Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) has been widely investigated because of its notable properties as an alternative pasture grass and as an important biofuel source. The goal of this study was to determine soil suitability for Switchgrass in Mississippi. A linear weighted additive model was developed to predict site suitability. Multicriteria analysis and Sensitivity analysis were utilized to optimize the model. The model was fit using seven years of field data associated with soils characteristics collected from NRCS-USDA. The best model was selected by correlating estimated biomass yield with each model’s soils-based output for Switchgrass suitability. Pearson’s r (correlation coefficient) was the criteria used to establish the ‘best’ soil suitability model. Coefficients associated with the ‘best’ model were implemented within a Geographic Information System (GIS) to create a map of relative soil suitability for Switchgrass in Mississippi. A Geodatabase associated with soil parameters was constructed and is available for future GIS use.

No description available.

Submitted by karolyne souza (karolm340@gmail.com) on 2018-04-23T15:24:58Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertação Mestrado Maria Luciney da Silva Nascimento.pdf: 2213207 bytes, checksum: 8bc088334633639ebb1fbb345d8c4f5d (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Divisão de Documentação/BC Biblioteca Central (ddbc@ufam.edu.br) on 2018-04-26T12:27:40Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertação Mestrado Maria Luciney da Silva Nascimento.pdf: 2213207 bytes, checksum: 8bc088334633639ebb1fbb345d8c4f5d (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Divisão de Documentação/BC Biblioteca Central (ddbc@ufam.edu.br) on 2018-04-26T12:30:44Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertação Mestrado Maria Luciney da Silva Nascimento.pdf: 2213207 bytes, checksum: 8bc088334633639ebb1fbb345d8c4f5d (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-04-26T12:30:44Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertação Mestrado Maria Luciney da Silva Nascimento.pdf: 2213207 bytes, checksum: 8bc088334633639ebb1fbb345d8c4f5d (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-12-20 / CAPES - Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / The research entitled "Application of multicriteria method in management decision making: a study on the maintenance of logistics equipment" is a study that proposes a matrix for decision making, considering all the criteria of importance, choosing among the alternatives, the most favorable to the current need. Its general objective is to propose a multicriteria analysis model, as an alternative to support in the management decision making, achieved by the following specific objectives: Define the qualitative and quantitative variables of the process; Express the importance of system variables; Propose the best alternative that meets the needs of the system; Demonstrate the tolerance / flexibility margins of the system and Validate the multicriteria analysis model. The theoretical support of the research was based on bibliographical research, documentary analysis and Focus group instrument, starting from the understanding and characterization of the problem, until reaching the modeling of the weighted matrix providing a numerical index of the criterion evaluation, validated through the action research, in a company of the Polo of Two Wheels, with the purpose of assisting in the process of revaluation of the system of maintenance of logistic equipment, whose purpose is to eliminate line stops due to the unavailability of logistic handling equipment. Regarding the results, it was identified that the expectation of the system could be met with 86% satisfaction of the criteria, as opposed to the one reached by the current operator with 44% attendance. In the first stage of the criterial evaluation, the most compromised proposal with the expected results was alternative C, with capacity to meet 66% of expectations. However, this service capacity is below the target of 86%. In the second stage, with the implementation of several actions to develop the supplier, the best alternative was presented by supplier A (the current operator) with 81%. The research demonstrated that the maximum reach is in the evaluation of the alternatives through Multicriteria Analysis, changing the course of the decision, previously taken with intuitive basis, where the decision maker realized that its limiting was the market, and, in developing the market , made it possible to double the capacity of the current operator / A pesquisa intitulada “Aplicação de método multicritério na tomada de decisões gerenciais: um estudo na manutenção de equipamentos logísticos” constitui-se em estudo que propõe uma matriz para tomada de decisão, considerando-se todos os critérios de importância, elegendo dentre as alternativas, a mais favorável à necessidade em curso. Seu objetivo geral é a propositura de um modelo de análise multicritério, como alternativa para suporte