Sensitivity, responsivity, stability and irreversibility as multiple objectives in civil systems

Abstract

This paper recommends the consideration of sensitivity, stability, risk, and irreversibility as objective functions in water resource management models within the framework of multiobjective analysis. Six major sources of uncertainties and errors in systems modeling are identified. They are associated with the following model characteristics: model structure (topology), model parameters, model scope or focus, data, optimization technique, and human subjectivity. In particular, the major objective of this paper is to set the stage for the development of an analytical and operational multiobjective framework which will provide decision-makers and plamers with alternatives that consider systems' sensitivity, responsivity, stability and irreversibility along with cost and other performance indices as multiple objectives. This type of a framework should have a very wide spectrum of applications in water and related land resources, environmental studies, energy, and others. The Surrogate Worth Trade-off method is proposed for the solution of the resulting multiobjective optimization problem.