Application of Interval-valued Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process Approach inSelection Cargo Terminals, a Case Study

Cargo terminals are the gateways for entrance of commodities into the transportation network.Therefore, locating them in optimal locations could have a major impact on the cost effectiveness andefficiency of transport, traffic safety and reduction in environmental pollutions. Due to the presence ofa large number of parameters involved and the existing uncertainties, decision making in this field is acomplex task. If the decision makers cannot reach an agreement on the method of defining linguisticvariables based on the fuzzy sets, favorable results and more accurate modeling can be achieved byusing the interval-valued fuzzy sets (IVFSs) which provide an additional degree of freedom torepresent the uncertainty and fuzziness in the real world. This study presents a group fuzzy analytichierarchy process (AHP) based on IVFSs (IVF-AHP), and its application to find the optimal locationfor the Ghaen (Qayenat) cargo terminal in Ghaen City, Iran. The results show that the proposedmethod is a reliable method in selecting the optimal location for cargo terminals.