Decision analysis applied to rock tunnel exploration

Abstract Exploration planning is a process of decision making under uncertainty. The decision if and where to explore depends on construction strategies and cost; the selection of construction strategies depends on knowledge of geologic conditions which are not known with certainty before exploration is performed. The proposed application of decision analysis provides a relatively simple approach to the tunnel exploration problem. The existing knowledge of geology, the possible construction strategies and their costs, the reliability and the cost of considered exploration methods are used to establish if and where exploration is beneficial. The resulting hierarchy of locations where exploration is beneficial and the comparison of expected values of exploration for different exploration methods provides the basis for the selection of a particular site and method. Graphical and simple numerical means have been created that make the proposed approach a convenient and fast tool in the hands of the decision maker.