na tomada de decisões gerenciais, alcançado pelos seguintes objetivos específicos: Definir as variáveis quali-quantitativas do processo; Expressar a importância das variáveis do sistema; Propor a melhor alternativa que atenda às necessidades do sistema; Demonstrar as margens de tolerância/flexibilidade do sistema e Validar o modelo de análise multicritério. A sustentação teórica da pesquisa baseou-se na pesquisa bibliográfica, na análise documental e no instrumento Focus group, partindo-se do entendimento e caracterização do problema, até atingir a modelagem da matriz ponderada fornecedora de um índice numérico da avaliação criterial, validada através da pesquisa-ação, em empresa do Polo de Duas Rodas, com o objetivo de auxiliar no processo de reavaliação do sistema de manutenção de equipamentos logísticos, cuja finalidade é eliminar as paradas de linha por indisponibilidade de equipamento de movimentação logístico. No que tange aos resultados, identificou-se que a expectativa do sistema poderia ser atendida com 86% de satisfação dos critérios, contrapondo-se ao atingido pelo operador atual com atendimento de 44%. Na primeira etapa da avaliação criterial, a proposta mais comprometida com os resultados esperados era a alternativa C, com capacidade de atendimento de 66% das expectativas. Porém, essa capacidade de atendimento está abaixo da meta que é de 86%. Na segunda Etapa, com a implantação de diversas ações para desenvolver o fornecedor, a melhor alternativa foi apresentada pelo fornecedor A (o atual operador) com 81%. A pesquisa demonstrou como conclusão que o alcance máximo está na avaliação das alternativas através de Análise Multicritério, mudando-se o curso da decisão, antes tomada com base intuitiva, onde o decisor percebeu que seu limitante era o mercado, e, ao desenvolver o mercado, possibilitou dobrar a capacidade do operador atual.

Dans un environnement fortement concurrentiel, les industriels doivent constamment améliorer leurs produits pour rester compétitifs et satisfaire au mieux leurs clients tout en minimisant les coûts et la prise de risques en conception. En phase préliminaire de conception ou de (re-)engineering, prédire les performances de nouveaux produits est une tâche difficile. En effet, l’impact des changements opérés sur les caractéristiques du produit relativement aux performances de celui-ci ne peut être estimé que de façon imprécise. Décideurs et concepteurs doivent pourtant identifier les performances à améliorer en limitant les efforts d’ingénierie déployés pour des améliorations innovantes. Bien que plusieurs indicateurs de plus-value aient été proposés par la communauté de la décision multicritère pour évaluer a priori l’amélioration que confère un changement de configuration à un produit, ils semblent néanmoins reposer sur des hypothèses de réalisabilité des gains de performance peu réalistes dans le contexte manufacturier.Sur la base de techniques d’analyse multicritère et de théorie des possibilités, cette thèse propose une extension de ces indices de plus-values lorsque la vraisemblance des améliorations espérées ne peut être évaluée de façon précise comme c’est le cas en phase de conception préliminaire. Cette connaissance imparfaite des relations entre les actions d’amélioration et les performances espérées rend la question « comment se fixer des objectifs ambitieux lorsque l’on conçoit ou améliore un produit tout en faisant en sorte que ces objectifs restent à la portée du manufacturier ? » d’autant plus complexe. Ainsi, les améliorations qu’il faut planifier doivent à la fois avoir un impact significatif sur la performance du produit et correspondre à des compétences maîtrisées par le manufacturier. Plusieurs approches de la littérature se sont intéressées à ces deux aspects de l’amélioration, mais peu d’entre elles les considèrent conjointement. Nous proposons dans cette thèse plusieurs approches qualitatives et possibilistes qui concilient les deux points de vue à travers des problèmes d’optimisation multi-attributs. La notion d’interaction entre deux dimensions de la performance y est centrale. Un exemple relatif à la conception d’un robot autonome est proposé pour illustrer chacune de nos propositions. Cette étude de cas est issue du challenge Robafis qui est organisé annuellement par l’Association Française d’ingénierie Système (AFIS) pour promouvoir l’ingénierie système dans les écoles d’ingénieurs. / In a highly competitive and unstable environment, manufacturers must constantly improve their products to remain competitive and satisfy their customers while minimizing incurred costs and risk taking at the design stage. At the early stages of (re-)engineering, performances forecasting of new product is complicated. Indeed, the impacts of any characteristic change on the product performance are not precisely known. Decision makers must thus identify the performances to be improved while limiting the engineering efforts spent on innovative upgrades. Although some theoretical worth indexes have been proposed in the multiple criteria decision-making