Edmundas Kazimieras Zavadskas,
Arturas Kaklauskas, Zenonas Turskis, and Jolanta Tamosaitiene
talk with ScienceWatch.com and answer a few questions
about this month's New Hot Papers in the field of
Engineering.
Article Title: Selection of the effective dwelling
house walls by applying attributes values determined at
intervals
Authors: Zavadskas, EK;Kaklauskas, A;Turskis,
Z;Tamosaitiene, J
Journal: J CIV ENG MANAG, Volume: 14, Issue: 2, Page: 85-93,
Year: JUN 2008
* Vilnius Gediminas Tech Univ, Fac Civil Engn, Dept Construct
Technol & Management, Sauletekio Al 11, LT-10223 Vilnius,
Lithuania. (addresses have been
truncated.)
Why do you think your paper is highly
cited?
Currently, decision-making assessment by multiple attributes is a relevant
and widely investigated topic. Multi-attribute decision making (MADM)
methods are widely analyzed in academic literature and are applied to
problem solving in real-life situations. The proposed methodology and
analyzed problem are quite relevant at the present time.
Our research describes and applies a novel multi-attribute decision-making
method titled the COmplex PRoportional ASsessment of alternatives with Grey
number (COPRAS-G). The COPRAS method or intelligent and biometric systems
based on this method may be used to analyze different alternative variants,
to determine their utility degree and their market value, as well as to get
diverse recommendations. Other MADM methods do not have such features. We
believe that is the reason why this article is highly cited.
Does it describe a new discovery, methodology, or
synthesis of knowledge?
Prof. Zavadskas has worked in the area of MADM since 1976 and Prof.
Kaklauskas since 1997. They have developed four new multiple criteria
decision-making methods:
1. A new method of complex determination of the weight of the criteria,
taking into account their quantitative and qualitative characteristics, was
developed. This method allows one to calculate and co-ordinate the weights
of the quantitative and qualitative criteria according to the above
characteristics.
"To design and achieve the effective life cycle of a
project, a complex analysis of its proposed stages, as well
as an evaluation of the interested parties, along with
their aims and potentialities, is needed."
2. A new method of multiple criteria complex proportional evaluation of the
projects, enabling the user to obtain a reduced criterion, determining
complex overall efficiency of the project, was suggested. This generalized
criterion is directly proportional to the relative effect of the values and
weights of the considered criteria, on the efficiency of the project.
3. In order to discover what price would enable a project to be evaluated
as competitive in the marketplace, a method of determining the degree of
utility and the market value of objects, based on a complex analysis of all
their benefits and drawbacks, was suggested. According to this method, the
projected degree of utility and their estimated market value are directly
proportional to the system of the criteria used to adequately describe them
and the values and significances of these criteria.
4. A new method of multiple-criteria multivariant designs of a building
life cycle, which enables the user to make computer-aided designs of up to
100,000 alternative project versions, was developed. Any building life
cycle variant obtained in this way is based on quantitative and conceptual
information.
The above second and third methods taken together are referred to as the
COmplex PRoportional ASsessment (COPRAS) method. Various publications in
journal listed in listed in
ISI Web of KnowledgeSM from
Clarivate
describe the COPRAS method extensively. Two aspects that make the COPRAS
method superior to the available MADM methods are as follows:
- This method may be used to estimate the utility degree of alternatives,
showing, as a percentage, the extent to which one alternative is better or
worse than other alternatives taken for comparison.
- This method may be used to estimate the market value of alternatives.
The COPRAS method was applied in practice during the Framework 5 project
CONSTRINNONET and the Framework 6 project BRITA in PuBs.
Zavadskas, together with Kaklauskas and other coworkers, used this method
to develop different web-based intelligent and biometric systems for
real-world applications.
Zavadskas, on the basis of his long-term scientific studies, including this
article, initiated a new EURO Working Group "OR in Sustainable Development
and Civil Engineering" (EWG - ORSDCE) and, in July 2009, it was established.
The research noted in our New Hot Paper for January 2010 proposes and
explains a novel multi-attribute decision-making method titled the "COmplex
PRoportional ASsessment of alternatives with Grey relations (COPRAS-G)."
The COPRAS-G deals with attributes determined by the grey relational grade.
The attribute values are expressed in intervals. A "real-life" case study
was used. It is a relevant problem of the refurbishment process in
Lithuania.
Would you summarize the significance of your paper
in layman's terms?
The COPRAS method, or the intelligent and biometric systems based on this
method, may be used to analyze any alternatives (books, loans,
entertainment, employers, living conditions, vacations, friends,
governments, social policies, ethical alternatives, etc.), to determine
their degree of utility and shows, as a percentage, the extent to which one
alternative is better or worse than other alternatives when taken for
comparison, priority, and market value, as well as to gather various
recommendations.
