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Multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) is one of the main decision-making problems which aims to determine the best alternative by considering more than one criterion in the selection process. MCDM has manifold tools and methods that can be applied in different fields from finance to engineering design. This entry aims to provide a survey on the MCDM concept, its applications, main categories, and different methods. The final section provides manifold information and statistics on the published works in the MCDM fields. Some of the main methods are also listed in this section.

Stochastic multicriteria acceptability analysis (SMAA) is a family of multiple criteria decision making (MCDM) methods dealing with incomplete, imprecise, and uncertain information on the evaluations and preference model parameters. As it provides a general framework that has extensions to deal with various specificities in MCDM problems, the development of SMAA methods and their applications in real-life decision-making problems have been increased over the recent years. This paper provides an up-to-date literature review of different SMAA methods and their applications in various areas. First, we selected, from different on-line data base, 118 articles published between 1998 and 2017. We categorized the selected papers into theoretical and applied. While the theoretical papers were analyzed based on the method’s aggregation procedure, type of problem, type of method’s outputs and inputs, the applied papers were separated and analyzed by application areas. Then, we provide some descriptive statistics, analyzing the papers regarding to publication year and journals of publication. Finally, we provide some guidelines to assist decision-makers in the choice of a SMAA method on a specific decision-making context and some future research directions.

The measurement of sustainability is actively used today as one of the main preventative instruments in order to reduce the decline of the environment. Sustainable decision-making in solving energy issues can be supported and contradictory effects can be evaluated by scientific achievements of multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) techniques. The main goal of this paper is to overview the application of decision-making methods in dealing with sustainable energy development issues. In this study, 105 published papers from the Web of Science Core Collection (WSCC) database are selected and reviewed, from 2004 to 2017, related to energy sustainability issues and MCDM methods. All the selected papers were categorized into 9 fields by the application area and into 10 fields by the used method. After the categorization of the scientific articles and detailed analysis, SWOT analysis of MCDM approaches in dealing with sustainable energy development issues is provided. The widespread application and use of MCDM methods confirm that MCDM methods can help decision-makers in solving energy sustainability problems and are highly popular and used in practice.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to discuss the advantage of a combinatory methodology presented in this study. The paper suggests that the comparison with results of previously developed methods is in high agreement. Design/methodology/approach This paper introduces a combined compromise decision-making algorithm with the aid of some aggregation strategies. The authors have considered a distance measure, which originates from grey relational coefficient and targets to enhance the flexibility of the results. Hence, the weight of the alternatives is placed in the decision-making process with three equations. In the final stage, an aggregated multiplication rule is employed to release the ranking of the alternatives and end the decision process. Findings The authors described a real case of choosing logistics and transportation companies in France from a supply chain project. Some comparisons such as sensitivity analysis approach and comparing to other studies and methods provided to validate the performance of the proposed algorithm. Originality/value The algorithm has a unique structure among MCDM methods which is presented for the first time in this paper.

The present research aims to select optimal areas for the installation of wind farms in the north-eastern part of Cuba. The research is based on the free software QGIS, Hierarchical Process Analysis, databases of the information of the alternatives and criteria and Geographic Information Systems (GIS), which makes it possible to know the places where these farms will be installed. In addition, experts were consulted to obtain the weights or level of importance of the selected criteria, such as distance to ports, distances to common roads, distances to population centers, to electrical grids and finally the wind speed. As a result, a mathematical conceptual model was obtained for the selection of optimal zones for the installation of wind farms in the eastern north of Cuba, by means of the MCDM and GIS methods, where it was determined that, within the evaluated alternatives of wind farms, Gibara III is the optimal one. These models will allow the development of wind projects in the eastern region of Holguin, and to be able to manage human, financial and material resources. La presente investigación tiene como objetivo seleccionar áreas óptimas para la instalación de parques eólicos en la zona nororiental de Cuba. La investigación se basa en el software libre QGIS, Análisis Jerárquico de Procesos, bases de datos de la información de las alternativas y criterios y Sistemas de Información Geográfica (SIG), que permite conocer los lugares donde se instalarán estas granjas. Además, se consultó a expertos para obtener los pesos o nivel de importancia de los criterios seleccionados, como distancia a puertos, distancias a vías comunes, distancias a centros poblados, a redes eléctricas y finalmente la velocidad del viento. Como resultado se obtuvo un modelo conceptual matemático para la selección de zonas óptimas para la instalación de parques eólicos en el norte oriental de Cuba, mediante los métodos MCDM y GIS, donde se determinó que, dentro de las alternativas de energía eólica evaluadas fincas, Gibara III es la óptima. Estos modelos permitirán desarrollar proyectos eólicos en la región oriental de Holguín, y poder dirigir recursos humanos, financieros y materiales.