literature to estimate the expectable gains when improving changes are planned, they generally rely on non-realistic assumptions on the achievability of the expected improvements that cannot hold in manufacturing contexts. Based on multi-criteria decision analysis techniques and uncertainty theory, this thesis proposes an extension of the worth index concept when the likelihood of the expected improvements is not precisely known as it is the case at the preliminary stages of design activities. This poor knowledge of the relationships between improvement actions and expected performances makes the issue “how to set ambitious targets when improving or designing product while these targets remain within the reach of the manufacturer” all the thornier. Thus, improvements to be focused on are those which both have a significant positive impact on product performance and correspond to operational changes properly under control by the manufacturer. While some approaches in the literature have already addressed each of the two aspects of the improvement problem, few deal with both of them at the same time. We investigate several qualitative and possibilistic approaches that conciliate both points of view as multi attributes optimization problems. The notion of interaction between any two objectives to be simultaneously satisfied is central in our framework. An illustrative example related to the design phase of autonomous robot is provided. This case study is issued from the robotic challenge Robafis that is organized annually by the French association of Systems Engineering AFIS to promote Systems Engineering practice in engineers’ schools.

Constructing a road is a complex process that may be represented as a series of correlated steps, from the planning to the construction and usage of the new road. At the heart of this process, the preliminary and detailed design stages are key elements that will ensure the quality and the adequacy of the final solution regarding the constraints and objectives of the project. In particular, infrastructure layout and design will have a strong impact on the global performances of the road in operational conditions. Among them, road safety, mobility, environment preservation, noise pollution limitation, economic feasibility and viability of the project, or even its socio-economic impact at the local level. Consequently, it is crucial to offer engineers and road planners some tools and methods that may assist them in designing and selecting the most efficient solutions considering the distinctive features of each design problem. In this work, a multicriteria analysis methodology is developed to carry out an integrated and preventive assessment of road projects at the design stage by considering both their safety performances and some economic and environmental aspects. Its purpose is to support design engineers in the analysis of their projects and the identification of innovative, consistent and effective solutions. The proposed methodology is composed of two main research frameworks. On the one hand, the road design problem is addressed by focusing successively on the structuring of the multicriteria problem, the identification of the approximate set of non-dominated solutions using a genetic algorithm (based on NSGA-II), and the application of the methodology to a real road design project. On the other hand, the methodological development of a multicriteria interval clustering model was performed (based on PROMETHEE). Due to the applicability of this model to the studied problem, the interactions between the two frameworks are also analysed. / Doctorat en Sciences de l'ingénieur et technologie / The present PhD thesis is an aggregation of published contributions related to the application of multicriteria analysis to the evaluation of road projects at the design stage. The aim of the two introductory chapters is to offer a synthesised and critical presentation of the scientific contributions that constitute the PhD thesis. The complete version of the journal articles and preprints are found in Chapters 3 to 6. In the appendices, we also provide reprints of conference papers that are usually related to one of the main contributions of the thesis. / info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished

Les réseaux de données actuels sont des entités complexes qui opèrent dans des environnements dynamiques et hétérogènes. L'architecture et les protocoles de ces réseaux doivent faire face à plusieurs défis, notamment l'adaptation dynamique et la prise de décisions autonome en présence de plusieurs critères, souvent contradictoires, tels que le délai, le taux de perte, la gigue, l'énergie, etc. Cependant, les problèmes de décision multicritère ont généralement de multiples solutions. Ces problèmes sont résolus par des méthodes qui utilisent des paramètres dont les choix ont des conséquences difficiles à prévoir. De ce fait, la plupart des méthodes de décision multicritère proposées dans la littérature supposent la présence d'un décideur qui guide le processus de