Using a Multi-Criteria Approach in Early Warning Information Systems (MCEWIS)

A great deal of research has been conducted and numerous software programs have been created around the world in order to monitor events that cause threats. Such efforts had sought to predict possible disastrous events and help minimize their adverse effects on human life and property. The authors have developed a multi-criteria early warning information system (MCEWIS) to detect risks or expected hazards in the law enforcement sector. The distinguishing feature is using the EWS with a multi-factor/ multi-criteria approach to select the most important factors affecting the risk or even stimulating it. The EWS will automatically calculate the weight of each criterion/indicator and compare all criteria according to this weight. If one criterion has more weight than the others; this reflects the importance of this criterion in stimulating or increasing the risk. The paper describes the new approach and demonstrates the proof-of-concept.