Justification of global positioning systems purchase using the analytic hierarchical process - The case of the Israeli Defense Force

A major issue in a decision to adopt advanced technologies is the justification process. Many technological developments are evaluated according to tangible criteria while important intangible criteria are overlooked. This study investigated a military need for advanced navigation technology in the Israeli Defense Force. The first and second parts discuss difficulties with current navigation methods and present the global positioning systems technology (GPS) as a solution. The third part presents some difficulties with traditional decision-making techniques as they apply to the decision to adopt GPS technology in a military environment. The fourth part presents an application of the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) for defining tangible and intangible decision criteria, assigning them numerical weights and evaluating GPS alternatives accordingly. In conclusion, the study presents an alternative to traditional decision-making processes and military purchasing procedures of innovative technology (such as the lowest bidder method) by providing an opportunity to incorporate user-defined criteria into the decision-making process. This study proposes an alternative to traditional military and governmental purchasing methods and it should be valued as an alternative decision tool for innovative technology in times of shrinking governmental budgets.