décision. Enfin, le choix des paramètres suppose souvent une interactivité avec le décideur, ce qui est difficile, voire impossible, à envisager dans un contexte autonome. Dans cette thèse, nous proposons une nouvelle méthode de décision multicritère adaptée aux systèmes autonomes en général et aux réseaux autonomes en particulier. La méthode de décision multicritère de type ``poupée russe'' que nous introduisons utilise un ensemble de boîtes de qualité englobantes, définies dans l'espace des critères, afin d'estimer une large gamme de fonctions d'utilité. D'une part, la méthode proposée s'adapte au caractère dynamique des réseaux autonomes, afin de maximiser la satisfaction des utilisateurs. D'autre part, elle utilise des paramètres qui sont soit directement déduits de faits objectifs, tels que des normes ou spécifications techniques, soit obtenus à l'aide d'une expérience de type MOS (Mean Opinion Score) au moyen d'une méthode de classification automatique. Nous avons testé les performances de la méthode de la poupée russe sur un cas pratique de routage dans les réseaux ad hoc sans fil. Les expérimentations ont montré que le routage réalisé avec la méthode de la poupée russe est toujours meilleur ou similaire à celui de la méthode de la somme pondérée qui est largement utilisée. Cela est dû à la capacité d'adaptation de la décision offerte par cette nouvelle méthode de décision multicritère / Today's data networks are complex entities that operate in dynamic and heterogeneous environments. The architecture and protocols of these networks have to face several challenges such as dynamic adaptation and autonomous decision-making in the presence of several, often conflicting, criteria such as delay, loss rate, jitter, energy, etc. However, multicriteria decision making problems usually have multiple solutions. These problems are solved by methods that use parameters whose choices have consequences difficult to predict. Thus, most multicriteria decision making methods proposed in the literature assume the presence of a decision maker who guides the decision process. Finally, the choice of parameter values often involves an interaction with the decision maker, which is difficult or impossible to do in an autonomous context. In this thesis, we propose a new multicriteria decision making method suitable for autonomous systems in general and autonomous networks in particular. The Russian doll like method we propose uses a set of nested quality boxes (like Russian dolls) defined in the criteria space, in order to approximate a wide range of utility functions. First, the proposed method adapts to the dynamic nature of autonomous networks in order to maximize user satisfaction. Second, it uses parameters that are directly deduced from objective facts such as technical standards or specifications, or obtained from a MOS (Mean Opinion Score) experiment using an automatic classification method. We tested the performance of the Russian doll like method in a case of routing in wireless ad hoc networks. Experiments have shown that routing done with the Russian doll like method is always better or similar to the one done by the weighted sum method which is widely used. This is due to the adaptation ability of the decision provided by this new multicriteria decision making method

The Bac Hung Hai zone is the greatest basin in the Red River Delta in Vietnam and also one of the most densely populated regions of the planet. It is mainly a rural region and its economy is dominated by agriculture. In the context of frequent and larger floods in the Bac Hung Hai zone, causing deep socio-economical consequences, the focus of this study is to establish cartography of the high risk areas for flooding in the Bac Hung Hai region using remote sensing and GIS to assist land management. The preparation of a map describing land management in this region is more complicated because parcels for farming are very small and not homogeneous. A consistent and precise map of land use is essential for studies of flooding. The secondary objective is to improve the land use map. To this effect, a classification has been applied to the combination of the spectral bands and textures (TM and ETM[indice supérieur +]) of Landsat and a radar image (ERS). The addition of this information to the spectral bands increases the accuracy of classification by 1% to 4%, according to the dates selected. Additionally, in the study zone where there are few days without clouds, a problem related to the optical satellite image is the cloud cover. Then, the use of radar images will provide ground information for areas hidden by clouds where spectral images are not sufficient. To reach these goals, we have determined the main biophysical considerations that influence flooding. Then, these considerations have been combined in a multi-criteria analysis to evaluate the risks of flooding in the entire basin area. The results show that high to very high risks affect 47% of the area studied and that the south-east region, center, and north-east present the greatest risk.

