This is the webpage for the UNEDA (Universal Engine for Decision Analysis) software platform. It contains several code layers, the most central of which are the DTL (Decision Tree Layer) functional API layer and its core calculation library TCL (Tree Core Layer). UNEDA is an open-source platform on which decision-analytic software can be built. In its basic form, it can handle methods that conform to classic probability and utility theory, but it can be extended to work with any method compatible with additive utilities (such as TOPSIS, VIKOR, or outranking methods). UNEDA brings the following features to any decision-analytic software implementation:
UNEDA was developed between 1994 and 2025, first at the Royal Institute of Technology and later at Stockholm University. A core idea from the outset was to allow for imprecision in the input data, never requiring more precision than the decision-maker can supply. Very seldom is any input data known with such precision that it can be represented by precise numbers. The first implementations were instances of the framework described in the PhD thesis Computational Decision Analysis (link in the left side panel). The thesis framework was subsequently extended to handle decision trees of arbitrary depth rather than only a single level and also extended to handle multiple criteria rather than only a single criterion.
UNEDA has been used in a number of projects over the years, both research and commercial. Most projects built their own layers on top of UNEDA to create the functional interface they wanted for their applications. Two examples of additional layers are bundled together with the basic platform: UNEDA-CAR for cardinal ranking input (otherwise numerical) and UNEDA-SML for a stakeholder group extension. Users are encouraged to build their own interface layers and, if circumstances permit, publish them in order to make them publicly available.
The UNEDA source code is stored in a repository on GitHub and can be downloaded and used free of charge for any purpose. Background material and documentation are available at this website. In the left side panel, there are links to specifications and documents describing the library package and its algorithms.
UNEDA conforms to the theoretical foundations of prescriptive decision analysis as described in the book Foundations of Computational Decision Analysis (link in the left side panel).
The UNEDA software is licensed under Creative Commons CC BY 4.0. It is provided "as is", without warranty of any kind, express or implied. Reuse and modifications are encouraged, with proper attribution.
