Evaluating vehicle telematics system by using a novel MCDM techniques with dependence and feedback
Introduction
With the extensive traffic network and the changes in lifestyles, automobile users will no longer be pleased with just a pleasant driving experience and comfortable interior. Instead, people will expect their navigational device to change from a closed system into an open intellectual communications system, in which users can communicate or transmit information to and from external systems or other people in real-time via their car’s vehicle telematics device. With the remarkable advances in consumer electronic and telecommunications technologies, development in the automobile industry has been progressed from the past era, in which driving mechanisms and comfortable equipments were emphasized to the telematics era, in which the interaction between users and various platforms is stressed. These trends not only push the automobile industry to extend its industrial value chain but also to represent the new definition of what the automobile should be.
Therefore, the development of the next-generation vehicle has extended from improving machine efficiency to providing communications and information services. In order to meet consumers’ needs when they are on the move, VTS (Vehicle Telematics Systems) should integrate existing communications, information and automobile technologies for various service utilities. VTS can change the car from a closed body into an open mobile-service platform. The car will not only be designed for transportation, but will also provide value-added services regarding navigation, safety, security, information, communications and entertainment. Drivers or passengers will be able to contact a call center via VTS to access desired services through information online. Therefore, VTS increases both the utility/function and the safety of driving. The high price of VTS hardware will be reduced with the innovation of communications technologies, information technologies and the popularization of system services by mass production, and will also enable suppliers to attain economies of scale in production and services. Once this is achieved, VTS will become standard equipment in the vehicle. Since problems of technology and costs will be resolved in the future, the biggest challenge for the development of VTS is to discover the services and applications that the consumers really want. Therefore, how to develop VTS in order to meet the user’s needs has become the main topic of automobile producers and telematics service providers (TSPs). It will influence new car sales and the scale of derived value-added service markets.
Early in 1997, European studies had proposed a solution for evaluating traffic effects of a route guidance system by dynamic simulation of an advanced transport telematics technology for easing the problems induced by traffic. They pointed out that an efficient and safe infrastructure is an essential prerequisite for European economic and social cohesion. Those situations have urged the development of telematics technologies for route guidance systems to solve those traffic problems like traffic congestion. They also predicted traffic problems with the rapid development of telematics technologies it would become possible in the near future to make real-time information for real traffic situations (Chen & Stauss, 1997). The core of VTS is communications and information services. The transmission, reception, and communication of information need to be operated via various communications and information technologies, particularly wireless technologies. Accordingly, car users can get various kinds of real-time and precise information when they have different needs such as personal e-commerce (Anker and Arnold, 1998, Golob and Regan, 2001). With the advances in telecommunications technologies, consumers can search and download video, music, and other multimedia information in real-time, via the VTS (Golob & Regan, 2001).
Based on above literature reviews and expert discussions of our research group, this study would like to identify the required VTS utilities according to distinguishing characteristics of consumers and propose the most appropriate service combination for the next e-era generation VTS. These following six aspects (i.e. navigational and location services, safety and security services, communications and information services, audio–video and entertainment services, fee rate and payment methods, product image), encompassing 25 criteria, are constructed to identify and evaluate consumers’ needs for the next e-era generation VTS. We propose a novel MCDM model which combines DEMATEL with ANP and TOPSIS. It is generally introduced and applied with real products to illustrate the VTS innovation/creation. VTSs are applied to four regions (i.e. North America, Western Europe, Japan and Taiwan) for empirical analyses. The DEMATEL technique is used to build the NRM among criteria of each aspect. Then, the ANP method is used to determine the relative weightings among those evaluation criteria based on NRM. Finally, the TOPSIS is used to determine and improve the gaps between consumers’ negative (the worst levels) and positive ideal solutions (aspired/desired levels) among utilities of the existing VTSs and preferences of various consumers for improving the gaps in each criterion based on whole systems of NRM (Chen and Tzeng, 2004, Kuo et al., 2007, Opricovic and Tzeng, 2004, Shih et al., 2007, Tzeng et al., 2002). The gaps between the consumers’ most appropriate and most inappropriate service of the existing/developing VTS in each criterion are analyzed to achieve the aspired/desired level for satisfying the customers’ needs. Those conclusions will serve/provide the decision-maker of TSP for improving existing gaps of functions or planning further utilities/functions for the next e-era generation VTS. Commercial VTSs of four regions (i.e. North America, Western Europe, Japan and Taiwan) are illustrated to use as empirical analyses. The result shows that user ages will influence the preference of desired utilities of VTS. Those comments can help automobile manufacturers develop new e-era generation VTS, modulize the service functions and satisfy target consumers’ requirements for customized purposes. This paper recommends that TSPs improve the current utilities or initiate new utilities/functions on the basis of Japan’s or Taiwan’s existing VTSs in order to shorten the time to market.
The rest of this paper is organized as follows. In Section 2, telematics system markets based on consumers’ requirements/needs of VTS are discussed. In Section 3, the evaluation model of the best VTS market for the next e-era generation VTS is proposed by combined the DEMATEL technique with ANP and TOPSIS methods. In Section 4, an empirical analysis of evaluation model of VTS market is proposed to apply to four empirical cases. Finally, conclusions and further planning strategies for the next e-era generation VTS are proposed in Section 5.
