Method for identifying weight coefficients of connections and components of a semantic model based on group paired comparisons

This paper proposes a step-by-step methodology for analyzing and processing group expert assessments that allows formalizing and solving the problem of identifying the weighting coefficients of connections and components of a hierarchical semantic model preliminarily constructed for a certain subject area or problem situation. The methodology is based on the analytic hierarchy process proposed by T. Saaty, modified for working with a group of experts. The peculiarity of the methodology lies in the use of a specially developed criterion for the consistency of expert assessments expressed in a ratio scale, which allows for a quantitative assessment of the possibility of combining (element-by-element multiplication) matrices of pairwise comparisons of experts. To apply the methodology, weight coefficients are used that reflect the knowledge and competence of individual experts of the group in various aspects of the subject or problem area. At the first stage of the methodology, experts compare the components of the selected fragment of the semantic model in pairs according to their degree of significance (contribution to the model). Then, from the expert judgments reduced to a numerical form using a special verbal-numerical scale, pairwise comparison matrices are formed. At the second and third stages, vectors and then matrices of competence of individual experts are determined, which are necessary for the implementation of subsequent stages of the methodology. At the fourth stage, group matrices of paired comparisons are calculated by combining the matrices of paired comparisons of individual experts. At the fifth stage, the adequacy of the obtained result is checked using the proposed consistency criterion. In case of low consistency, the most dissonant private matrices of paired comparisons are excluded and the group matrix is recalculated. At the last stage of the methodology, weight coefficients are calculated sequentially from the root component and downwards, first for connections (local priorities), and then for components (global priorities) of the semantic model.

Authors: E. A. Burkov, P. I. Paderno

Direction: Informatics, Computer Technologies And Control

Keywords: matrix of paired comparisons, expert consistency, semantic model, local priority, global priority, aggregation, analytic hierarchy process, expert assessments

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