Canonical Multiattribute Utility Functions: Enumeration, Verification, and Application

In decisions with uncertainty and multiple objectives, the construction of a representative multiattribute utility function (MUF) is of paramount importance. When the attributes of a decision problem exhibit some forms of utility independence, the functional form is significantly simplified. When the complete utility independence conditions do not exist, it is still possible to simplify the functional form. An important special case in this instance is known as canonical form. This paper characterizes the number of canonical forms in a multiattribute decision problem and conducts experiments to determine their applicability in a borehole restoration problem in the uranium extraction industry. (C) 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. Selection and peer review under responsibility of the organizers of the 2013 International Conference on Computational Science