scholarly journals A Multiobjective Decision-Making Model for Risk-Based Maintenance Scheduling of Railway Earthworks

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 965
Author(s):  
Irina Stipanovic ◽  
Zaharah Allah Bukhsh ◽  
Cormac Reale ◽  
Kenneth Gavin
Keyword(s):  
Utility Theory ◽  
Structural Reliability ◽  
Structural Performance ◽  
Maintenance Planning ◽  
Relative Importance ◽  
User Cost ◽  
Multi Attribute Utility Theory ◽  
Network Maintenance ◽  
Decision Making Model ◽  
Do So

Aged earthworks constitute a major proportion of European rail infrastructures, the replacement and remediation of which poses a serious problem. Considering the scale of the networks involved, it is infeasible both in terms of track downtime and money to replace all of these assets. It is, therefore, imperative to develop a rational means of managing slope infrastructure to determine the best use of available resources and plan maintenance in order of criticality. To do so, it is necessary to not just consider the structural performance of the asset but also to consider the safety and security of its users, the socioeconomic impact of remediation/failure and the relative importance of the asset to the network. This paper addresses this by looking at maintenance planning on a network level using multi-attribute utility theory (MAUT). MAUT is a methodology that allows one to balance the priorities of different objectives in a harmonious fashion allowing for a holistic means of ranking assets and, subsequently, a rational means of investing in maintenance. In this situation, three different attributes are considered when examining the utility of different maintenance options, namely availability (the user cost), economy (the financial implications) and structural reliability (the structural performance and subsequent safety of the structure). The main impact of this paper is to showcase that network maintenance planning can be carried out proactively in a manner that is balanced against the needs of the organization.

scholarly journals Robustness of the Multi-Attribute Utility Model for Bridge Maintenance Planning

2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 404-415 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zaharah Allah Bukhsh ◽  
Irina Stipanovic ◽  
Sandra Skaric Palic ◽  
Giel Klanker
Keyword(s):  
Sensitivity Analysis ◽  
Optimal Solution ◽  
Risk Tolerance ◽  
Critical Parameters ◽  
Maintenance Planning ◽  
Bridge Management ◽  
Utility Model ◽  
Attribute Weights ◽  
Multi Attribute Utility Theory ◽  
Decision Making Model

Optimisation of maintenance planning is an essential part of bridge management. With the purpose to support maintenance planning, a multi- objective decision-making model is introduced in this paper. The model is based on multi-attribute utility theory, which is used for the optimisation process when multiple performance goals have to be taken into account. In the model, there are several parameters, which are freely chosen by the decision maker. The model is applied to the inventory of 22 bridges, where four Key Performance Indicators were determined for four performance aspects:  reliability, availability, costs and environment. A sensitivity analysis is performed by changing risk tolerance parameter and attribute weights to determine the robustness of the model. The Multi-Attribute Utility model and sensitivity analysis presented in this paper will help decision-makers to examine the robustness of the optimal solution by dynamically changing the critical parameters.

scholarly journals Categorization of the Condition of Railway Embankments Using a Multi-Attribute Utility Theory

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (23) ◽  
pp. 5089 ◽  
Author(s):  
Meho Saša Kovačević ◽  
Mario Bačić ◽  
Irina Stipanović ◽  
Kenneth Gavin
Keyword(s):  
Utility Theory ◽  
Theory Model ◽  
Maintenance Planning ◽  
Railway Infrastructure ◽  
Economic Climate ◽  
Decision Support Framework ◽  
Multi Attribute Utility Theory ◽  
Maintenance Activities ◽  
Infrastructure Maintenance ◽  
Ground Penetrating

In the current economic climate, it is crucial to optimize the use of all resources regarding railway infrastructure maintenance. In this paper, a multi-attribute decision support framework is applied to categorize railway embankments in order to prioritize maintenance activities. The paper describes a methodology to first determine the current condition of embankments using a combination of ground penetrating radar (GPR) surveys, visual inspection, and historical data about maintenance activities. These attributes are then used for the development of a multi-attribute utility theory model, which can be used as a support for decision making process for maintenance planning. The methodology is demonstrated for the categorization of 181 km of railway embankments in Croatia.

scholarly journals STRATEGIES FOR MINIMIZING INFORMATION ASYMMETRIES IN CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS: PROJECT MANAGERS’ PERCEPTIONS

2014 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 424-440 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anita Ceric
Keyword(s):  
Information Systems ◽  
Corporate Culture ◽  
Utility Theory ◽  
Construction Projects ◽  
Project Managers ◽  
Relative Importance ◽  
Information Asymmetries ◽  
Risk Minimization ◽  
Bureaucratic Control ◽  
Multi Attribute Utility Theory