Section snippets
The development of vehicles telematics markets based on consumers’ needs
The development experiences of VTSs in countries with advanced automobile industries (i.e. North America, Western Europe, and Japan) can be benchmarked by Taiwan’s TSPs. In Europe, the United States and other advanced countries, car users care about and focus on the security and safety functions of automobiles. The law of strict/severe rules is also legislated regarding car safety. Accordingly, emergency services, automatic notification, stolen vehicle location assistance, security protection,
Building an evaluation model for the best vehicle telematics system
In this Section the general concept of evaluation model is proposed to build a best vehicle telematics system model using MCDM techniques for evaluating and improving the existing vehicle-telematic products. The study is divided into four Subsections. Section 3.1 deals with the survey of VTS functions and consumers’ preference. In Section 3.2, the DEMATEL method is used to build the value-created and influence network system. In Section 3.3, the ANP method will be introduced based on influence
The empirical analysis of evaluation model for VTS market
In this Section, the study is divided into five subsections. Section 4.1 deals with the survey of consumer preference for VTS functions. Section 4.2 uses the decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) method for analysis of empirical cases. Section 4.3 uses the analytic network process (ANP) method for analysis of empirical cases. Section 4.4 uses the technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS) method for analysis of empirical cases. Section 4.5 is the
Conclusions
The VTS industry consists of hardware suppliers, software suppliers; telematics service providers, content suppliers and telecommunications suppliers. TSP integrates the system and provides kinds of services via telecommunications networks, playing the key role. Referring to successful cases of foreign VTSs regarding services and utilities, TSPs who will succeed or fail in the market depend on the achievement of a degree of satisfaction of consumers’ needs. US and European TSPs focus on safety
References (42)
- et al.
An interactive algorithm for large scale multiple objective programming problems with fuzzy parameters through TOPSIS approach
Applied Mathematics and Computation
(2006) - et al.
Extensions of TOPSIS for multi-objective large-scale nonlinear programming problems
Applied Mathematics and Computation
(2005) - et al.
Valuation of urban industrial land: An analytic network process approach
European Journal of Operational Research
(2008) - et al.
Evaluating traffic effects of a route guidance system by dynamic simulation
Simulation Practice and Theory
(1997) - et al.
Combining grey relation and TOPSIS concepts for selecting an expatriate host country
Mathematical and Computer Modelling
(2004) - et al.
A fuzzy analytic network process (ANP) model to identify faulty behavior risk (FBR) in work system
Safety Science
(2008) - et al.
Inter-company comparison using modified TOPSIS with objective weights
Computers & Operations Research
(2000) - et al.
Evaluating high-tech alternatives by using analytic network process with BOCR and multiactors
Evaluation and Program Planning
(2005) - et al.
Impacts of information technology on personal travel and commercial vehicle operations: Research challenges and opportunities
Transportation Research Part C: Emerging Technologies
(2001) - et al.
Using BPNN and DEMATEL to modify importance-performance analysis model – A study of the computer industry
Expert Systems with Applications
(2009)
Reconfiguring the innovation policy portfolios for Taiwan’s SIP Mall industry
Technovation
An algorithmic method to extend TOPSIS for decision-making problems with interval data
Applied Mathematics and Computation
Extension of the TOPSIS method for decision-making problems with fuzzy data
Applied Mathematics and Computation
A fuzzy optimization model for QFD planning process using analytic network approach
European Journal of Operational Research
Group decision-making based on concepts of ideal and anti-ideal points in a fuzzy environment
Mathematical and Computer Modelling
Identification of a threshold value for the DEMATEL method using the maximum mean de-entropy algorithm to find critical services provided by a semiconductor intellectual property mall
Expert Systems with Applications
A causal analytical method for group decision-making under fuzzy environment
Expert Systems with Applications
A value-created system of science (technology) park by using DEMATEL
Expert Systems with Applications
Airline safety measurement using a hybrid model
Journal of Air Transport Management
Building an effective safety management system for airlines
Journal of Air Transport Management
Supporting family carers through the use of information and communication technology – The EU project ACTION
International Journal of Nursing Studies
Cited by (80)
A modified CRITIC with a reference point based on fuzzy logic and hamming distance
2022, Knowledge-Based SystemsMathematical modeling and evaluation of the safety culture for the operating nuclear power plants in China: Critical review and multi-criteria decision analysis
2022, Annals of Nuclear EnergyCitation Excerpt :This method is also a negative compensation-based aggregation method, which compares a group of alternatives by determining the weight of each item. There were some investigations, combining ANP, DEMATEL and TOPSIS methodologies to confirm the most ideal positions (Büyüközkan and Çifçi, 2012; Chen and Chen, 2010; Lin et al., 2010). Among the MCDA techniques, TOPSIS was the best developed method for MCDA problems on account of its simple computation process and high flexibility (Hwang and Yoon, 1981).
A new type-2 fuzzy multi-criteria hybrid method for rail transit operation safety assessment
2021, Applied Soft ComputingAnalytic network process: An overview of applications
2020, Applied Mathematics and ComputationInfluence of process parameters on the optimisation of crystalline phase, size and strain of multiferroic Bismuth Iron Tri Oxide (BiFeO<inf>3</inf>) nanoceramics: A MCDM based TOPSIS approach
2020, Ceramics InternationalCitation Excerpt :Further, the problems of rank reversal and risk assessment for a decision maker should also been considered as the affecting factors. In order to avoid common problems that germinates from TOPSIS solution, an alternate way to the traditional normalization (vector normalization) is linear scale transformation (Max) and it can be adopted to ensure the best ideal combination of attributes in more than one way [34–36]. In case of classical TOPSIS, the initial data structure usually changes with the setting of weights [37,38].
- 1
Distinguished Chair Professor.