scholarly journals Siting military base camps through an MCDA framework

2021 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey C. Cegan ◽  
Maureen S. Golan
Keyword(s):  
Decision Analysis ◽  
Site Suitability ◽  
Military Base ◽  
Us Army ◽  
Relative Risks ◽  
Area Of Interest ◽  
Base Camp ◽  
Formal Framework ◽  
Army Officers ◽  
Criteria Weights

Abstract The process used to determine site suitability for military base camps lacks a formal framework for reducing relative risks to soldier safety and maximise mission effectiveness. Presently, military personnel responsible for determining site suitability of a base camp must assess large amounts of geographic, socioeconomic and logistical data, without a decision analysis framework to aid in the process. By adopting a multicriteria decision analysis (MCDA) framework to determine site suitability of base camps, battlespace commanders can make better, more defensible decisions. This paper surveys US Army officers with recent base camp experience to develop a set of initial criteria and weights relevant to base camp site selection. The developed decision framework is demonstrated using an MCDA methodology in an illustrative example to compare alternative base camp locations within a designated Area of Interest (AoI). Leveraging the site ranking output and/or criteria weights resulting from the methodology provides decision-making support that can be used in the field when time, resources and data may not be readily available.

scholarly journals Siting military base camps through an MCDA framework

2021 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey C. Cegan ◽  
Maureen S. Golan
Keyword(s):  
Decision Analysis ◽  
Site Suitability ◽  
Military Base ◽  
Us Army ◽  
Relative Risks ◽  
Area Of Interest ◽  
Base Camp ◽  
Formal Framework ◽  
Army Officers ◽  
Criteria Weights

Abstract The process used to determine site suitability for military base camps lacks a formal framework for reducing relative risks to soldier safety and maximise mission effectiveness. Presently, military personnel responsible for determining site suitability of a base camp must assess large amounts of geographic, socioeconomic and logistical data, without a decision analysis framework to aid in the process. By adopting a multicriteria decision analysis (MCDA) framework to determine site suitability of base camps, battlespace commanders can make better, more defensible decisions. This paper surveys US Army officers with recent base camp experience to develop a set of initial criteria and weights relevant to base camp site selection. The developed decision framework is demonstrated using an MCDA methodology in an illustrative example to compare alternative base camp locations within a designated Area of Interest (AoI). Leveraging the site ranking output and/or criteria weights resulting from the methodology provides decision-making support that can be used in the field when time, resources and data may not be readily available.

scholarly journals State-of-the-Art Prescriptive Criteria Weight Elicitation

2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-24 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mona Riabacke ◽  
Mats Danielson ◽  
Love Ekenberg
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Decision Support ◽  
Decision Theory ◽  
Decision Analysis ◽  
Analytical Methods ◽  
State Of The Art ◽  
Criteria Weights ◽  
Decision Making Processes ◽  
Method Of Assessment ◽  
Descriptive Theories

Comparatively few of the vast amounts of decision analytical methods suggested have been widely spread in actual practice. Some approaches have nevertheless been more successful in this respect than others. Quantitative decision making has moved from the study of decision theory founded on a single criterion towards decision support for more realistic decision-making situations with multiple, often conflicting, criteria. Furthermore, the identified gap between normative and descriptive theories seems to suggest a shift to more prescriptive approaches. However, when decision analysis applications are used to aid prescriptive decision-making processes, additional demands are put on these applications to adapt to the users and the context. In particular, the issue of weight elicitation is crucial. There are several techniques for deriving criteria weights from preference statements. This is a cognitively demanding task, subject to different biases, and the elicited values can be heavily dependent on the method of assessment. There have been a number of methods suggested for assessing criteria weights, but these methods have properties which impact their applicability in practice. This paper provides a survey of state-of-the-art weight elicitation methods in a prescriptive setting.

A Model for Selecting Viticultural Sites in the Piedmont Triad Region of North Carolina

2016 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 38-70 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Walter Nowlin ◽  
Rick L. Bunch
Keyword(s):  
North Carolina ◽  
Wine Industry ◽  
Land Use Land Cover ◽  
Site Suitability ◽  
The North ◽  
Area Of Interest ◽  
Fast Pace ◽  
North Carolina Piedmont ◽  
Selection For ◽  
A Site

The North Carolina wine industry is growing at a fast pace. Many new vineyards are being planted with European varieties. Vitis vinifera varieties in general are the most challenging species of grape grown, requiring considerable effort to consistently produce yields of appropriate volume and good quality. The model produced in this research was designed to help guide site selection for V. vinifera vineyards in the North Carolina Piedmont. This is accomplished using a site suitability model and predictive geophysical parameters. The area of interest is Rockingham County, North Carolina. The model consists of four sets of factors each weighted and combined into sub-model composites. These sub-model composites represent the capability/suitability of: topography, soil, land use/land cover, and climate. The four sub-model composites were weighted and combined to produce the final output that summarizes the viticultural site suitability for the study area.