Quantitative and qualitative assessments are often required in order to
deal with the uncertainty caused by subjective and imprecise data.
Decision-making problems in construction management often involve a complex
process in which multiple requirements and conditions have to be taken into
consideration simultaneously when the available information is incomplete.
However, many papers also discuss decision-making as it relates to an
assessment of uncertainty and the finding of an optimal solution. COPRAS-G
aims to assist decision-makers in finalizing their decisions and also
outlines the uncertainty of a particular solution in a more precise manner.
The problems of dealing with uncertainty, subjectivity, and imprecise data
can be overcome by applying the newly developed method, COPRAS-G.
How did you b ecome involved in this research, and were there
any problems along the way?
Edmundas Kazimieras Zavadskas started researching the MADM methods using
the utility function in 1979. In 1987, he completed his post-doctoral
thesis "Multiple Attribute Decision-making in Construction Technological
Processes." In 1989, he was appointed to a professorship at the Vilnius
Gediminas Technical University. He is the author of over 50 books published
in Lithuanian, Russian, German, and English. He has published more than 350
scientific papers. In 23 years, he has acted as an academic adviser to 31
doctoral students and nine of them have defended or passed their
post-doctoral procedures, including Arturas Kaklauskas, Zenonas Turskis,
and Jolanta Tamošaitiene.
In June 2009, Clarivate selected an article by Zavadskas et.
al., as a
Fast
Breaking Paper in the field of Mathematics.
Arturas Kaklauskas is Chair of the Department of Construction Economics and
Real Estate Management and also Vice-Director of the Institute of Internet
and Intelligent Technologies at the Vilnius Gediminas Technical University
(VGTU). He has participated in more than 20 European Asian and US
international projects. The COPRAS method was employed in many of these
projects.
"Our research describes and applies a novel
multi-attribute decision-making method titled the COmplex
PRoportional ASsessment of alternatives with Grey number
(COPRAS-G)."
One of the main areas of our current research is an application of the
COPRAS method in the development of new and improved versions of existing
intelligent and biometric systems. In 1999, Kaklauskas completed his
post-doctoral thesis "Multiple Criteria Decision Support of Building Life
Cycle." He has published over 90 scientific papers.
In 2009, Zenonas Turskis completed his post-doctoral thesis
"Multi-attribute Assessment Modelling of Buildings' Life Cycle." He is the
author of over 70 scientific papers. In June 2009, Clarivate
ScienceWatch.com selected an article by Turskis as the
Fast Breaking
Paper in the field of Economics & Business.
In 2009, Jolanta Tamošaitiene defended her Ph.D. thesis "The
Multi-attribute Assessment of Management Decisions at the Stage of
Construction Planning." She is the author of about 20 scientific papers.
Where do you see your research leading in the
future?
We intend to further develop and improve the methodology and its
application by using new multi-attribute decision making (MADM) techniques,
in intelligent and biometric systems. We will expand this potential to
apply developed methods for the solution of problems within different
fields of real-world applications.
Do you foresee any social or political
implications for your research?
To design and achieve the effective life cycle of a project, a complex
analysis of its proposed stages, as well as an evaluation of the interested
parties, along with their aims and potentialities, is needed. The effect of
micro and macro environmental factors should also be taken into account.
Besides economic, political and legal/regulatory decisions, other aspects,
e.g., social, cultural, ethical, psychological, educational, environmental,
provisional, technological, organizational, and managerial, can be analyzed
using the COPRAS method.
A formalized presentation of research shows just how various changes in the
environment and the extent to which the goals pursued by various interested
parties are satisfied, causing corresponding changes in the value and
degree of utility in the life cycle of a project. With this in mind, is it
possible to solve the problem of optimization concerning the satisfaction
of requirements at reasonable expenditures? This requires the analysis of a
project life cycle's versions, allowing the discovery of an optimal
combination of goals pursued and available finances.
Edmundas Kazimieras Zavadskas, Professor, Dr.SC., Ph.D.
Principal Vice Rector
Chair of the Department of Construction Technology and Management
Vilnius Gediminas Technical University
Vilnius, Lithuania Web
Arturas Kaklauskas, Professor, Dr.SC., Ph.D.
Chair of the Department of Construction Economics and Property
Management
Vice-director of the Institute of Internet and Intelligent
Technologies
Vilnius Gediminas Technical University
Vilnius, Lithuania Web
Zenonas Turskis, Ph.D.
Department of Construction Technology and Management
Vilnius Gediminas Technical University
Vilnius, Lithuania Web
Jolanta Tamošaitiene, Ph.D.
Dean's Assistant in the Faculty of Civil Engineering
Department of Construction Technology and Management
Vilnius Gediminas Technical University
Vilnius, Lithuania Web