Application of the AHP-VIKOR Hybrid Model in Media Selection for Informing About the Endangered in Situations of Emergency

A distribution of information in situations of emergency represents a serious challenge for the expert services engaged in protection and rescue. The number of the people who need help in situations of emergency is rather large and the number of those who can really be helped depends on their availability to expert services. A large number of people, especially endangered groups, can be saved with the help of timely and qualitative information. In the conditions determined by a lack of time, the staff in charge of situations of emergency have to make a decision on informing the population about the incoming danger. In the paper, a hybrid model based on the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and multi-criteria compromise ranking (VIKOR) is presented, as applied through the selection of the best medium for informing the population in situations of emergency. The AHP method is used to determine criteria weight coefficients, while the VIKOR method is applied in order to find the best media by means of making a selection amongst numerous concrete options – i.e. alternatives.