scholarly journals Implementación de un método para alcanzar un paisaje resiliente mediante la ubicación apropiada de edificaciones rurales

2016 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 19 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jin Su Jeong ◽  
Lorenzo García Moruno ◽  
David González Gómez ◽  
Steve Carver
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
European Union ◽  
Decision Analysis ◽  
Decision Making Process ◽  
Location Planning ◽  
Complex Process ◽  
Rural Buildings ◽  
Criteria Weights ◽  
Eu Directives ◽  
Suitable Location

<p>Suitable location planning of rural buildings is a complex process to be in harmony with landscapes. This paper presents a multi-criteria spatial decision analysis approach using GIS techniques. The research aim is to evaluate the study area suitability to sustainably site tourism rural commercial buildings with landscapes. The criteria weights were decided by the authors with relevant literatures, regional polices and European Union (EU) directives and experts’ discussion. The results reveal the most suitable areas for siting them, not to find a single suitable solution. They explain the weighting flexibility strengths of the application in the decision making process.</p>

Soldiers in the Union Army

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lorien Foote
Keyword(s):  
American Revolution ◽  
Self Care ◽  
Lower Class ◽  
Union Army ◽  
Democratic Government ◽  
Us Army ◽  
Army Officers ◽  
The Us ◽  
Military Discipline ◽  
Union Soldiers

Soldiers enlisted in the Union Army from every state in the Union and the Confederacy. The initial volunteers were motivated to preserve the accomplishments of the American Revolution and save the world’s hope that democratic government could survive. They were influenced by their culture’s ideals of manhood and republican ideals of the citizen soldier. They served in regiments that retained close ties with their sending communities throughout the war. Recruits faced a difficult adjustment period when their units were mustered into the US Army. The test of battle taught soldiers to value some drills and discipline, but many soldiers insisted that officers respect their independence and equality. Soldiers successfully resisted many aspects of formal military discipline. Army life exposed conflicts between soldiers who sought to create moral regiments and soldiers who displayed manliness through fighting and drinking. Establishing honor before peers was an important component of soldier life. Effective soldiering involved enduring the boredom and disease of camp, the rigors of marching, and the terror of battle. To survive, soldiers formed close bonds with their comrades, mastered self-care techniques to stay healthy, applied skills learned from their civilian occupations on the battlefield, and remained connected to their families and communities. Conscription changed the character of the Union Army. Officers tightened discipline over the influx of lower-class “roughs.” Union soldiers generally demonized their enemies as inferior barbarians. Because of their interaction with slaves in the South, Union soldiers quickly shifted their support to emancipation. Although Christianity and ideals of civilized behavior placed some restraints on Union soldiers when they encountered southerners, they supported and implemented hard war measures against the South’s population and resources, and treated guerrillas and their supporters with particular brutality. In the election of 1864, Union soldiers voted to fight until the Confederacy was defeated.

scholarly journals Complementary use of the Ecosystem Service Concept and Multi-criteria Decision Analysis in Water Management

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mika Marttunen ◽  
Jyri Mustajoki ◽  
Virpi Lehtoranta ◽  
Heli Saarikoski
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Decision Analysis ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Ecosystem Service ◽  
Environmental Planning ◽  
Systematic Analysis ◽  
Multi Criteria Decision Analysis ◽  
Criteria Weights ◽  
Stakeholder Preferences ◽  
Pros And Cons

AbstractThe ecosystem service (ES) concept has increasingly been applied in environmental planning, while there are several decades of experience in applying multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) in complex planning situations. The aim of this article is to assess how the ES concept has been used in water management projects together with MCDA and to examine the experiences gained and make recommendations to overcome any identified challenges. Our conclusions are based on a systematic analysis of 23 articles that were selected among 206 articles focused on water-related studies using, for example, the terms multi-criteria and ecosystem services in the title, abstract or keywords. Here, we explore (i) at what level of detail ESs are included in the decision hierarchy, (ii) the pros and cons of the complementary use of the two approaches, and (iii) how the potential challenges related to the use of MCDA, such as the large number of criteria, double-counting, or assigning criteria weights, are addressed in the selected cases. The results reveal large differences between the case studies. It is shown that only a few case studies used ES categories to classify criteria in the decision hierarchy, that these cases included different numbers of ES criteria and non-ES criteria, and that most case studies elicited stakeholder preferences in MCDA. Although the paper focuses on water management projects, the conclusions regarding the advantages and pitfalls of the complementary use of the methods, as well as our recommendations, are also applicable to other environmental management contexts.

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