Pablo Aragonés-Beltrán

An Analytic Network Process approach for siting a municipal solid waste plant in the Metropolitan Area of Valencia (Spain).

In this paper the Analytic Network Process (ANP) is applied to select the best location for the construction of a municipal solid waste (MSW) plant in the Metropolitan area of Valencia (Spain). Selection of the appropriate MSW facility location can be viewed as a complex multicriteria decision-making problem that requires an extensive evaluation process of the potential MSW plant locations and other factors as diverse as economic, technical, legal, social or environmental issues. The decision-making process includes the identification of six candidate MSW plant sites and 21 criteria grouped into clusters for the construction of a network. Two technicians of the Metropolitan Waste Disposal Agency acted as decision makers (DMs). The influences between the elements of the network were identified and analyzed using the ANP multicriteria decision method. Two different ANP models were used: one hierarchy model (that considers AHP as a particular case of ANP) and another network-based model. The results obtained in each model were compared and analyzed. The strengths and weaknesses of ANP as a multicriteria decision analysis tool are also described in the paper. The main findings of this research have proved that ANP is a useful tool to help technicians to make their decision process traceable and reliable. Moreover, this approach helps DMs undertake a sound reflection of the siting problem.

Valuation of urban industrial land: An analytic network process approach

In this paper an application of the Analytic Network Process (ANP) to asset valuation is presented. It has two purposes: solving some of the drawbacks found in classical asset valuation methods and broadening the scope of current approaches. The ANP is a method based on Multiple Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) that accurately models complex environments. This approach is particularly useful in problems which work with partially available data, qualitative variables and influences among the variables, which are very common situations in the valuation context. As an illustration, the new approach has been applied to a real case study of an industrial park located in Valencia (Spain) using three different models. The results confirm the validity of the methodology and show that the more information is incorporated into the model, the more accurate the solution will be, so the presented methodology stands out as a good alternative to current valuation approaches.

Application of multicriteria decision analysis to jar-test results for chemicals selection in the physical-chemical treatment of textile wastewater.

Jar-test is a well-known tool for chemicals selection for physical-chemical wastewater treatment. Jar-test results show the treatment efficiency in terms of suspended matter and organic matter removal. However, in spite of having all these results, coagulant selection is not an easy task because one coagulant can remove efficiently the suspended solids but at the same time increase the conductivity or increase considerably the sludge production containing chemicals and toxic dyes. This makes the final selection of coagulants very dependent on the relative importance assigned to each measured parameter. In this paper, the use of multicriteria decision analysis (MCDA) is proposed to help on the selection of the coagulant and its concentration in the physical-chemical wastewater treatment, since textile wastewater contains hazardous substances. Therefore, starting from the parameters fixed by the jar-test results, these techniques will allow to weight these parameters, according to the judgements of wastewater experts, and to establish priorities among coagulants. Two well-known MCDA techniques have been used: analytic hierarchic process (AHP) and preference ranking organization method for enrichment evaluations (PROMETHEEs) and their results were compared. The method proposed has been applied to the particular case of textile wastewaters. The results obtained show that MCDA techniques are useful tools to select the chemicals for the physical-technical treatment.

University objectives and socioeconomic results: A multicriteria measuring of alignment

Universities develop technology transfer mechanisms as the tools required to undertake missions committed to the socioeconomic environment. In this work a new proposal to measure the extent to which the goals or strategic objectives of a university are aligned with the results obtained through its technology transfer mechanisms with the local community is presented. This will enable to perform a diagnosis, by comparing the situation sought by the University Management team (expected case) with the actual one that derives from the application of the plans that implement the technology transfer mechanisms (real case). To achieve this, two different Multicriteria Decision Analysis techniques e.g. Analytic Network Process (ANP) and Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) will be used. Both the methodology and the MCDA techniques proposed need to be explained and clarified to the different experts who collaborate in the study, hence the facilitating process, key to the whole procedure, will be analysed in detail. The model proposed in this study is applied to analyse the case of the National University of Colombia - Bogota Campus. Findings show that the following questions can be answered: (i) How much importance is granted by the University Management to the objectives of the University? (ii) To what extent are the objectives of the university fulfilled by the technology transfer mechanisms to the socioeconomic environment? (iii) Are the objectives of the university aligned with the results achieved through the technology transfer mechanisms?

