A web-based software for group decision with analytic hierarchy process

MethodsX. 2023 Jun 30:11:102277. doi: 10.1016/j.mex.2023.102277. eCollection 2023 Dec.

Abstract

The Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) is a multi-criteria decision support method and is widely applied in many areas. The original AHP method proposed by Thomas L. Saaty in the 1970s requires (n²-n)/2 comparisons. The number of required comparisons can make using this method challenging for maintaining consistent judgments in problems involving many criteria and/or alternatives. Furthermore, the available software is platform-dependent and generally does not support group decision-making. In this paper, we present software for AHP that demands n-1 comparisons. Additionally, the software supports group decision-making using individual aggregation of priorities with arithmetic and geometric means. The system is available at http://ahpweb.net/ and is accessible from any internet-connected device. It currently has more than 100 users and dozens of decision problems in various areas.•The original AHP formulation requires (n²-n)/2 comparisons per cluster which makes it difficult to make consistent judgments.•AHP avaliable software does not enable group decision making.•The proposed system AHP-WEB fills these gaps. The method demands n-1 comparisons per cluster without any inconsistency and allows group decision making on a web system.

Keywords: AHP-WEB; Decision support systems; Open-source software; Software for OR.