MCDMDecision-makingRankingMath steps

Ranking of Alternatives based on Preference Strength

OriginatorDezert, J., Tchamova, A.Year2021Sources1Related methods8

RAPS (Ranking of Alternatives based on Preference Strength) is a ranking multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) method introduced by Dezert, J., Tchamova, A. in 2021. It turns a decision matrix of alternatives scored on multiple criteria into a structured, reproducible result.

Key highlights

  • Follows a transparent, reproducible computational procedure that can be audited step by step.
  • Handles multiple criteria of differing scales and units within a single decision matrix.

Intuition

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How it works

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When to use it

R_i ∈ [0,1]. R_i = 0.5 means equal preference wins and losses. Higher R means stronger relative preference advantage. RAPS is designed to be rank-reversal free: it normalises preference strength by the total (PS_ik + PS_ki), making each pairwise comparison self-contained.

Strengths & limitations

Strengths
  • Follows a transparent, reproducible computational procedure that can be audited step by step.
  • Handles multiple criteria of differing scales and units within a single decision matrix.
Limitations
  • Assumes full compensation — a strong score on one criterion can offset a weak score on another.

Common pitfalls

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Sources

  1. 1.
    Dezert, J., Tchamova, A. (2021). On the effectiveness of measures of uncertainty of basic belief assignments. Information & Security: An International Journal

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Cite this page

ScholarGate. (2026, June 2). RAPS. ScholarGate. https://scholargate.app/decision-making/raps