Knowledge Engineering and Multicriteria Optimization

Multicriteria optimization is a useful and challenging activity in many disciplines. It provides decision makers with tools for producing better decisions while saving time in the decision process. In the past, computers have assisted in achieving several advancements in the field of multicriteria optimization. In spite of the rapid development of multicriteria optimization techniques, their applications to real world problems have not been legion. There can be many reasons for a decision maker to avoid numerical optimization techniques and resort to conventional trial and error methods based on judgement, intuition and experience. Decision makers who are not experts in optimization techniques usually experience difficulties while using conventional optimization systems. The aim of this chapter is to show how knowledge-based systems technology can be used to overcome some of the shortcomings of earlier optimization systems. It is illustrated how knowledge-based approaches attempt to make multicriteria optimization an easier tool for decision makers to use.