Abstract
First-level inspections could be provided by skilled volunteers or technicians to pre-screen the functional status of check dams. This paper discusses the design and testing of a support method in collaboration with the responsible technicians in evaluating inspection reports. Reports are based on linguistic rating scales that are systematically aggregated into indices by means of a multi-criteria TOPSIS method with fuzzy terms. The aggregation procedure is carried out for three parameters representing the structure’s status while highlighting any lack of completeness of inspection reports. The method was evaluated using inspection reports collected during a workshop in the Fella basin in the Italian Alps. The method allows the responsible technicians to set rules to categorise the aggregated indices in one of three levels, each corresponding with a course of action. Rules were useful to categorise the aggregated indices according to the structure’s status. Disagreements on rating defects suggest that a weighted aggregation procedure to calculate the indices might lead to overestimating or underestimating defects. Complementary data from historical inspections or remote sensing are required to initiate specific actions. The method can be applied to pre-screen different types of hydraulic structures after adaptation to the local conditions and functional requirements.
Highlights
Check dams and other stabilisation structures aim to reduce the risks of debris flows (Holub & Hubl, 2008)
The membership functions of Chen and Hwang (1992) were chosen (Figure 5) because they include fuzzy terms that account for the differences in precision between the rating options provided in the form
As a result of the calculations by the decision support method, check dam 1 was assigned the best level for parameters A, B and C, the results were divided for parameters B and C
Summary
Check dams and other stabilisation structures aim to reduce the risks of debris flows (Holub & Hubl, 2008). Without appropriate inspection and maintenance, the functional condition of structures often declines (Jakob & Hungr, 2005). The frequency and type of inspections depend on local circumstances and available financial resources (Holub & Hubl, 2008; Mazzorana, TrenkwalderPlatzer, Fuchs, & Hübl, 2014). Collaboration between relevant authorities and community organisations (Failing, Gregory, & Harstone, 2007) can take the form of visual inspection campaigns with volunteers in support of technicians (Cortes Arevalo et al, 2014). To evaluate inspections performed by skilled volunteers or technicians, a method is proposed that combines a well-established approach for multi-criteria evaluation with linguistic inputs and expert-based rules. This method aggregates ratings into indices and indicates reports’ completeness. This paper discusses the design and testing of the support method in collaboration with the intended users
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