A hierarchical multiple criteria model for eliciting relative preferences in conflict situations

A multiple criteria decision analysis (MCDA) approach is designed for capturing the relative preference information of a decision maker involved in a conflict. More specifically, an MCDA approach based on the outranking method, ELECTRE III, is employed for ranking states or possible scenarios in the conflict from most to least preferred, where ties are allowed, for a decision maker according to his or her value system. To demonstrate how this preference elicitation methodology can be conveniently implemented in practice within the framework of the Graph Model for Conflict Resolution, it is applied to a real world water supply crisis which occurred in the town of North Battleford, located in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan.