Preface

The current rapid development of data science, involving data mining, predictive analytics, statistics, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and machine learning, has been extended to decision science supporting decision-making processes in the presence of uncertainty. A great deal of work has been accomplished by many authors on the topics associated with data science and decision science, but a reference book on the combined Data and Decision Sciences (DDS) is rare. This book is intended to serve as a professional technical book that presents a collection of chapters addressing recent advances and applications of the combined DDS. The book is planned to provide a source of reference for educators, engineers, scientists, and researchers in the fields of DDS. The objective of this book is to compile a set of chapters with associated topics capturing recent advancements of DDS across a wide range of applications that are common to the combined data and decision sciences. To achieve this objective, the book is organized into four sections with topics related to (i) recent advances and application of combined DDS in future space-based applications, business, medical, and agriculture, optimization modeling in decision science, and (ii) new perspective on the cognitive decision-making process. This book is organized as follows:

Section 1 – "Overview of DDS and Recent Advancement in Future Space Application"

This section includes two chapters, including Chapter 1 and Chapter 2. Chapter 1 is an introductory chapter that provides an overview of DDS and discusses the differences between data science and decision science. Chapter 2 describes a DDS application for a future space system addressing a combined DDS technology using machine learning and artificial intelligence (ML-AI) for a ground-based high-power amplifier pre-distorter operated in an unknown operating environment.

Section 2 – "Recent DDS Advancements in Business, Medical, and Agriculture Applications"

This section compiles three chapters, namely, Chapters 3, 4 and 5 with emphasis on the combined DDS applications in business, medical, and agriculture fields. Chapter 3 discusses a combined DDS approach using Monte Carlo simulation methods to generate desired data for making strategic business decisions. Chapter 4 presents another combined DDS approach for medical applications using ML-AI and regression analysis along with the Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) method for predicting lung vital capacity. Finally, Chapter 5 proposes an innovative decision approach using an integrated multicriteria decision-making process in the presence of uncertainty. The proposed approach is applied to a specific use case for the selection of the most sustainable technology to improve a small-scale farm in Colombia.

Section 3 – "Optimization Modeling in Decision Science"

This section includes Chapter 6. Chapter 6 proposes a mathematical model of a decision support system using a multi-criteria optimization approach. The proposed model is demonstrated for solving the bicriteria problem.

Section 4 – "A New Perspective on Cognitive Decision-Making Process"

This section consists of Chapter 7 with an emphasis on cognitive decision-making in dynamic systems. This chapter discusses the cognitive decision systems involved with the intervention of complex, dynamic and changeable systems that can generate imprecisions, difficulties, or even incorrect decisions.

I would like to recognize the contributions of several key people to the creation of this professional technical book and express my deep gratitude to all the authors and coauthors for their contributions and several anonymous reviewers. The success of this book has not only been the result of the work of the authors, coauthors, and reviewers but also from the cooperation of several people at the IntechOpen publisher who provided constant support. Particularly, I would like to thank (i) the IntechOpen Publishing Process Managers, Ms. Jelena Vrdoljak, Ms. Patricia Kerep, and Ms. Karmen Đaleta for their invaluable assistance, conscientious, and relentless support during the review process, editing and publishing process - without them, this book is not possible; (ii) Commissioning Editor, Ms. Jelena Germuth, for her constant support; (iii) my colleagues from Carolina State University and California State University in Fullerton for their continuous support and review of a couple of chapters of this book; and (iv) my manager at The Aerospace Corporation, Dr. Tony Tang, for his constant support. Finally, I'm forever indebted to my wonderful wife, Thu-Hang Nguyen, for her patience, encouragement, and continuous support during the process of making this professional technical book.

> **Tien M. Nguyen** Adjunct Research Professor, Chair of the CCAM Advisory Board, Center for Computational and Applied Mathematics (CCAM), California State University in Fullerton (CSUF), Fullerton, California, USA

> > The Aerospace Corporation, USA
