Extension of the TOPSIS method for decision making problems under interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy environment

TOPSIS is one of the well-known methods for multiple attribute decision making (MADM). In this paper, we extend the TOPSIS method to solve multiple attribute group decision making (MAGDM) problems in interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy environment in which all the preference information provided by the decision-makers is presented as interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy decision matrices where each of the elements is characterized by interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy number (IVIFNs), and the information about attribute weights is partially known. First, we use the interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy hybrid geometric (IIFHG) operator to aggregate all individual interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy decision matrices provided by the decision-makers into the collective interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy decision matrix, and then we use the score function to calculate the score of each attribute value and construct the score matrix of the collective interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy decision matrix. From the score matrix and the given attribute weight information, we establish an optimization model to determine the weights of attributes, and construct the weighted collective interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy decision matrix, and then determine the interval-valued intuitionistic positive-ideal solution and interval-valued intuitionistic negative-ideal solution. Based on different distance definitions, we calculate the relative closeness of each alternative to the interval-valued intuitionistic positive-ideal solution and rank the alternatives according to the relative closeness to the interval-valued intuitionistic positive-ideal solution and select the most desirable one(s). Finally, an example is used to illustrate the applicability of the proposed approach.     

Correlation coefficient of interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy sets and its application to multiple attribute group decision making problems

In this paper, we investigate the group decision making problems in which all the information provided by the decision-makers is presented as interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy decision matrices where each of the elements is characterized by interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy number (IVIFN), and the information about attribute weights is partially known. First, we use the interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy hybrid geometric (IIFHG) operator to aggregate all individual interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy decision matrices provided by the decision-makers into the collective interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy decision matrix, and then we use the score function to calculate the score of each attribute value and construct the score matrix of the collective interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy decision matrix. From the score matrix and the given attribute weight information, we establish an optimization model to determine the weights of attributes, and then we use the obtained attribute weights and the interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy weighted geometric (IIFWG) operator to fuse the interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy information in the collective interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy decision matrix to get the overall interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy values of alternatives, and then rank the alternatives according to the correlation coefficients between IVIFNs and select the most desirable one(s). Finally, a numerical example is used to illustrate the applicability of the proposed approach.     

Research on AHP with interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy sets and its application in multi-criteria decision making problems

This paper investigates an approach for multi-criterion decision making (MCDM) problems with interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy preference relations (IVIFPRs). Based on the novel interval score function, some extended concepts associated with IVIFPRs are defined, including the score matrix, the approximate optimal transfer matrix and the possibility degree matrix. By using these new matrixes, a prioritization method for IVIFPRs is proposed. Then, we investigate an interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy AHP method for multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) problems. In the end, a numerical example is provided to illustrate the application of the proposed approach.     

An improved method on group decision making based on interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy prioritized operators

Interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy prioritized operators are widely used in group decision making under uncertain environment due to its flexibility to model uncertain information. However, there is a shortcoming in the existing aggregation operators (interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy prioritized weighted average (IVIFPWA)) to deal with group decision making in some extreme situations. For example, when an expert gives an absolute negative evaluation, the operators could lead to irrational results, so that they are not effectively enough to handle group decision making. In this paper, several examples are illustrated to show the unreasonable results in some of these situations. Actually, these unreasonable cases are common for operators in dealing with product averaging, not only emerging in IVIFPWA operators. To overcome the shortcoming of these kinds of operators, an improvement of making slight adjustment on initial evaluations is provided. Numerical examples are used to show the efficiency of the improvement.     

A group decision making approach based on aggregating interval data into interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy information

Group decision making is one of the most important problems in decision making sciences. The aim of this article is to aggregate the interval data into the interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy information for multiple attribute group decision making. In this model, the decision information is provided by decision maker, which is characterized by interval data. Based on the idea of mean and variance in statistics, we first define the concepts of satisfactory and dissatisfactory intervals of attribute vector against each alternative. Using these concepts, we develop an approach to aggregate the attribute vector into interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy number under group decision making environment. A practical example is provided to illustrate the proposed method. To show the validity of the reported method, comparisons with other methods are also made.     

The extended linear assignment method for multiple criteria decision analysis based on interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy sets

The theory of interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy sets is useful and beneficial for handling uncertainty and imprecision in multiple criteria decision analysis. In addition, the theory allows for convenient quantification of the equivocal nature of human subjective assessments. In this paper, by extending the traditional linear assignment method, we propose a useful method for solving multiple criteria evaluation problems in the interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy context. A ranking procedure consisting of score functions, accuracy functions, membership uncertainty indices, and hesitation uncertainty indices is presented to determine a criterion-wise preference of the alternatives. An extended linear assignment model is then constructed using a modified weighted-rank frequency matrix to determine the priority order of various alternatives. The feasibility and applicability of the proposed method are illustrated with a multiple criteria decision-making problem involving the selection of a bridge construction method. Additionally, a comparative analysis with other methods, including the approach with weighted aggregation operators, the closeness coefficient-based method, and the auxiliary nonlinear programming models, has been conducted for solving the investment company selection problem to validate the effectiveness of the extended linear assignment method.     

Extension of the LINMAP for multiattribute decision making under Atanassov’s intuitionistic fuzzy environment

The aim of this article is further extending the linear programming techniques for multidimensional analysis of preference (LINMAP) to develop a new methodology for solving multiattribute decision making (MADM) problems under Atanassov’s intuitionistic fuzzy (IF) environments. The LINMAP only can deal with MADM problems in crisp environments. However, fuzziness is inherent in decision data and decision making processes. In this methodology, Atanassov’s IF sets are used to describe fuzziness in decision information and decision making processes by means of an Atanassov’s IF decision matrix. A Euclidean distance is proposed to measure the difference between Atanassov’s IF sets. Consistency and inconsistency indices are defined on the basis of preferences between alternatives given by the decision maker. Each alternative is assessed on the basis of its distance to an Atanassov’s IF positive ideal solution (IFPIS) which is unknown a prior. The Atanassov’s IFPIS and the weights of attributes are then estimated using a new linear programming model based upon the consistency and inconsistency indices defined. Finally, the distance of each alternative to the Atanassov’s IFPIS can be calculated to determine the ranking order of all alternatives. A numerical example is examined to demonstrate the implementation process of this methodology. Also it has been proved that the methodology proposed in this article can deal with MADM problems under not only Atanassov’s IF environments but also both fuzzy and crisp environments.     

Fuzzy prioritized operators and their application to multiple attribute group decision making

In this paper, we investigate the triangular fuzzy multiple attribute group decision making (MAGDM) problem in which the attributes and experts are in different priority level. Motivated by the ideal of prioritized aggregation operators (R.R. Yager, Prioritized aggregation operators, International Journal of Approximate Reasoning 48 (2008) 263–274.), we develop some prioritized aggregation operators for aggregating triangular fuzzy information, and then apply them to develop some models for triangular fuzzy multiple attribute group decision making (MAGDM) problems in which the attributes and experts are in different priority level. Finally, a practical example about talent introduction is given to verify the developed approach and to demonstrate its practicality and effectiveness.