Visualization-based Reasonable Goals Method and its Web Application for Supporting e-Participation in Environmental Decision Making Alexander V. Lotov Lomonosov Moscow State University, Russia; and Dorodnicyn Computing Center of Russian Academy of Sciences, Russia

Plan of the talk 1. Pareto frontier methods 2. Reasonable Goals Method for databases 3. Interactive Decision Maps (IDM) technique and visualization of Pareto frontier 4. Environmental applications of RGM/IDM 5. Two main tasks of e-participation: a) informing lay stakeholders; and b) negotiation support 6. RGM/IDM in Web for informing lay stakeholders 7. RGM/IDM in Participatory Decision Support for River Basin Planning (Werra River, Germany) 8. Using Web for informing lay stakeholders on environmental decision problems related to risk

Classification of MCDA methods according to the role of the Decision Maker MCDA no-preference methods a priori preference methods interactive methods a posteriori preference (Pareto frontier) methods

Examples of Web application  A priori preference methods -- Web-HIPRE J.Mustajoki and R.P.Hämäläinen  Interactive Methods -- WWW-NIMBUS K.Miettinen and M.M.Mäkelä  Pareto frontier methods – RGDB for Web (Reasonable Goals for DataBases) A.Lotov, A.Kistanov and A.Zaitsev

Pareto frontier methods Pareto frontier methods are devoted to approximation of the Pareto set and informing DM concerning it. In contrast to preference-oriented methods, Pareto frontier methods inform the users and help them in forming their preferences. First method: parametric LP method for generating the efficiency frontier for linear bi-criterion problem (S.Gass and T.Saaty, 1955)

Parametric LP is used: changes from 0 to 1. Result: Pareto frontier is displayed

How to approximate the Pareto frontier How to inform the stakeholders about the Pareto frontier Two main problems must be solved in the framework of the Pareto frontier methods

Two basic ways for informing a stakeholder about the Pareto frontier By providing a list of the criterion points that belong to the Pareto frontier By visualization of the Pareto frontier

We apply VISUALIZATION — why it is needed? Visualization is a transformation of symbolic data into geometric information that must aid in the formation of mental picture of the symbolic data.

Structure of a mental model (result of psychological studies)

Visualization can influence all levels of human thinking!

Application of Pareto frontier visualization in finite multi-attribute choice problems The Reasonable Goals Method

A decision matrix is considered, i.e., table of N decision alternatives given by a finite number of attributes

We use visualization aimed at selecting a small number of «interesting» alternatives. It can be considered as a special form of data mining.

Example: real estate on sale

For illustrative purposes, let m=2 (criterion points are displayed on the plane)

Enveloping the criterion points

Approximating the Edgeworth-Pareto hull of Y C (the so-called CEPH)

Pareto frontier is analyzed by user and a preferred combination of criterion values (reasonable goal) is identified

The alternatives that are close to the goal are selected

General case (m from 3 to 8) Visualization of the Pareto frontier is based on approximation of the CEPH and application of the Interactive Decision Maps (IDM) technique.

The IDM technique consists in interactive and animated visualization of collections of bi-criterion slices of the CEPH (decision maps).

Approximation Before the start of interactive visualization, approximation of the CEPH is carried out. The main problem that was solved by us: optimal algorithms for polyhedral approximation of convex multi-objective bodies were developed.

Several applications of the IDM/RGM technique

Example application of the RGM/IDM for decision screening in local water quality planning (Kolomna city region at the Oka River) About decision alternatives were considered

Decision map that describes properties of decision alternatives

Decision map with the goal

Selected alternatives that are close to the goal

Exploration of pollution abatement cost in the Electricity Sector – Israeli case study (jointly with D. Soloveitchik and others from Ministry of National Infrastructures, Israel) Several hundreds of pollution reduction alternatives for the Israel electricity sector were developed for the period 2003 – 2013 by application of a complicated non-linear mathematical model. Then, the IDM-based screening was applied.

Web application of the RGM/IDM technique (Web RGDM software) for supporting e-participation index.htm

Scheme of the Web RGDB application server

Two main tasks to be solved in the framework of e-participation in environmental decision problems a) informing lay stakeholders on environmental decision problems (especially on possible strategies for solving the problems); and b) supporting negotiations (or aggregating stakeholders’ preferences).

Informing lay stakeholders on environmental problems Lay stakeholders (non-experts) usually have minimal knowledge on environmental problems and on the ways how to solve the problems. Nevertheless, they want and often are involved into actions related to such problems. It is clear that the gap between knowledge and actions of lay stakeholders can be misused by irresponsible politicians.

Web tools based on the RGM/IDM technique (RGDB) can help lay stakeholders better understand the feasibility frontiers and express preferences by selecting one or several strategies that best fit their concerns. It important that it can be done independently of mass media that can help thrusting the strategies selected by an expert on lay stakeholders.

Then, lay stakeholders can base their problem-related legal and political actions (including e-participation) on such knowledge. Web applications of the RGM/IDM technique are aimed, first of all, at supporting the first, pre-negotiation phase. However, they can be used for supporting negotiations, too.

The Web RGDB application server

Data input

Example of the RGDB display

Selected alternatives

Participatory Decision Support for Integrated River Basin Planning (Funding: German Federal Ministry of Education and Research) The Web RGDB was used as a part of DSS developed by Jörg Dietrich and Andreas H. Schumann, Ruhr University Bochum, Institute for Hydrology, Water Management and Environmental Engineering

DSS was calibrated for the Werra River Basin Weser Rhein EmsElbe Werra

For the Participatory Decision Support System, a special form of the Web RGDB was developed. It can support negotiations. It applies selecting several goals and related small groups of alternatives.

Architecture of the Web-based DSS

Applications of the IDM/RGM technique in decision problems with stochastic models (finite number of alternatives)

Model Let us consider N alternatives, while the i-th alternative is given by its cumulative distribution function F i (x)=P{v<x}, i=1,..,N, where v is a value to be maximized (or minimized).

Approach proposed by Y. Haimes (University of Virginia) Criteria are selected on the basis of the function F(x), i.e., y k =F(x)=P{v<v k }, k=1,..,m, where the values v k are specified by the DM. Then, any multi-criteria method can be applied. We use the IDM/RGM technique.

Example of the IDM/RGM application in decision making under risk In the example problem (variants of a dam), three criteria are used: expectation of losses (including known annual cost); probability of high losses denoted by P_h; and probability of catastrophic losses denoted by P_c. We are interested to minimize the values of all three criteria.

List of the alternatives

Decision map

Selected alternatives

Informing lay stakeholders on risks Using the approach of Y. Haimes, one can use the Web RGDB application server for informing lay stakeholders on environmental risks just in the same way as concerning any other environmental problem.

Detailed information on the approach is given in the book Lotov A.V., Bushenkov V.A., and Kamenev G.K. Interactive Decision Maps. Approximation and Visualization of Pareto Frontier. Kluwer Academic Publishers, 2004.

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