A Framework for ranking ubiquitous computing services by AHP analysis

With the increasing advances in technology,ubiquitous computing services have been able to satisfy users by providing high quality services.Such services can be found in different areas such as healthcare,social networks,urban transportation,and multimedia.Nowadays,there are a wide variety of services with similar functionalities in each of the abovementioned areas.Ranking these services based on quality of service(QoS)criteria can help the users to choose the most appropriate services that meet their preferences.The aim of this research is to create a comprehensive framework based on QoS criteria in ubiquitous environment to rank services.At first by extending the previous research,this paper gathers and classifies the QoS criteria into four classes of architecture,usability,ubiquity,and security.This classification organizes QoS criteria in a hierarchical structure.Afterward,Analytic Hierarchy Process(AHP)is used to propose a customized service ranking framework according to the values of each criterion.To utilize the opinions of experts of the subject,a questionnaire is designed to evaluate the proposed structure of QoS criteria and to determine the weight of each criterion.Finally,comparing the proposed framework with previous approaches indicates that this framework includes a complete set of criteria,which leads to a deep perception of QoS in a ubiquitous computing environment.Moreover,the computed inconsistency ratio indicates that the performed decision-making process has a reasonable consistency.

Development of a Web-Based GIS of Flood Zones in the Municipality of Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso

This document describes the creation of an informative Web GIS aimed at mitigating the impacts of flooding in the municipality of Ouagadougou, in Burkina Faso, a region that is highly sensitive to climate change. Burkina Faso, which is undergoing rapid urbanization, faces major natural threats, particularly flooding, as demonstrated by the severe floods of 2009 that caused loss of life, injury, structural damage and economic losses in Ouagadougou. The aim of this research is to develop a web map highlighting the municipality’s flood-prone areas, with a view to informing and raising awareness of flood risk reduction. Using the Leaflet JavaScript mapping library, the study uses HTML, CSS and JavaScript to implement web mapping technology. Data on Ouagadougou’s flood zones is generated by a multi-criteria analysis combining Saaty’s AHP method and GIS in QGIS, integrating seven (7) parameters including hydrography, altitude, slope, rainfall, soil types, land use and soil moisture index. QGIS processes and maps the themes, PostgreSQL with PostGIS serves as the DBMS and GeoServer functions as the map server. The Web GIS platform allows users to visualize the different flood risks, from very low to very high, or the high-risk areas specific to Ouagadougou. The AHP calculations classify the municipality into five flood vulnerability zones: very low (24.48%), low (27.93%), medium (23.01%), high (17.11%) and very high (7.47%). Effective risk management requires communication and awareness-raising. This online mapping application serves as a tool for communication, management and flood prevention in Ouagadougou, helping to mitigate flood-related natural disasters.

The AHP-Based Assessment of Public Services With Respect to Different Groups of Customers of Polish Local Government

The situation of the contemporary economic systems is based on their ability to ensure optimal response to the customer needs. There are several important groups of clients, who may determine development processes and who are recipients of public services. They include： residents, entrepreneurs, tourists, and State Treasury. Local governments are equipped with a range of legal instruments to provide public services addressed to the selected clients. The objective of this paper is to present the application of the AHP method to assess the significance of the selected categories of public services for different groups of clients in Poland. The results allow setting priorities for future policy and adjust the tasks to the specific expectations of each group of clients. The model of assessment of public services was built using the analytic hierarchy process （AHP）. Since the 1970＇s, this multicriteria decision-support method has been used by researchers and practitioners in many areas of socioeconomic life. The case study presented in this paper involved 14 experts--public administration workers in one of the districts in Southern Poland. The survey consisted of two stages. First, they assessed--using the AHP--the influence of each group of customers on local development processes. The most important was ＂business＂ （priority 38.7%）, followed by ＂tourists＂ （29.7%）, ＂citizens＂ （26.1%）, and ＂central administration＂ （5.5%）. Second, they evaluated at the five-point Liken scale the influence of over 20 different public services with respect to different groups of clients. The results were aggregated using arithmetic mean and multiplied by the priorities of the clients. The synthesized final score indicated the most significant public activities overall, which were ＂roads＂ （4.16）, ＂transport＂ （3.93）, and ＂tourism＂ （3.84）.

Mapping favorable groundwater potential recharge zones using a GIS-based analytical hierarchical process and probability frequency ratio model:A case study from an agro-urban region of Pakistan

In Punjab(Pakistan),the increasing population and expansion of land use for agriculture have severely exploited the regional groundwater resources.Intensive pumping has resulted in a rapid decline in the level of the water table as well as its quality.Better management practices and artificial recharge are needed for the development of sustainable groundwater resources.This study proposes a methodology to delineate favorable groundwater potential recharge zones(FPRI)by integrating maps of groundwater potential recharge index(PRI)with the DRASTIC-based groundwater vulnerability index(VI).In order to evaluate both indexes,different thematic layers corresponding to each index were overlaid in ArcGIS.In the overlay analysis,the weights(for various thematic layers)and rating values(for sub-classes)were allocated based on a review of published literature.Both were then normalized and modified using the analytical hierarchical process(AHP)and a frequency ratio model respectively.After evaluating PRI and FPRI,these maps were validated using the area under the curve(AUC)method.The PRI map indicates that 53%of the area assessed exists in very low to low recharge zones,22%in moderate,and 25%in high to excellent potential recharge zones.The VI map indicates that 38%of the area assessed exists in very low to low vulnerability,33%in moderate,and 29%in high to very high vulnerability zones.The FPRI map shows that the central region of Punjab is moderately-to-highly favorable for recharge due to its low vulnerability and high recharge potential.During the validation process,it was found that the AUC estimated with modified weights and rating values was 79%and 67%,for PRI and VI indexes,respectively.The AUC was less when evaluated using original weights and rating values taken from published literature.Maps of favorable groundwater potential recharge zones are helpful for planning and implementation of wells and hydraulic structures in this region.

Analysis Hierarchy Process Model for Plain River Reach Health Assessment of the Luanhe River

In light of the ecological health problem occurring between the plain river reach between Daheiting and the estuary of the Luanhe River, three first-level indicators （river physical characteristic, eco-hydrological characteristic and socio-economic features） and corresponding fifteen second-level indicators such as river natural connectivity, water quantity, etc., were employed to establish the analysis hierarchy process （AHP） model. After fitting the AHP model with the data of 2005, the results show that the overall plain river reach health assessment score is 0.698 and the ecology is basically healthy. Moreover, construction of the Panjiakou Reservoir on the river mainstream destroyed the river natural morphologies, and finally contributed to the relatively low scores： 0 and 0.5 for river natural connectivity and river curve degree, respectively. It implicates that measures such as construction of ecological river course and reservoir dispatching should be taken into account in further restoration projects of the Luanhe River.