Influence of Loss Function on Determination of Optimal Thickness of Consolidating Layer for Songdo New City

Spatial estimation of the thickness and depth of the geological profile has been regarded as an important procedure for the design of soft ground. A minimum variance criterion, which has often been used in traditional kriging techniques, does not always guarantee the optima1 estimates for the decision-making process in geotechnical engineering. In this study, a geostatistica; framework is used to determine the optimal thickness of the consolidation layer and the optimal area that needs the adoption of prefabricated vertical drains via indicator kriging and loss function. From the exemplary problem, different optimal estimates can be obtained depending on the loss function chosen. The design procedure and method considering the minimum expected loss presented in this paper can be used in the decision-making process for geotechnical engineering design.