Applying the soft computing methods in civil engineering

Abstract

The process of finding the optimal solution is the process of obtaining the best result under the given circumstances. Engineers continuously bring a multitude of decisions irrespective of whether they are engaged in the managerial functions or in the design, construction and maintenance of facilities. The ultimate goal of making all of these decisions is to get additional profit by finding the minimum or maximum of fitness function that models the problem. This paper describes three methods of soft programming (Theory of Rough Sets, Genetic Algorithms and Cuckoo Search) that allow making use of many different types of tools and techniques in the analysis used in the process of creating a model for decision making. This primarily relates to the clarification, interpretation, and taking actions to increase cohesion between the capabilities determined by a particular situation and objectives and evaluation of system used by the involved experts or decision makers. This paper also presents the example of the rough sets application in selecting optimal locations for a concrete factory.