Abstract
Decision making in engineering is becoming increasingly complex due to the large number
of alternatives and multiple conflicting goals. Powerful decision-support expert systems
powered by suitable software are increasingly necessary. In this paper, the multiple attribute
decision method known as analytical hierarchy process (AHP), which uses pairwise
comparisons with numerical judgments, is considered. Since judgments may lack a minimum
level of consistency, mechanisms to improve consistency are necessary. A method
to achieve consistency through optimisation is described in this paper. This method has
the major advantage of depending on just n decision variables the number of compared
elements and so is less computationally expensive than other optimisation methods, and
can be easily implemented in virtually any existing computer environment. The proposed
approach is exemplified by considering a simplified version of one of the most important
problems faced by water supply managers, namely, the minimisation of water loss.
