Hi Mehdi,

Thanks for the response of Alessandro - Yes AHP is one of the popular method in pool of MCDM family. But you have to know what exactly your decision problem needs. I mean based on the requirement of your decision model try to choose best fitted method. AHP is a method can synthesize your problem to hierarchical levels which allows you a better configuration. TOPSIS and VIKOR are ranking-based method which act based on distance. ELECTRE and PROMETHEE are outranking models and rank alternatives based on preferences. COPRAS is a ranking besed model for analyze of ratio. as well, WASPAS, MOORA, SAW, ARAS, TODIM...

I dont know what kind of problem you are going to solve, however please see the following list (most of them you can downliad in RG. or googleschola)

- Uhde, B., Hahn, W. A., Griess, V. C., & Knoke, T. (2015). Hybrid MCDA methods to integrate multiple ecosystem services in forest management planning: a critical review. Environmental management, 56(2), 373-388.

- Segura, M., Ray, D., & Maroto, C. (2014). Decision support systems for forest management: A comparative analysis and assessment. Computers and Electronics in Agriculture, 101, 55-67.

- Waeber, P. O., Nitschke, C. R., Le Ferrec, A., Harshaw, H. W., & Innes, J. L. (2013). Evaluating alternative forest management strategies for the Champagne and Aishihik Traditional Territory, southwest Yukon. Journal of environmental management, 120, 148-156.

- to better understanding of MCDM/MADM tools go through this articles:

- Zavadskas, E. K., Turskis, Z., & Kildienė, S. (2014). State of art surveys of overviews on MCDM/MADM methods. Technological and economic development of economy, 20(1), 165-179.

- Behzadian, M., Otaghsara, S. K., Yazdani, M., & Ignatius, J. (2012). A state-of the-art survey of TOPSIS applications. Expert Systems with Applications, 39(17), 13051-13069.

- Yazdani, M., & Graeml, F. R. (2014). VIKOR and its applications: A state-of-the-art survey. International Journal of Strategic Decision Sciences (IJSDS), 5(2), 56-83.

hope they will help you. regard to any more info let me know.

Wishes,

Morteza

Dear Alessandro 

Thanks for your answer.

Do you think the AHP method is the best method in forest management?

Regards

Mehdi Zandebasiri

Dear Morteza

Thanks for your answer.

Do you think it is better to use more complex methods (TOPSIS and VIKOR or ELECTRE and PROMETHEE  ) or procedures easier (AHP and SAW, ...) in forest management?

Deciosion making in forest management have special conditions as well  Long time of forest harvesting, Uncertainty in decision making, effet of climate change and social variables because of local residents.

Do you think this variables effect on decision making method?

Regards

Mehdi Zandebasiri

Hi Mehdi,

At first congratulations in your study and this topic can be very interesting. 

You can start reading and studying "sustainable" forest management, so i can help you as i have time. Also of course in today's multi variable environment, you and your study will confront to many complex variables and parameters which are interrelated and interconnected. Therefore, i suggest you to use ANP model for your variables and then please try to adopt COPRAS, TOPSIS or even PROMETHEE. The more effort on your work, more possibility to publish in popular journals. 

i am around. 

Morteza

Dear Morteza

Thanks for your answer

ANP?

ANP have very complicated in decision making. There are a lot of Pair-wise comparisons in ANP. Super Matrix have very complicated in decision making. Do you trust in the answer?

Regards

Mehdi Zandebasiri

Dear Mehdi,

Yes although many professionals have some doubts on ANP and criticize it, i believe still is a strong model even with huge load of computations, for that you can use SuperDecision software which gives you figures, schematic presentation and also reliable outcomes. 

Morteza

Dear Morteza

Noadays expert do not have much time to fill out the questionnaire. How we expect them for fill out the Supermatrix Pair-wise comparisons? Especially in forest  management with extensive relations in socio economic and environmental factors. Do you have experience in this field?

Regards

Mehdi

Dear Mehdi,

I would suggest to think about your point of view for a moment. Your question 'Which of Multi Criteria Decision Making methods is better for forest management?" is a kind I think no one can give you a short exact answer. Because, it sounds like these: which spice is better for cooking? - too general.

I absolutely agree with Morteza, numerous excellent methods are available for supporting the multi-criteria decision making but each of them have some decision problem types in which they can provide good or excellent results while in other cases they serve only on average.

So, I would suggest you to reformulate your research question, be more specific, even you will conclude that you should have to put not a sole but more questions.

Although APH look like a swiss knife among the methods in some literature, unfortunately there are many situations in which it is not the best choice. (e.g. there is not enough time to fill the questionaires, matrixes.) There is no royal road to multi criteria decision making, neither.

Best regards,

Ferenc

Dear Aliyeh

Thanks for your answer.

wise comparisons have very hardship and experts usually do not contribute in this woks. We have to accept the reality. Experts hardly contribute  in fill out the questionnaire. While ANP method inspects problem relations carefully  but it was very tedious for experts.  In your view what are methods in MCDM that  have more appropriate balance between feasibility with experts and accuracy of the method?

Regards

Mehdi

Dear Mehdi,

it depends on the nature of the decision problem. Different methods can be used for e.g. procurement of vehicles, hiring staff, selection among different area development strategies or design of the logistics routes, etc..

So, there is no optimal solution which can be used for all the decision cases. You have to select the method, based on the attributes of the decision problem, such as the numer of variables, the measurement scale of them, are they discrete of continuous, level of uncertainty in measures, missing values, ability to list all the influencing factors, and many more.

Best regards,

Ferenc

Dear Ferenc 

Thanks for your answer

That is right. Selection of MCDM type, depends on the nature of the decision problem.  In forest management we face with intricated problems. In complicated condition such as investigation of sustainable forest management, what are MCMDs ability and potential? My goal is condition analysis in MCDMs nor selection of royal road. I interest that we determine the ability of each method untill were determined application of them.

Regards

Mehdi

Dear Aliyeh

Thanks for your answer

Please do not mistake. I do not survey the royal road. I survey the conditions that  determined the application of MCDM methods. I interest that  what is plcae and role of  MCDM applications untill we determine the ability of each method.

Dear Aliyeh , Please do not forget a note also that neithor and no do not gather in the sentence!

Regards

Mehdi

If you do not know the 'data structure', then a fair method comparison is the best choice: Recent examinations clearly and unambiguously have shown that sum of ranking differences (SRD) realizes a multicriteria optimization. [Lourenco and Lebensztajn 2018] and [Rácz, et al.].

[Lourenço, J. M., & Lebensztajn, L. (2018). Post-Pareto Optimality Analysis with Sum of Ranking Differences. IEEE Transactions on Magnetics, Volume: 54, Issue: 8 (Aug. 2018) Article Sequence Number: 8202810 pp. (99), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1109/TMAG.2018.2836327]

[Anita Rácz, Dávid Bajusz and Károly Héberger, Consistency of QSAR models: Correct split of training and test sets, ranking of models and performance parameters SAR and QSAR in Environmental Research, 26 (2015) 683-700. Article Consistency of QSAR models: Correct split of training and te...