An ANP- and AHP-based approach for weighting criteria in public works bidding

AbstractWhen the bidding conditions for a new public works contract are officially published, the contracting authority should count with objective criteria and weights to evaluate tenders. The evaluation criteria and weights are obtained from official contract documents. In this paper a new approach for the selection and measurement of the bidding criteria based on Analytic Hierarchy Processes (AHP) and Analytic Network Processes (ANP) is proposed. A hierarchy model and a 21-criterion network model have been developed and applied to two real cases: the first one is devoted to study the public bidding for the construction of an educational centre at the Polytechnic University of Valencia, whereas the second one analyses the public bidding for the remodelling and improvement of one section of a national road.

Analysis Of The Alignment Of Company Goals To Web Content Using Anp

Today, most institutions use their website as one of the major means of consolidating communications channels within their organization and among their customers and users. Nevertheless, many of these organizations either have not clearly formulated the goals they want to achieve through their website or do not know to what extent their website contributes to satisfying these goals. This paper presents a model based on Analytic Network Process (ANP) aimed at helping organization managers to verify if their website contents are appropriate for satisfying the goals they have established. This analysis is achieved by studying the relationships among the goals established for the website, website contents, and potential users grouped into segments. The model was applied to a study case, analyzing the website of a foundation pertaining to a major banking institution in Spain.

Selection of maintenance, renewal and improvement projects in rail lines using the analytic network process

Abstract This paper addresses one of the most common problems that a railway infrastructure manager has to face: to prioritise a portfolio of maintenance, renewal and improvement (MR&I) projects in a railway network. This decision-making problem is complex due to the large number of MR&I projects in the portfolio and the different criteria to take into consideration, most of which are influenced and interrelated to each other. To address this problem, the use of the analytic network process (ANP) is proposed. The method is applied to a case study in which the Local Manager of the public company, who is responsible for the MR&I of Spanish Rail Lines, has to select the MR&I projects which have to be executed first. Based on the results, it becomes evident that, for this case study, the main factor of preference for a project is the location of application rather than the type of project. The main contributions of this work are: the deep analysis done to identify and weigh the decision criteria, how to assess the alternatives and provide a rigorous and systematic decision-making process, based on an exhaustive revision of the literature and expertise.

Multicriteria Decision Making Methodologies Applied to the Selection of Best Available Techniques in the Ceramic Industry: Equalitarian vs Prioritised Weighting

This paper presents two methodologies to evaluate and select Best Available Techniques (BAT): a methodology based on equal weighting of criteria and the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). The aim of this work is the identification of the most sustainable BAT for the ceramic industry. To target these, 9 BAT options used in 13 alternative configurations of the ceramic tile manufacturing process have been considered and assessed on sustainability using relevant environmental, economic, technical and social indicators. After that, two multicriteria methodologies are applied. The first one combines screening techniques, according to economic feasibility, with graphical comparisons. The second one is the AHP method, which is based on the preferences of a decision maker to prioritize criteria and technological alternatives. This method is widely used in multicriteria decision problems because it is a structured tool that simplifies complex decisions. Applying both methodologies, the most sustainable scenario for the ceramic tiles industry combines heat recovery from flue gas with techniques to reduce noise or diffuse dust emissions and/or the flue gas depuration with CaCO3 and/or Ca(OH)2.

Tool Based on AHP and Its Application in the RURENER Local Actions Plan Evaluation

The RURENER Project, network of rural communities for energetic neutrality, has as main objective to involve rural communities in the design of energy policies in order to achieve energetic neutrality and promotion of an innovative development that encourage public and private investment in renewable energy sources and rational use of energy in rural areas. This paper shows the results of the application of AHP (Analytic Hierarchy Process) method as a tool with a double objective: to assess the impacts caused by the Local Action Plans of the communities participating in the RURENER project and to extrapolate their results to other rural communities.