The use of artificial neural networks for determining the relative importance of affecting variables on outputs of developed technologies

Abstract

It is acknowledged that industrialization results in not only benefits but also hazards for human being or environments. In the past times, the developed technologies mainly gave priority on gaining profits as much as possible while paying a little attention on possible negative impacts behind the developed process. People now realize the hidden high cost of it, and try to solve such problems in several ways. One of potential ways is to eliminate insignificant affecting variables on process that may even give undesired products or wastes. It is then needed a quantitative tool to identify these variables. This short paper highlights a brief analysis on determining of relative importance of affecting input variables on an output variable/product of developed technology or process using artificial neural networks (ANNs). To give an idea about ANNs, the discussion starts with description of ANNs. A demonstration to obtain weights factors, parameters required in the determination of relative importance of affecting variables, will be shown in separate slides.