Informatica

The article describes a hierarchical decision making framework for the evaluation and improvement/redesign of composite systems. The framework is based on Hierarchical Morphological Multicriteria Design (HMMD) and corresponding morphological clique problem which realize “partitioning/synthesis macroheuristic”. The system evaluation process consists in hierarchical integration of expert judgment (as ordinal estimates): a method of integration tables or the above-mentioned morphological approach. As a result, ordinal multi-state classification is realized. The system improvement/redesign process is examined as the selection and planning of redesign operations while taking into account operations attributes (e.g., required resources, effectiveness) and binary relations (equivalence, complementarity, precedence) on the operation sets. For modeling the system improvement process several combinatorial optimization models are used (knapsack problem, multiple choice problem, etc.) including HMMD.

The article describes multi-function system testing based on fusion (or revelation) of clique-like structures. The following sets are considered: (i) subsystems (system parts or units/components/modules), (ii) system functions and a subset of system components for each system function, and (iii) function clusters (some groups of system functions which are used jointly). Test procedures (as units testing) are used for each subsystem. The procedures lead to an ordinal result (states, colors) for each component (e.g., ‘out of service’, ‘major faults’, ‘minor faults’, ‘trouble free service’). For each system function a graph over corresponding system components is examined while taking into account ordinal estimates/colors of the components. Further, an integrated graph for each function cluster is considered (this graph integrates the graphs for corresponding system functions). For the integrated graph structure revelation problems are under examination (revelation of some subgraphs which can lead to system faults). Numerical examples illustrate the approach and problems.

The article addresses the issues of combinatorial evolution of standards in transmission of multimedia information including the following: (a) brief descriptions of basic combinatorial models as multicriteria ranking, knapsack-like problems, clustering, combinatorial synthesis, multistage design, (b) a description of standard series (MPEG) for video information processing and a structural (combinatorial) description of system changes for the standards, (c) a set of system change operations (including multi-attribute description of the operations and binary relations over the operations), (d) combinatorial models for the system changes, and (e) a multistage combinatorial scheme (heuristic) for the analysis of the system changes. Expert experience is used. Numerical examples illustrate the suggested problems, models, and procedures.