Optimization of Urban Highway Bypass Horizontal Alignment: A Methodological Overview of Intelligent Spatial MCDA Approach Using Fuzzy AHP and GIS

Table 4

Definition of fuzzy numbers and their scale as used for making pairwise comparisons.

Relative importance	^aFuzzy scale	^bDefinition	Explanation
1	(1,1,1)	Equal importance	Two activities contribute equally to objective
3	(3−Δ^𝑐,3,3+Δ)	Weak importance	Experience and judgment slightly favour one activity over another
5	(5−Δ,5,5+Δ)	Essential or strong importance	Experience and judgment strongly favor one activity over another
7	(7−Δ,7,7+Δ)	Demonstrated importance	One activity is strongly favoured and demonstrated in practice
9	(8,9,9)	Extreme importance	The evidence favouring one activity over another is of highest possible order of affirmation
2,4,6,8	(𝑥−Δ,𝑥,𝑥+Δ)	Intermediate values between two adjacent judgments	When compromise is needed
1/𝑥	(1/(𝑥+Δ),1/𝑥,1/(𝑥−Δ)
1/9	(1/9,1/9,1/8)

aThe intensity of importance definition is in accordance with the description proposed by [6, 7]; ^bminimum, most likely, and maximum values.
^cΔ is a fuzzification factor.