Abstract of Thesis presented to COPPE/UFRJ as a partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science (M.Sc.)

EVALUATION FOR ESCORT UNITS THROUGH

DECISION AID MODELLING

Armando Gonçalves Madeira Junior

April / 2004

Advisor: Marcos Pereira Estellita Lins

Department: Production Engineering

This thesis focuses on the evaluation of the ships subordinated to the 1° Escorts Squadron of the Brazilian Navy, through the decision aid modeling (MCDA), which used AHP (Analytic Hierarchy Process) and MACBETH (Measuring Attractiveness by the Categorical Based Evaluation Technique) representants of the American school. The dissertation is composed for a theoretical part which contains enough basement in order to make possible the confection of the cases learning, and the practical part using the application of the two methodologies to arrange the escort ships according to its efficiency. To reach this purpose, the knowledge of Cognitive Maps has been used to generate the points of view tree, common starting for the two methods MCDA, as well as the programs Decision Explorer (cognitive map), Expert Choice (AHP), Macbeth and Hiview (global evaluation and analysis of sensibility in the MACBETH’s application).

The information specified by the model will serve as an important subsidy for the General Staff to keep up the units subordinated in its performance in various naval warfare environments as also to make possible the verification of the equipment restore and about the situation of the SMP and EXOPs. Secondary it is an efficient performance index that, if well attended, will be able to indicate the modernization moment or to disable ships, or even though in its purchase.

In spite of this application is directed to the military area, the applied methodologies can be used for any problem of decision formed by quantitative and qualitative data.