Recent Project: Expert Choice Software and AHP for Transportation Asset Management

This week, Fireseeds North Infrastructure completed an evaluative application of Expert Choice software for the Yukon Government Department of Highways and Public Works. The software can apply the analytic hierarchy process to complex decision problems including cross-asset management decision problems.

The analytic hierarchy process facilitates complex decisions by structuring the problem, measuring on a ratio scale, and synthesizing the results. A key feature of measurement is the use of pair-wise comparisons for measuring relative objective weights. An additional capability of Expert Choice software is applying the AHP to portfolio resource allocation problems (such as capital budget planning) by linking the AHP synthesis function to a solver with multi-year budget and custom constraint categories.

The FNI team for this project (Wally Hidinger and Craig Milligan) worked with Ed Hreljac of Process Power Solutions and a team of four Transportation Division staff to test the methodology against 20 actual multi-year capital projects, across various asset classes, under limited budget constraints. These tests were followed by a structured evaluation and pilot project report. The ability to group projects, compare across asset classes, shift project delivery timing, and vary project intensity levels were all found to be useful features of the software and its underlying methodology.

The use of Analytic Hierarchy Process is increasing for transportation asset management cross-asset resource allocation decisions. A forthcoming NCHRP report features the AHP as the primary tool for cross-asset decision-making and during the NCHRP report preparation, 25 U.S. transportation agencies participated in workshops applying the AHP to cross-asset management.

For more information on the AHP or cross-asset optimization in transportation asset management, contact craig.milligan@fireseedsnorth.ca.