Skip to main content
Log in

A General Approach to Multiattribute Classification Problems Based on Verbal Decision Analysis

  • Published:
Scientific and Technical Information Processing Aims and scope

Abstract

In this paper, we propose a general approach based on the verbal decision analysis (VDA) to ordinal, nominal–ordinal, and nominal multiattribute classification problems that is implemented in the STEPCLASS method. It includes the following techniques: application domain structuring with the determination of a classification problem type, flexible strategy of dialogue with the expert for acquiring a complete and consistent set of his/her classification rules with the possibility of modifying the application domain structure, and decomposition of large-size classification problems with the subsequent aggregation of classification rules over the set of all attributes.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

REFERENCES

  1. von Neumann, J. and Morgenstern, O., Theory of Games and Economic Behavior, Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1947, 2nd ed.

    MATH  Google Scholar 

  2. Keeney, R.L. and Raiffa, H., Decisions with Multiple Objectives: Preferences and Value Tradeoffs, New York: J. Wiley, 1976.

    MATH  Google Scholar 

  3. Jacquet-Lagrueze, E. and Siskos, Y., Assessing a set of additive utility functions for multicriteria decision making: The UTA method, Eur. J. Oper. Res., 1982, vol. 10, pp. 151–164.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Roy, B. and Bouyssou, D., Aide multicritère à la décision: Méthodes et cas, Paris: Economica, 1993.

    MATH  Google Scholar 

  5. Mousseau, V., Slowinski, R., and Zielniewicz, P., A user-oriented implementation of the ELECTRE-TRI method integrating preference elicitation support, Comput. Oper. Res., 2000, vol. 27, pp. 757–777.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Figueira, J., Mousseau, V., and Roy, B., Electre methods, in Multiple Criteria Decision Analysis: State of the Art Surveys, Figueira, J., Greco, S., and Ehrgott, M., Eds., Boston: Springer-Verlag, 2005, pp. 133–162.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  7. Greco, S., Matarazzo, B., and Slowinski, R., Rough sets theory for multicriteria decision analysis, Eur. J. Oper. Res., 2001, vol. 129, pp. 1–47.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Greco, S., Matarazzo, B., and Slowinski, R., Dominance-based rough set approach as a proper way of handling graduality in rough set theory, in Transactions on Rough Sets VII, Springer, 2007, vol. 7, pp. 36–52.

    MATH  Google Scholar 

  9. Blaszczynski, J., Greco, S., and Slowinski, R., Inductive discovery of laws using monotonic rules, Eng. Appl. Artif. Intell., 2012, vol. 25, no. 2, pp. 284–294.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Blaszczynski, J., Greco, S., and Slowinski, R., Multi-criteria classification: A new scheme for application of dominance-based decision rules, Eur. J. Oper. Res., 2007, vol. 181, pp. 1030–1044.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Zadeh, L., Fuzzy sets, Inf. Control, 1965, vol. 8, pp. 338–353.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Fernandez, E. and Navarro, J., A new approach to multi-criteria sorting based on fuzzy outranking relations: The THESEUS method, Eur. J. Oper. Res., 2011, vol. 213, no. 2, pp. 405–413.

    Article  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  13. Zopounidis, C. and Doumpos, M., Multicriteria classification and sorting methods: A literature review, Eur. J. Oper. Res., 2002, vol. 138, no. 2, pp. 229–246.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Perny, P., Multicriteria filtering methods based on concordance and non-concordance principles, Ann. Oper. Res., 1998, vol. 80, no. 1, pp. 137–166.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Belacel, N., Multicriteria assignment method PROAFTN: Methodology and medical applications, Eur. J. Oper. Res., 2000, vol. 125, pp. 175–183.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Leger, J. and Martel, J-M., A multicriteria assignment procedure for a nominal sorting problematic, Eur. J. Oper. Res., 2002, vol. 125, pp. 175–183.

    MathSciNet  MATH  Google Scholar 

  17. Belacel, N. and Boulassel, M.R., Multicriteria Fuzzy Classification Procedure PROCFTN: Methodology and medical application, Fuzzy Sets Syst., 2004, vol. 141, no. 2, pp. 203–217.

    Article  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  18. Belacel, N., Duan, Ch., and Inkpen, D., The k-closest resemblance approach for multiple criteria classification problems, in Modelling, Computation and Optimization Information and Management Sciences, Thi Hoai, and Pham Dinh Tao, Eds., London: Hermes Sciences Publishing, 2004, pp. 525–534.

    Google Scholar 

  19. Rigopoulos, G., Askounis, D., and Metaxiotis, K., NeXCLass: A decision support system for non-ordered multicriteria classification, Int. J. Inf. Technol. Decis. Making, 2010, vol. 9, no. 1, pp. 53–79.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. Rigopoulos, G. and Anagnostopoulos, K., Fuzzy multicriteria assignment for nominal classification methodology and application in evaluation of Greek Bank’s electronic payment retailers, Int. J. Inf. Technol. Decis. Making, 2010, vol. 9, no. 3, pp. 1–18.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Yevseyeva, I., Miettinen, K., Salminen, P., and Lahdelma, R., SMAA-Classification: A New Method for Nominal Classification, Helsinki School of Economics, 2007. http://hsepubl.lib.hse.fi/pdf/wp/w422.pdf.

