weightsFromCondorcetAndPreferences

Provider:PyXMCDA Version:1.0

Description

• Contact: Veneziano Thomas (thomas.veneziano@uni.lu)
• Reference: Bisdorff Raymond, Meyer Patrick, Veneziano Thomas ; Inverse analysis from a Condorcet robustness denotation of valued outranking relations ; ADT 2009 : 1st International Conference on Algorithmic Decision Theory , Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence : Springer Verlag, 21-23 october 2009, Venise, Italy, 2009

This web service allows to compute criteria significance weights from pairwise outranking comparisons, taking into account some robust properties. For ordered pairs a decision maker would ensure a strong outranking, the web service grants, if possible, that the outranking remains unchanged when changing the criteria weights, as long as the relative importance between all criteria weights don’t change (a weight greater than another has to stay greater). In addition to weightsFromCondorcetRelation, it allows to model decision-maker’s preferences on criteria, a for example constraints like w1 > w2, w3>w4+w5, w6=3, 2<w7<8, ...

Inputs

maxWeight

Description:

Indicates the maximal value a weight can reach

XMCDA related:

• Tag: methodParameters

• Code:

  <methodParameters>
         <parameter
                name="maxWeight"> <!-- REQUIRED  -->
                <value>
                       <integer>%1</integer>
                </value>
         </parameter>
  </methodParameters>
  

GUI information:

• Status: define parameter value via XMCDA file or input by hand, by default via XMCDA file.
• Name: maxWeight
  • Constraint description: The value should be a positive integer.

---

criteria

Description:

A list of criteria. Criteria can be activated or desactivated via the <active> tag (true or false). By default (no <active> tag), criteria are considered as active.

Using thresholds is optional, only the constant ones with mcdaConcept equals to “indifference”, “preference” or “veto” will be considered.

XMCDA related:

• Tag: criteria

• Code:

  <criteria>
         <criterion>
                <active>[...]</active>
                <thresholds>
                       <threshold
                              mcdaConcept="indifference"><!-- REQUIRED, must be indifference, preference or veto  -->
                              <constant><real>[...]</real></constant>
                       </threshold>
                </thresholds>
                [...]
         </criterion>
         [...]
  </criteria>
  

---

alternatives

Description:

A list of alternatives. Alternatives can be activated or desactivated via the <active> tag (true or false). By default (no <active> tag), alternatives are considered as active.

XMCDA related:

• Tag: alternatives

• Code:

  <alternatives>
         <alternative>
                <active>[...]</active>
                [...]
         </alternative>
         [...]
  </alternatives>
  

---

performanceTable

Description:

A performance table. The evaluations should be numeric values, i.e. <real>, <integer> or <rational>.

XMCDA related:

• Tag: performanceTable

---

condorcetDenotation

Description:

The Condorcet denotation for some alternative comparisons. The value associated to each ordered pair (a,b) must be an integer between 3 and -3. Note that all pairs with a value of 3 or -3 will be ignored during the computation phase, as they are trivial constraints.

XMCDA related:

• Tag: alternativesComparisons

---

criteriaComparisons

-Optional: yes, enabled by default

Description:

Allows to model criteria weights preferences. For each defined pair in criteriaComparisons, we create a constraint indicating that the sum of the initial criterion (or set of criteria) weights must be greater than those of the terminal criterion (or also set of criteria)

XMCDA related:

• Tag: criteriaComparisons

• Code:

  <criteriaComparisons>
         <pair>
                <initial><criterionID>[...]</criterionID></initial>
                <terminal><criterionID>[...]</criterionID></terminal>
         </pair>
         <pair>
                <initial><criteriaSet>[...]</criteriaSet></initial>
                <terminal><criteriaSet>[...]</criteriaSet></terminal>
         </pair>
         [...]
  </criteriaComparisons>
  

---

criteriaLowerBounds

-Optional: yes, enabled by default

Description:

Allows to indicate some criteria lower bounds, i.e. constraints like w(g1) > 3.

XMCDA related:

• Tag: criteriaValues

• Code:

  <criteriaValues>
         <criterionValue>
                <criterionID>[...]</criterionID>
                <value>[...]</value>
         </criterionValue>
         [...]
  </criteriaValues>
  

---

criteriaUpperBounds

-Optional: yes, enabled by default

Description:

Allows to indicate some criteria upper bounds, i.e. constraints like w(g1) < 5. Note that if you want to fix the value of a criteria, just give it some equal lower and upper bounds.

XMCDA related:

• Tag: criteriaValues

• Code:

  <criteriaValues>
         <criterionValue>
                <criterionID>[...]</criterionID>
                <value>[...]</value>
         </criterionValue>
         [...]
  </criteriaValues>
  

---

Outputs

messages

Description:

A list of messages generated by the algorithm.

XMCDA related:

• Tag: methodMessages

---

criteriaWeights

Description:

The set of criteria weights generated by the algorithm

XMCDA related:

• Tag: criteriaValues

---

For further technical details on the web service underlying this program, have a look at its documentation here.