Flow chart of the first phase of ELECTRE III

ELECTRE
ELECTRE III III
(a,
(a, a)a) A A
Phase
Phase II ggj(a), g (a)
(a), gjj(a)
j
ppj ,, ssj,, qqj,, vvj,,
j j j j
j
j
JJ

j
j
J,
J, ccjj (a,a)
(a,a) marginal
marginal j
j
J,
J, DDjj (a,a)
(a,a)
concordance
concordance index index marginal
marginal discordance
discordance
index
index
C
C (a,a)
(a,a)
Concordance
Concordance
index
index

Outranking
Outranking
credibility
credibility degree
degree
ELECTRE III second phase: Distillation procedure
Main steps:
a) Definition of the outranking graph

0 max a, a' .
a, a' A1

0 0 s (s() is an indifference threshold that is used to

work with the degree of outranking relation; at the same time it is
the step of the distillation algorithm)

The significant relations for the step are included in the interval
between 0 and ' 0

max a, a' , con a, a' | a, a' 0

1
a, a'

0 , se
(separation level, first excluded relation))

An arc in the graph could be put only if the two conditions are
verified:
a, a' 1 and a, a' a' , a s .

b) Qualification of the nodes/actions

q = (number of outgoing arcs ) (number of ingoing arcs)

c) In P + (A) the node with the maximum qualification is the best

node. In P - (A) the node with the minimum qualification is the worst
node

d) A sub distillation is activated when more actions present the

maximum (or minimum) qualification. The interval of degrees is
expanded, in order to introduce new arcs in the sub graph with
these actions and distinguish them. The expansion of the interval
is repeated, until one action is assigned to a class, or when the
procedure is arrive to expand the interval until =0.

2
Example
Outranking credibility degree
(a, a) a1 a2 a3 a4 a5
a1 - 0,40 0,50 0,44 0,84
a2 0,91 - 0,76 0,55 0,62
a3 0,80 0,88 - 0,70 0,72
a4 0,62 0,75 0,45 - 0,70
a5 0,52 0,51 0,46 0,65 -

s() = 0,15

P(A)+ (descending distillation)

Iteration 1 A 1 A
0 0,91 (maximum degree) 0 0, 76 1 0, 75

1 1
a1 a2
-1 1
a5 a 3
0
a4

D1 a 2 , a 3

Sub distillation
1 0,75 1 0,60 2 0

3
 0 0
a2 a3

C1 a 2 , a 3

The exercise should be completed in order to obtain P+(A) and P-(A).