An agent-based model to simulate stakeholders’ negotiation regarding land development in the Elbow River watershed in southern Alberta

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dc.contributor.advisorMarceau, Danielle J.
dc.contributor.authorPooyandeh, Majeed
dc.date.accessioned2014-01-27T21:57:40Z
dc.date.available2014-03-15T07:00:19Z
dc.date.issued2014-01-27
dc.date.submitted2014en
dc.description.abstractThe study of coupled human and natural systems known as CHANS research requires the incorporation of both biological and social aspects and neglecting one or the other can lead to their incomplete understanding. This study aims at incorporating stakeholders’ perspectives and facilitating their negotiation over land development in the Elbow River watershed in southern Alberta considered as a CHANS. To achieve this objective, a scientific framework was developed which integrates concepts and techniques from three disciplines: Complexity theory, Post-normal science, and Artificial intelligence (AI). A negotiation support system was developed in a web-based environment that includes an agent-based model as the core component. Concepts of post-normal science were incorporated to guide the engagement of stakeholders. A fuzzy approach was considered to tackle the inherent uncertainties in the way stakeholders expressed their perspectives. Rather than attempting to find a unique, optimum solution regarding land development, an agreement was sought that was satisfactory at a minimum level to all stakeholders involved in the negotiation. To equip the agents representing the stakeholders with the intelligence required to conduct human-like behaviors such as communication and learning, AI techniques were employed to enable them to learn from previous rounds of negotiation. The proposed modeling system was tested using land development scenarios in the Elbow River watershed. The results reveal that the model acts as a virtual laboratory in which the stakeholders gain a better understanding of each other’s perspectives, while investigating alternative scenarios of land development in order to reach an agreement. They also indicate how learning and considering the opponents’ perspectives can make their satisfaction values converge more quickly to an agreement point. The novelty of this study lies in the successful integration of the concepts and methods originating from three disciplines to capture the complexity of a CHANS. Moreover, this is one of the few studies that incorporate the spatial context in a negotiation to address issues related to land development. The negotiation support system developed in this study can be very useful for decision makers who wish to consider stakeholders’ perspectives when dealing with multiple objectives in a spatial context.en_US
dc.identifier.citationPooyandeh, M. (2014). An agent-based model to simulate stakeholders’ negotiation regarding land development in the Elbow River watershed in southern Alberta (Doctoral thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca. doi:10.11575/PRISM/24808en_US
dc.identifier.doihttp://dx.doi.org/10.11575/PRISM/24808
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/11023/1297
dc.language.isoeng
dc.publisher.facultyGraduate Studies
dc.publisher.institutionUniversity of Calgaryen
dc.publisher.placeCalgaryen
dc.rightsUniversity of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission.
dc.subjectUrban and Regional Planning
dc.subjectEnvironmental Sciences
dc.subjectArtificial Intelligence
dc.subject.classificationAgent-based model, Stakeholders’ negotiation, Bayesian learning, Fuzziness, Analytic hierarchy process, Web access, Land developmenten_US
dc.titleAn agent-based model to simulate stakeholders’ negotiation regarding land development in the Elbow River watershed in southern Alberta
dc.typedoctoral thesis
thesis.degree.disciplineGeomatics Engineering
thesis.degree.grantorUniversity of Calgary
thesis.degree.nameDoctor of Philosophy (PhD)
ucalgary.item.requestcopytrue
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