices/approaches provided fundamental theoretical trends, which was then complemented by field-based data (from face-to-face interviews, focus group sessions, questionnaires, and secondary information from company MoOSTs documentation). During the analysis, fault tree analysis (FTA) and reliability block diagrams (RBDs) were simultaneously used to generate the causal relationships and criticality that exist between identified barriers, while the MCDA (in this case analytical hierarchy process) was used to identify and prioritise barriers to MoOSTs knowledge management and experience transfer, based on sensitivity analysis and consistency of approach. The primary aim of this study is to logically conceptualise core barriers/limiters to knowledge in temporary industrial project environments such as MoOSTs, as well as enhance the ability of decision-makers to prioritise learning efforts. The results obtained from analysis of data identify three major main criteria (barriers) and 23 subcriteria ranked according to level of importance as indicated from expert opinions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

International trade in food knows no borders, hence the need for prevention systems to avoid the consumption of products that are harmful to health. This paper proposes the use of multicriteria risk prevention tools that consider the socioeconomic and institutional conditions of food exporters. We propose the use of three decision-making methods-Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to the Ideal Solution (TOPSIS), Elimination et Choix Traduisant la Realité (ELECTRE), and Cross-Efficiency (CE)-to establish a ranking of countries that export cereals to the European Union, based on structural criteria related to the detection of potential associated risks (notifications, food quality, corruption, environmental sustainability in agriculture, and logistics). In addition, the analysis examines whether the wealth and institutional capacity of supplier countries influence their position in the ranking. The research was carried out biannually over the period from 2012-2016, allowing an assessment to be made of the possible stability of the markets. The results reveal that suppliers' rankings based exclusively on aspects related to food risk differ from importers' actual choices determined by micro/macroeconomic features (price, production volume, and economic growth). The rankings obtained by the three proposed methods are not the same, but present certain similarities, with the ability to discern countries according to their level of food risk. The proposed methodology can be applied to support sourcing strategies. In the future, food safety considerations could have increased influence in importing decisions, which would involve further difficulties for low-income countries.

On the maintenance task list of each water distribution system (WDS) operator, determination of the order of undertaken repairs seems quite a typical task. Characteristics of damages, their localization, and other factors that influence repair sequencing have a sound impact on the execution of such tasks. In the case of the most complex cases where numerous failures of different types occur at the very same time (i.e., due to earthquakes), there is a long list of selection criteria that have to be analyzed to deliver an objectively logical schedule for repair teams. In this article, authors attempt to find out if it is possible to define pipe rankings in having obtained the best factors for defined objective functions (criteria), making it feasible to deliver judicious repair sequencing. For the purposes of this paper, a survey has been carried out. Its conclusions made it possible to propose a method to create rankings of pipes and evaluate them using a selected multicriteria decision method: preference ranking organization method for enrichment evaluation (PROMETHEE). The work was carried out for five different disaster scenarios that had been supplied by 'The Battle of Post-Disaster Response and Restoration' organization committee. Obtained results might be further used to finetune this sequencing method of undertaken repairs, while conclusions could be useful to model similar events in WDS when required. This article is an extended paper based on the conference preprint presented at the 1st International Water Distribution Systems Analysis (WDSA)/International Computing & Control for the Water Industry (CCWI) Joint Conference in July 23–25, 2018 in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The technological components regarding building cladding are designed for ensuring thermo-hygrometric comfort conditions within habitable spaces and realising smart buildings. Often the solutions adopted are identified referring only to the characteristics of mechanical and energy materials without considering the ecological–environmental properties in an urban context. Thus, it is appropriate to choose technological components not only according to material type, but also ecological aspects pursued through presence and/or structured integration of natural elements. The technical-design forms based on "building–nature" integration allows, on one hand, the sustainable soil use with multiple benefits (ecosystem services) that natural systems produce, on the other hand, the identification of technological solutions sized referring environmental quality levels achieved through appropriate natural species use. In this way, it can be obtained lower buildings investment and maintenance costs, and greater energetic–environmental benefits. So, it is proposed an evaluation protocol for settlement transformation interventions structured considering environmental effects obtained with Nature-Based Solutions (NBSs) into the project. According to ecological–environmental quality level achieved with NBSs, the technological component is sized according to preliminary design parameters (noise reduction and solar irradiation degree) obtained through NBSs. The total performance level of technological solutions is expressed using Economic–Environmental Indicators. The protocol is tested on social housing case in Anagnina district of Rome (Italy). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]