Communication risk is of crucial importance in construction projects. The situation in which one of the project parties is better informed than another is known as information asymmetry. This problem is addressed by the principal-agent theory. According to this theory, information asymmetries cause three problems: adverse selection, moral hazard, and hold up. The focus here is on strategies for minimizing information asymmetries in the construction phase. A survey of project managers was conducted to establish an understanding of the relative importance of risk-minimization strategies established in the literature: bureaucratic control (contracts), information systems, incentives (bonuses), corporate culture, reputation, and trust. The multi-attribute utility theory was used to analyze the responses. According to the project managers who participated in the survey, trust is the most important strategy in the construction phase, followed by bureaucratic control (contracts) and information systems.

scholarly journals Network level bridges maintenance planning using Multi-Attribute Utility Theory

2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (7) ◽  
pp. 872-885 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zaharah Allah Bukhsh ◽  
Irina Stipanovic ◽  
Giel Klanker ◽  
Alan O’ Connor ◽  
Andre G. Doree
Keyword(s):  
Utility Theory ◽  
Maintenance Planning ◽  
Multi Attribute Utility Theory

The Six E’s of Consumer Choice

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gordon Moore ◽  
John A. Quelch ◽  
Emily Boudreau
Keyword(s):  
Consumer Choice ◽  
Relative Importance ◽  
Health And Wellness ◽  
Healthcare Decision ◽  
Do So

Whenever consumers make a choice—in healthcare or in other situations—they do so based on the benefits they anticipate. Chapter 5 focuses on the most common benefits consumers seek when making health and wellness decisions. Though they may vary in relative importance based upon the healthcare decision at hand, these six commonly sought benefits are economy, effectiveness, empathy, efficiency, empowerment, and experience. This chapter reviews each of these benefits in-depth, highlighting examples of each in today’s market. Consumers have different ways of assessing these benefits ranging from simultaneously trading off importance between them to using four shortcuts that make comparisons easier.

scholarly journals Pharmaceuticals from natural products: current trends

2002 ◽  
Vol 74 (1) ◽  
pp. 145-150 ◽  
Author(s):  
PETER R. SEIDL
Keyword(s):  
Nineteenth Century ◽  
Natural Products ◽  
Biological Diversity ◽  
Pharmaceutical Companies ◽  
Relative Importance ◽  
Discovery Process ◽  
Current Trends ◽  
Principal Source ◽  
Do So

The use of products extracted from plants for medicinal purposes can be traced to the beginnings of civilization and up until the end of the nineteenth century natural products were the principal source of medicines. Since then their relative importance has oscillated according to the strategies of large pharmaceutical companies. Now that these strategies are changing, there are new opportunities for countries like Brazil, in which a large proportion of the world's biodiversity is located. There are, however, new circumstances that must be taken into consideration: material must be collected by groups which are formally authorized to do so and under the conditions of the Convention of Biological Diversity, the discovery process is being successively outsourced to smaller specialized firms and there is a growing integration with producers of cosmetics and phytomedicines.

scholarly journals An Emergency Decision-Making Method for Urban Rainstorm Water-Logging: A China Study

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. 3453 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiyong Ding ◽  
Juefang Cai ◽  
Guangxiang Guo ◽  
Chen Chen
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Bayesian Analysis ◽  
Emergency Management ◽  
Utility Theory ◽  
Urban Traffic ◽  
Economic Losses ◽  
Water Logging ◽  
Multi Attribute Utility Theory ◽  
Emergency Decision Making ◽  
Emergency Decision

With the rapid development of the urbanization process, rainstorm water-logging events occur more frequently in big cities in China, which causes great impact on urban traffic safety and brings about severe economic losses. Water-logging has become a hot issue of widespread concern in China. As one kind of natural disasters and emergencies, rainstorm water-logging has the uncertainties of occurrence, development, and evolution. Thus, the emergency decision-making in rainstorm water-logging should be carried out in stages according to its development trend, which is very complicated. In this paper, an emergency decision-making method was proposed for urban water-logging with a hybrid use of dynamic network game technology, Bayesian analysis, and multi-attribute utility theory. The dynamic game process between “rainstorm water-logging” and “decision-making group” was established and the dynamic generation of emergency schemes was analyzed based on Bayesian analysis in various stages of water-logging. In terms of decision-making attributes, this paper mainly considered two goals, i.e., ensuring smooth traffic and controlling emergency cost. The multi-attribute utility theory was used to select the final scheme. An example analysis in Guangzhou of China showed that the method is more targeted and can achieve emergency management objectives more effectively when compared with traditional methods. Therefore, it can provide reference for the scientific decision-making of emergency management in urban rainstorm water-logging.

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