Comparison of the Direct Scoring Method and Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis for Dredged Material Management Decision Making

PURPOSE: Decision making for complex environmental problems such as dredged material management can become overwhelming, especially when dealing with multiple conflicting objectives, alternatives, and stakeholders. A process is needed to organize the massive amount of information into a usable form. The purpose of this document is to show the disadvantages of using the direct scoring method for dredged material management decision making as it relates to dredged material placement and its role within the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). Multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) is an approach that is readily available and is more suitable for dredging and other Corps projects. This will be discussed as a preferred alternative to the direct scoring method.