A coupled factorial-analysis-based interval programming approach and its application to air quality management

In this study, a coupled factorial-analysis-based interval programming (CFA-IP) approach is developed through incorporating factorial analysis within an interval-parameter linear programming framework. CFA-IP can tackle uncertainties presented as intervals that exist in the objective function and the left- and right-hand sides of constraints, as well as robustly reflect interval information in the solutions for the objective-function value and decision variables. Moreover CFA-IP has the advantage of investigating the potential interactions among input parameters and their influences on lower- and upper-bound solutions, which is meaningful for supporting an in-depth analysis of uncertainty. A regional air quality management problem is studied to demonstrate applicability of the proposed CFA-IP approach. The results indicate that useful solutions have been generated for planning the air quality management practices. They can help decision makers identify desired pollution mitigation strategies with minimized total cost and maximized environmental efficiency, as well as screen out dominant parameters and explore the valuable information that may be veiled beneath their interrelationships. IMPLICATIONS: The CFA-IP approach can not only tackle uncertainties presented as intervals that exist in the objective function and the left- and right-hand sides of constraints, but also investigate their interactive effects on model outputs, which is meaningful for supporting an in-depth analysis of uncertainty. Thus CFA-IP would be applicable to air quality management problems under uncertainty. The results obtained from CFA-IP can help decision makers identify desired pollution mitigation strategies, as well as investigate the potential interactions among factors and analyze their consequent effects on modeling results.