L’innovation représente un processus vital pour les entreprises en vue d’assurer leur développement. Diverses actions et stratégies nouvelles sont mises en œuvre par les entreprises pour faire face aux exigences de marchés et accroître leurs performances. Une bonne connaissance du processus d’innovation et de l’organisation de l’entreprise est nécessaire pour permettre aux managers de les gérer efficacement et les adapter aux défis et changements dans leur environnement. D’où la nécessité pour les entreprises de disposer d’outils et de méthodes pour mesurer en continu leurs activités d’innovation. L’objectif de notre recherche est de proposer un cadre de mesure des capacités à innover des entreprises basé sur un ensemble de quinze pratiques d’innovation, chacune des pratiques étant subdivisée en plusieurs critères qui sont des phénomènes directement observables en entreprise. L’approche méthodologique s’appuie sur les méthodes d’agrégation multicritères et utilise la notion statistique de la valeur-test pour proposer une typologie des entreprises en quatre classes d’entreprises innovantes (proactive, préactive, réactive et passive). Une étude expérimentale a été menée sur un panel de vingt entreprises industrielles françaises. Un outil logiciel mettant en œuvre notre proposition méthodologique a été développé. Il permet d’analyser et d’évaluer les processus innovants d’un ensemble d’entreprises, de les affecter à une classe d’entreprises et de leur donner des recommandations sur les actions pertinentes à mettre en place pour accroître leur capacité à innover. Ce qui en fait un support efficace pour l’aide à la décision en matière de management de l’innovation / Innovation represents a vital process for companies to insure their development. Several actions and new strategies are implemented by companies to increase their performances and so face market requirements. A good knowledge of both the innovation process and the company organization is necessary to allow the top management to manage them effectively and to adapt them to the challenges and the changes in their environment. Consequently, it is important for the companies to have tools and methods to measure continuously their innovation activities. The objective of our research is to suggest a framework to measure innovation capacities of companies based on a set of fifteen innovation practices, each practice is subdivided into several criteria which are directly observable phenomena in company. The methodological approach is based on the multicriteria aggregation method and the use of statistical notion of value-test to propose a typology of innovative companies of four classes (proactive, preactive, reactive and passive). An experimental study was led on a sample group of twenty French industrial companies. A software implementing our methodological proposition was developed. It allows to analyze and to estimate the innovative processes of a set of companies, to allocate them to a class and to give them recommendations for the relevant actions to follow to increase their innovation potential. This research proposes an effective decision-aid tool that helps in the innovation management

The concern of this thesis is to discuss different multicriteria games solution concepts. Multicriteria game is a special case from the game theory if the payoff function of at least one player is a vector and the player wants to maximize all the criteria at the same time. The thesis is divided into four chapters. In the first instance a few motivation examples are introduced. Subsequently the history of the multicriteria games is mentioned. The theoretical chapter follows. It contains five sections - introduction of new definitions; the structure of the set of equilibria for two person multicriteria games; searching equilibria points by the help of scalarization of the vector-valued function; introduction of ideal equilibria points and ways how to find them; the comparison of used methods. The last solution concept is demonstrated by the real example. Finally a theoretical chapter with new results is included. 1

Le besoin d'une intensification accrue des systèmes agricoles rend nécessaire l'identification des contextes et options permettant à des modes de mise en valeur intensifs et durables de se développer. Cette question est cruciale dans des contextes de petite agriculture familiale et de pression élevée sur les ressources naturelles, dont les zones tropicales humides d'Asie constituent un exemple typique. Dans cette région, l'agriculture de conservation (AC) est considérée comme un moyen de parvenir à cet objectif. Dans ce contexte, notre travail avait pour objectif d'évaluer dans quelle mesure l'AC peut constituer une réponse efficace et adaptée aux contraintes et besoins de petits producteurs familiaux dans une région montagneuse caractérisée par une forte pression sur les ressources naturelles et un taux de pauvreté élevé. Nous avons d'abord effectué un diagnostic des facteurs critiques de durabilité associés à la diversité régionale des systèmes agricoles conventionnels incorporant une production de maïs sur pente. Nous avons développé une approche originale