An Interval-Valued Pythagorean Fuzzy Compromise Approach with Correlation-Based Closeness Indices for Multiple-Criteria Decision Analysis of Bridge Construction Methods

The purpose of this paper is to develop a novel compromise approach using correlation-based closeness indices for addressing multiple-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) problems of bridge construction methods under complex uncertainty based on interval-valued Pythagorean fuzzy (IVPF) sets. The assessment of bridge construction methods requires the consideration of multiple alternatives and conflicting tangible and intangible criteria in intricate and varied circumstances. The concept of IVPF sets is capable of handling imprecise and ambiguous information and managing complex uncertainty in real-world applications. Inspired by useful ideas concerning information energies, correlations, and correlation coefficients, this paper constructs new concepts of correlation-based closeness indices for IVPF characteristics and investigates their desirable properties. These indices can be utilized to achieve anchored judgments in decision-making processes and to reflect a certain balance between connections with positive and negative ideal points of reference. Moreover, these indices can fully consider the amount of information associated with higher degrees of uncertainty and effectively fuse imprecise and ambiguous evaluative ratings to construct a meaningful comparison approach. By using the correlation-based closeness index, this paper establishes effective algorithmic procedures of the proposed IVPF compromise approach for conducting multiple-criteria evaluation tasks within IVPF environments. The proposed methodology is implemented in a practical problem of selecting a suitable bridge construction method to demonstrate its feasibility and applicability. The practicality and effectiveness of the proposed methodology are verified through a comparative analysis with well-known compromise methods and other relevant nonstandard fuzzy models.