Intelligent DSS Under Verbal Decision Analysis

Abstract

Verbal decision analysis (VDA) is a relatively new term introduced in Larichev and Moshkovich (1997) for a methodological approach to discrete multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) problems that was under elaboration by Russian researchers since the 1970s. Its main ideas, principles, and strength in comparison with other approaches to MCDM problems are summarized in Moshkovich, Mechitov, and Olson (2005) and in posthumous book (Larichev, 2006) as follows: problem description (alternatives, criteria, and alternatives’ estimates upon criteria) with natural language without any conversion to numerical form; usage of only those operations of eliciting information from a decision maker (DM) that deems to be psychologically reliable; control of DM’s judgments consistency, and traceability of results, that is, the intermediate and final results of a problem solution have to be explainable to DM. The main objective of this chapter is to provide an analysis of the methods and models of VDA for implementing them in intellectual decision support systems. We start with an overview of existing approaches to VDA methods and model representation. In the next three sections we present examples of implementing the methods and models of VDA for intellectual decision support systems designed for such problems solving as discrete multi-criteria choice, construction of expert knowledge base, and multi-criteria assignment problem. Finally, we analyze some perspective of VDA-based methods to implement them for intellectual decision support systems.