combinant différentes méthodes d'analyse multivariée et de classification. Cette approche nous a permis d'identifier des types de systèmes agricoles aux performances contrastées en termes d'atteinte d'objectifs de durabilité. Les caractéristiques territoriales à différentes échelles, de l'écorégion au village, ont été identifiées comme prévalant sur les caractéristiques biophysiques des parcelles et l'accès aux moyens de production à l'échelle de l'exploitation pour expliquer la diversité des systèmes de culture sur pentes. Nous avons ensuite exploré dans quelle mesure des données collectées sur des sites de démonstration en AC pouvaient être utilisées pour évaluer les performances de prototypes de systèmes de culture en AC. L'AC pratiquée à un niveau de fertilisation suffisant n'a pas eu d'impact négatif sur les rendements la première année après conversion. Elle a significativement amélioré productivité et efficacité agronomique la seconde année après conversion. Toutefois, cette amélioration des performances agronomiques n'était pas suffisante, aux conditions économiques actuelles, pour assurer une meilleure rentabilité économique que l'agriculture conventionnelle sur un horizon de deux ans, du fait de l'augmentation des coûts de production associée au passage à l'AC. Les perspectives scientifiques issues de ce travail comprennent (i) l'utilisation des données issues de dispositifs de démonstration dans une perspective de modélisation pour prendre en compte, dans l'évaluation des systèmes de culture, les processus à l'origine de leur performances en fonction des variations de contexte biophysique et économique et (ii) l'évaluation de la capacité de l'agriculture de conservation à tamponner la variabilité des performances des systèmes de culture. La principale implication pratique pour l'intensification durable de l'agriculture dans le contexte du Nord Vietnam est la prise en compte de la diversité des systèmes agricoles dans le prototypage et la diffusion de systèmes de culture innovants. Une nouvelle hypothèse est qu'il est nécessaire d'envisager la valorisation au moins partielle des plantes de couverture, une conversion par étapes et/ou des incitations permettant de compenser l'augmentation de coûts générée par le passage à l'agriculture de conservation pour que celle-ci devienne économiquement attractive pour de petits producteurs familiaux dans un horizon de deux années. / The global need for further agricultural intensification makes necessary to identify contexts and options for sustainable intensive land uses to develop. This question is crucial under contexts of smallholder farming and high pressure on natural resources, such as in Asian humid tropics. In this region conservation agriculture (CA) is considered a leeway towards sustainable intensification. Within this context, our work aimed at preliminary assess to which extent CA fits the needs and constraints of smallholder farmers in a mountainous region where the high level of pressure on natural resources adds-up to a high poverty rate.We implemented a diagnosis of sustainability gaps associated with the regional diversity of maize based agricultural systems on sloping land. We applied an original methodological approach combining diverse classification tools. We identified contrasted types of farming and cropping systems for management practices, performances and sustainability issues. The local diversity in maize cropping systems resulted from multi-scale interactions between territory-related factors, farm/farmer characteristics and field biophysical conditions. Territory-related factors were of prevailing importance over plot biophysical conditions and farm/farmer related characteristics to drive diversity of cropping systems.We subsequently investigated to which extent data collected at CA-demonstration sites can be used to assess performances of CA-based cropping system prototypes over a 2-year period. Within the context of our study, CA associated with sufficient fertilization levels did not depress yields the first year after conversion. The second year, CA significantly increased maize productivity and agronomic efficiency. Such improvement of agronomic performances was not sufficient to ensure better economic performances than conventional agriculture over two years, due to the increase in production costs associated with transition to CA.Main scientific perspectives from our work include (i) coupling CA-demonstrations with modeling to account in cropping system evaluation for processes driving their performances across variations in biophysical and economic conditions (ii) assessment of CA capacity to buffer variability in cropping system performances. Main implication for CA-based sustainable intensification in tropical humid highlands of Vietnam is the need to tailor technical proposals to the identified diversity of agricultural systems. To make conversion to CA worth for farmers within a period of two years, a major assumption is the requirement for cover plant valorisation, implementation of stepwise transition to CA, and/or tailoring incentives to support smallholder farmers in overcoming costs associated with conversion to CA.