Fuzzy Comprehensive Evaluation of Maritime Boundary Delimitation Schemes Based on AHP-Entropy Weight Method

Abstract

The basic science region of marine management boundary lines among different provinces within the extent at least of the territorial sea is of great means to promote the sustainable growth of China's marine economy. There are 11 provinces along the coastal regions of the Chinese Mainland, and the scientific division of marine management boundaries among different provinces within the extents of the territorial sea is of great importance in promoting the sustainability of China's marine economy. We conducted a case study of maritime boundary demarcation between Jiangsu and Shandong Provinces, and a fuzzy evaluation index system with 14 indices in three subsets was developed to evaluate the benefits and drawbacks of maritime boundary delimitation, determine the optimal scheme, and address shortages in the current evaluation indicators and evaluation methods. The analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and the entropy weight method were used to calculate the combined weights of indices. Three maritime border delimitation schemes, namely, the historical boundary delimitation scheme, angle bisector delimitation scheme, and equidistance delimitation scheme, were evaluated using the comprehensive evaluation indices. Results show that the equidistance delimitation scheme is relatively superior to the two other schemes. The evaluation index is 0.504761, and the evaluation grade is “good.” The second best delimitation scheme is the angle bisector. The grade is “moderate,” and the evaluation index is 0.361641. The most ineffective boundary delimitation scheme is the historical one. The grade is “bad,” and the evaluation index is 0.135345. More consideration should be given to people's livelihoods and the safeguarding of national marine rights and interests in the late optimization of maritime boundary delimitation schemes. The fuzzy comprehensive evaluation technique based on AHP-entropy weight can help decision-makers choose the optimum scheme by providing a quantitative top-down sequence of schemes in terms of quality and solving estimate difficulties in maritime boundary delimitation schemes. As a result, it has a wide range of applications.