  22. Costa, A.S., Corrente, S., Greco, S., Figueira, J.R., and Borbinha, J., A Robust Hierarchical Nominal Classification Method Based on Similarity and Dissimilarity, 2018. arXiv:1812.08596.

  23. Chen Ye, Multiple Criteria Decision Analysis: Classification Problems and Solutions, 2006. http://etd.uwaterloo.ca/etd/y3chen2006.pdf.

  24. Larichev, O.I., Mechitov, A.I., Moshkovich, E.M., and Furems, E.M., Vyiavlenie ekspertnykh znanii (protsedury i realizatsiya) (Expert’s Knowledge Acquisition (Procedures and Implementation), Moscow: Nauka, 1989.

  25. Larichev, O.I., Moshkovich, H.M., Furems, E.M., Mechitov, A.I., and Morgoev, V.K., Knowledge Acquisition for the Construction of the Full and Contradiction Free Knowledge Bases, Groningen: Iec ProGAMMA, 1991.

  26. Furems, E.M., Domain structuring for knowledge-based multiattribute classification (a verbal decision analysis approach), TOP, 2011, vol. 19, no. 2, pp. 402–420.

    Article  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  27. Puppe, F., Knowledge reuse among diagnostic problem-solving methods in the shell-kit D3, Int. J. Hum.-Comput. Stud., 1998, vol. 49, pp. 627–649.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  28. Larichev, O.I. and Moshkovich, E.M., Kachestvennye metody prinyatiya reshenii (Qualitative Methods of Decision-Making), Moscow: Fizmatlit, 1996.

  29. Ashikhmin, I., Furems, E., Petrovsky, A., and Sternin, M., Intelligent DSS under verbal decision analysis, in Encyclopedia of Decision Making and Decision Support Technologies, Hershey–New York: Information Science Reference, 2008, pp. 514–527.

    Google Scholar 

  30. Larichev, O.I., Moshkovich, E.M., and Furems, E.M., Decision support system ‘class,’ in New Directions in Research on Decision Making, Lourenc, P. and Svenson, G., Eds., Amsterdam: North-Holland, 1986, pp. 305–315.

    Google Scholar 

  31. Larichev, O.I. and Moshkovich, H.M., An approach to ordinal classification problems, Int. Trans. Oper. Res., 1994, vol. 1, no. 3, pp. 375–385.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  32. Larichev, O., Asanov, A., and Naryzhny, Y., Effectiveness evaluation of expert classification methods, Eur. J. Oper. Res., 2002, vol. 138, no. 2, pp. 260–273.

    Article  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  33. Larichev, O.I. and Bolotov, A.A., The DIFKLASS system: Construction of complete and non-contradictory expertise databases in problems of differential diagnostics, Nauchn. Tekh. Inf., Ser. 2, 1996, vol. 9, pp. 9–15.

    Google Scholar 

  34. Furems, E. and Gnedenko, L., STEPCLASS—a system for eliciting expert knowledge and conducting expert analyses for solving diagnostic problems, Autom. Doc. Math. Linguist., 1996, vol. 30, no. 5, pp. 23–28.

    Google Scholar 

  35. Simon, H., The New Science of Management Decision, New York: Harper and Row, 1960.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  36. Furems, E.M., Multicriteria ordinal classification based on the STEPCLASS method, Iskusstv. Intell. Prinyatie Reshenii, 2012, vol. 4, pp. 95–100.

    Google Scholar 

  37. Furems, E.M., STEPCLASS-based approach to multicriteria sorting, Sci. Tech. Inf. Process., 2015, vol. 42, no. 6, pp. 87–96.

    Google Scholar 

  38. Furems, E.M., Modification of the method for nominal-ordering classification, Iskusstv. Intell. Prinyatie Reshenii, 2010, vol. 4, pp. 81–93.

    Google Scholar 

  39. Furems, E.M., Dominance-based extension of STEPCLASS for multiattribute nominal classification, Int. J. Inf. Technol. Decis. Making, 2013, vol. 12, no. 5, pp. 905–925.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  40. Furems, E.M., Application of the Stepclass method for classification problem with hierarchical structure, Iskusstv. Intell. Prinyatie Reshenii, 2014, vol. 4, pp. 96–107.

    Google Scholar 

  41. Huang, S., Dimensionality reduction in automatic knowledge acquisition: A simple greedy search approach, IEEE Trans. Knowl. Data Eng., 2003, vol. 15, no. 6, pp. 1364–1373.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  42. Furems, E. and Sokolova, L., Experts’ knowledge acquisition for differential diagnostics of bronchial asthma in children in STEPCLASS environment, Int. J. Technol. Policy Manage., 2011, vol. 11, no. 1, pp. 68–84.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  43. Poroskun, V.I., Farbirovich, V.P., and Furems, E.M., Development of the system for diagnostics of genetic types of terrigenous and carbonate deposits in the STEPCLASS environment, Nauchn. Tekh. Inf., Ser. 2, 1996, vol. 9, pp. 27–31.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to E. M. Furems.

Ethics declarations

The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

Additional information

Translated by Yu. Kornienko

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Furems, E.M. A General Approach to Multiattribute Classification Problems Based on Verbal Decision Analysis. Sci. Tech. Inf. Proc. 47, 304–313 (2020). https://doi.org/10.3103/S0147688220050019

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.3103/S0147688220050019

Keywords:

Navigation