title: A compatibility-based procedure designed to generate potential sanitation system alternatives.
abstract: Regarding multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA), the problem of generating alternatives has not received the attention it deserves. Most research is currently devoted to the problem of alternative selection, where it is assumed that a set of appropriate alternatives is already given. This paper addresses the generation of potential alternatives in the domain of sanitation systems planning and decision-making. A compatibility assessment procedure is proposed to determine the set of technically feasible or potential sanitation system alternatives. This is based on a clear definition of such an alternative containing sub-processes that include a user interface, storage, conveyance treatment and reuse/disposal. A newly developed compatibility matrix is applied to identify incompatibilities between the options of the sub-processes. A potential sanitation system alternative is therefore defined by the absence of two-by-two incompatibility between all its options. The compatibility assessment acts as a first filter on the set of sanitation system alternatives to eliminate those that are inoperable before the feasibility assessment. The objective of both steps is to obtain a set of alternatives that are of reasonable and manageable size from which the final solution may be selected.
authors.affiliation: Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Ueberlandstrasse 133, 8600 Dübendorf, Switzerland. max.maurer@eawag.ch
authors.forename: Max
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Maurer
authors.forename: Ahmed
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bufardi
authors.forename: Elizabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Tilley
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zurbrügg
authors.forename: Bernhard
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Truffer
mesh_terms: D003657:Decision Making; D012499:Sanitation