Comparing two judgment scales of AHP with a case study: reaching a decision on a dry port location

Abstract

Determining the most appropriate location for a new dry port installation is generally a very complex and sensitive process that requires reasoned consideration of many criteria. In this article, we aimed to determine the best location for a dry port that would support the container terminals within the hinterland of Kocaeli ports by applying analytic hierarchy process (AHP) with a case study. The city of Kocaeli, located in the northwest part of Turkey, is the second rank after Istanbul in terms of export capacity. We identified a total of five locations as the candidates of a dry port in the Gulf of Kocaeli. After reviewing the literature and taking the opinions of the 85 experts from the relevant sectors, we developed seven criteria to be a basis in the AHP study and weighted the factors. We carried out the pairwise comparisons, in relation to the knowledge gained through the survey. Two different judgment scales-the Saaty's fundamental scale and the balanced scale-were used in the pairwise comparison stage. After the comparisons, the variance related to the consistency ratios and the range of the sensitivity was also observed. In conclusion, at the end of this AHP, one of the options has remarkably placed the top rank for the most suitable location of a new dry port. It is assessed that the arguments for the criteria of the method in this study can be taken as a sample for future studies in different regions of the world.