Big data analytics using multiple criteria decision making models

The field of multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) assumes special importance in this era of Big Data and Business Analytics (BA). Big Data and BA are relatively recent phenomena, and studies on understanding the power of Big Data and BA are rare with a few studies being reported in the literature. While there are several textbooks and research materials in the field of multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM), there is no book that discusses MCDM in the context of emerging Big Data. Thus, the present volume addresses the knowledge gap on the paucity of MCDM models in the context of Big Data and BA. The book has 13 chapters. The first chapter is Festschrift in Honor of Professor Ravindran (which has been the primary purpose for developing this book) by Professor Adedeji B Badiru. The rest of the volume is broadly divided into three sections. The first section, consisting of chapters 2 and 3, is intended to provide the basics of MCDM and Big Data Analytics. The next section, comprising of Chapters 4-10, discusses applications of traditional MCDM methods. The last section, comprising of the final three chapters, discusses the application of more sophisticated MCDM methods, namely, Data Envelopment Analysis and the Analytics Hierarchy Process. The chapters are aimed to illustrate how MCDM methods can be fruitfully employed in exploiting Big Data, and it is hoped that this book will kindle further research avenues in this exciting new field. This book will serve as a reference for MCDM methods, Big Data, and linked applications.