The α-weighted averaging operator

Abstract

This paper introduces a new type of mean applicable in various areas of science and practice: the α-weighted averaging operator (AWA). AWA has all the properties required from a linear averaging operator and some additional ones. We discuss the applications of AWA in data aggregation in various areas including uncertainty modeling (summarization, defuzzification), multiple-criteria and multi-expert decision-making and evaluation. We prove that when applied to fuzzy numbers, the α-weighted average converges to the possibilistic mean of a fuzzy number with the increasing number of elements in its support. As such the α-weighted average is a more general aggregation operator than the original possibilistic mean. When fuzzy subsets of the real line represent the information to be aggregated, AWA provides new means for their defuzzification compatible with the possibilistic moments, but applicable to discrete and subnormal fuzzy sets. We also introduce a generalized formulation of the α-weighted averaging operator (GAWA) that can be applied in multiple-criteria and multi-expert evaluation and decision-making problems. We suggest the use of GAWA in operations research theory and applications in the context of data aggregation, multiple-criteria and group evaluation and decision-making.