A Hierarchical Multiobjective Framework for Water Resources Planning

Abstract

A combination of the TECHCOM methodology with the surrogate worth trade-off (SWT) method is outlined. A summary of both TECHCOM and SWT which centers on the attributes of each is given; an explanation of what a combined methodology might be expected to do is also developed. A demonstration problem using the Maumee River Basin Level-B land resources model is also provided. Fitting a complex multiobjective optimization problem into a hierarchical multilevel structure as an aid in decisionmaking is the major contribution here. The overall problem is decomposed into submodels whose independence can be ensured by using pseudovariables, which can then be coordinated at the next higher level in the hierarchy. The methodology developed is considerably more restrictive than the original TECHCOM formulation, but the multiobjective optimizations ensure that a Pareto-optimal solution is found, rather than a solution which is based only on preference ordering.