Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) Program
This Web application is designed to assist in assessing and prioritizing
the relative importance of various criteria when determining the best
option for a defined problem. It is based on a mathematical model that
was developed in the early 1970s by Thomas Saaty (Saaty, T.L., The
Analytic Hierarchy Process, Pittsburgh: RWS Publication, 1990). Saaty’s
analytical hierarchy process includes and measures all tangible and intangible,
quantitatively measurable and qualitative criteria, and calibrates each
into a numerical scale. The process works by providing a sequence of pairs
of criteria (i.e. each criterion is evaluated by comparing it with all
the others in a sequence of pairings). For each pairing, participants
are asked to rank, on a scale from -9 to +9, how important that criterion
is compared with the other one. Continuing with this procedure, the mathematical
model eventually gives a relative weight for each criterion, and the summation
is normalized to 100%. The model also provides a consistency ratio, which
shows how consistent the evaluation of the criteria was during the comparison.
A low value (ideally below 0.10) is proof of good consistency
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