The weights of criteria in multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) problems are essential elements that can significantly affect the results. Accordingly, researchers developed and presented several methods to determine criteria weights. Weighting methods could be objective, subjective, and integrated. This study introduces a new method, called MEREC (MEthod based on the Removal Effects of Criteria), to determine criteria’ objective weights. This method uses a novel idea for weighting criteria. After systematically introducing the method, we present some computational analyses to confirm the efficiency of the MEREC. Firstly, an illustrative example demonstrates the procedure of the MEREC for calculation of the weights of criteria. Secondly, a comparative analysis is presented through an example for validation of the introduced method’s results. Additionally, we perform a simulation-based analysis to verify the reliability of MEREC and the stability of its results. The data of the MCDM problems generated for making this analysis follow a prevalent symmetric distribution (normal distribution). We compare the results of the MEREC with some other objective weighting methods in this analysis, and the analysis of means (ANOM) for variances shows the stability of its results. The conducted analyses demonstrate that the MEREC is efficient to determine objective weights of criteria.

Different power generation technologies have different advantages and disadvantages. However, if compared to traditional energy sources, renewable energy sources provide a possibility to solve the climate change and economic decarbonization issues that are so relevant today. Therefore, the analysis and evaluation of renewable energy technologies has been receiving increasing attention in the politics of different countries and the scientific literature. The household sector consumes almost one third of all energy produced, thus studies on the evaluation of renewable energy production technologies in households are very important. This article reviews the scientific literature that have used multiple-criteria decision-making (MCDM) methods as a key tool to evaluate renewable energy technologies in households. The findings of the conducted research are categorized according to the objectives pursued and the criteria on which the evaluation was based are discussed. The article also provides an overview and in-depth analysis of MCDM methods and distinguishes the main advantages and disadvantages of using them to evaluate technologies in households.

This study was executed in the northern part of Basrah Governorate in southern Iraq to evaluate the suitability of lands for date palm cultivation by integrating fuzzy logic, remote sensing, and geographic information systems. Nine criteria were studied, including chemical properties (EC, pH, O.C, CaCO₃, and CEC) and physical properties encompassing soil particle size distribution, soil depth, and soil bulk density, in addition to the supervised classification map. The importance and influence of all criterion have been determined through a Multi-Criteria Decision-Making (MCDM) method. Fuzzy logic was then employed to develop a specific mathematical model for evaluating land suitability for date palm cultivation and to produce a land suitability map for study area. 73.96% of the studied lands are unsuitable (N1), while moderately suitable (S2) lands constituted 15.45%, and marginally suitable (S3) lands constituted 10.59%. Lands that classified as S1 were missed due to urban expansion, high soil salinity, high carbonate minerals, and unsuitable soil depth for date palm cultivation. moreover, the developed mathematical equation can be applied to assess land suitability for date palm cultivation in areas with similar conditions to the study area. اجريت الدراسة بهدف تقييم مدى ملاءمة الأراضي لزراعة اشجار نخيل التمر شمال محافظة البصرة في جنوب العراق من خلال دمج المنهج المضبب مع نظم المعلومات الجغرافية. تمت دراسة 9 معايير تشمل خصائص كيميائية (الايصالية الكهربائية والاس الهيدروجيني والنسبة المئوية للكاربون العضوي والسعة التبادلية الكتيونية والنسبة المئوية لمعادن الكاربونات) وخصائص فيزيائية (التوزيع الحجمي لمفصولات التربة وعمق التربة والكثافة الظاهرية)، فضلا عن خريطة الاستعمال الحالي للأراضي. تم تحديد أهمية وتأثير كل معيار من خلال طريقة اتخاذ القرار متعددة المعايير. ثم تم استخدام المنهج المضبب لتطوير نموذج رياضي خاص بتقييم ملائمة الأراضي لزراعة أشجار النخيل وإنتاج خريطة ملائمة الأراضي لمنطقة الدراسة. أظهرت النتائج ان 73.96% من الأراضي المدروسة غير ملائمة (N1) لزراعة أشجار النخيل، بينما كانت الأراضي متوسطة الملائمة (S2) بنسبة 15.45% والحدية الملائمة بنسبة 10.59%، يلاحظ عدم وجود أراضي ملائمة جدا بسبب ارتفاع ملوحة التربة ومعادن الكربونات فضلا عن عمق التربة الغير مناسب لزراعة أشجار النخيل. ويمكن للمعنيين أخذ النتائج بنظر الاعتبار للاستفادة الأمثل من الأراضي في هذه المنطقة. بالإضافة إلى ذلك، يمكن تطبيق المعادلة الرياضية المطورة لتقييم ملائمة الأراضي لزراعة أشجار النخيل على الأراضي المشابهة لمنطقة الدراسة.

In the realm of multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) problems, the selection of a weighting method holds a critical role. Researchers from diverse fields have consistently employed MCDM techniques, utilizing both traditional and novel methods to enhance the discipline. Acknowledging the significance of staying abreast of such methodological developments, this study endeavors to contribute to the field through a comprehensive review of several novel weighting-based methods: CILOS, IDOCRIW, FUCOM, LBWA, SAPEVO-M, and MEREC. Each method is scrutinized in terms of its characteristics and steps while also drawing upon publications extracted from the Web of Science (WoS) and Scopus databases. Through bibliometric and content analyses, this study delves into the trend, research components (sources, authors, countries, and affiliations), application areas, fuzzy implementations, hybrid studies (use of other weighting and/or ranking methods), and application tools for these methods. The findings of this review offer an insightful portrayal of the applications of each novel weighting method, thereby contributing valuable knowledge for researchers and practitioners within the field of MCDM.