Exploring Trade Spaces within the Impact Monitor 2 Framework
As part of its mission to strengthen science-based, stakeholder-informed decision-making in aviation research and innovation (R&I), the Impact Monitor 2 project recently held a dedicated workshop titled:
“Trade-Space Exploration & Assessment – Theory and Introduction to VALORISE.”
Hosted by the DLR Institute of System Architectures in Aeronautics, the session introduced the theory behind trade-space analysis and the use of VALORISE—a decision-support tool facilitating objective, multi-criteria evaluation of complex R&I configurations.
Why Trade-Space Exploration Matters
When multiple stakeholders—such as regulators, technology developers, and environmental experts—have different priorities, finding the “best” solution becomes a matter of balance. The workshop focused on a systematic approach to evaluating design and policy options by applying the principles of Multi-Attribute Utility (MAU) Theory.
Participants were guided through the full value assessment chain:
Defining Attributes – Metrics that reflect how well each stakeholder’s needs are met
Assigning Weights – Ranking the relative importance of those metrics
Quantifying Expectations – Estimating the perceived utility of each configuration
Performing Assessments – Evaluating multiple scenarios and solutions
Estimating Value – Combining weights and utilities into a single decision metric
This process supports transparent, data-informed comparisons across different aviation technologies, operations, and regulatory measures.
Introducing VALORISE: Supporting Informed Choices
At the heart of this approach is VALORISE, a specialized decision-support tool created by DLR. Designed to visualize trade spaces and compute aggregated value scores, VALORISE allows stakeholders to:
- Compare multiple solutions
- Visualize trade-offs between performance indicators
- Explore how design choices align with stakeholder expectations
- Support robust decision-making under uncertainty
In Impact Monitor 2, VALORISE will be used to guide preliminary impact assessments and help ensure that proposed innovations align with the environmental, climate, and economic objectives of European aviation R&I.
Acknowledgements
The workshop was moderated by Luca Boggero, on behalf of DLR’s Institute of System Architectures in Aeronautics.