MA/Casper

MA/Casper is a proprietary software system which supports an extended form of Morphological Analysis. It serves as a development platform for creating scenario and strategy laboratories, and morphological inference models. It was first developed in 1995, and is in its 4th programming version.

PLEASE NOTE: At present, MA/Casper is not a commercially available product. Licensing is available to clients or on the basis of joint ventures. However, we give free support to selected student projects and PhD studies. Contact us for more information. E-mail to: 

As a development platform for morphological modeling, MA/Casper supports the entire MA process:

• analysis-synthesis cycles
• internal consistency assessments
• relational database development
• scenario generator features
• single and multiple driver features
• input-output (if-then) modeling features
• notes and documentation

MA/Casper is implemented as a Windows 9x/NT/2000/XP program written in C++ and supplemented with Objective Grid. It is designed along normal and widely implemented Windows application forms and provides an easy-to-understand interface to the user. However, the successful application of computer supported morphological analysis with MA/Casper Modeller requires strong facilitation by analysts experienced in the method. It has therefore been judged to be less suitable as a "do-it-yourself" software implementation.

NOTE: The example morphological fields provided below derive from a study done for the Swedish National Rescue Services Agency. The study involved developing a computer-aided instrument to assess Swedish Rescue Services' preparedness for chemical accidents and terrorist actions involving the release of chemical agents. (Ritchey T., Sternström, M. & Eriksson, H. (2002). Using Morphological Analysis to Evaluate Preparedness for Accidents Involving Hazardous Materials). [Download in pdf-format]

The model consists of two linked morphological fields: A 5-parameter preparedness Resource field (the first five columns on the left) and a 3-parameter Response field, which is based on an accident scenario representing a general class of chemical substances. (The scenario is in fact based on an actual accident in Sweden involving the release of ammonia caused by a railroad accident.) Although this is a relatively small model, for that very reason it suffices to illustrate how morphological inference models work.

The main user interface of MA/Casper is divided into three working areas:

• E - Edit Field
• C - Cross-Consistency Field
• D - Display Field

The EDIT Field

Figure 1: Segment of a morphological model for assessing Rescue Services' preparedness for accidents involving chemical releases.

The Edit Field (E) is used to enter the variables and variable-values for the problem complex to be studied. It allows the morphological matrix to be formated -- e.g. re-sized and color coded if desired. Comments and documentation can be entered in text areas associated with each text cell (the red dot indicates that there is text in the cell's text area).

The Cross-Consistency Field

Figure 2: Cross-consistency matrix for the field in Figure 1.

The Cross-Consistency matrix relates the conditions (values) of each parameter with those of all other parameters -- pare-wise. This allows for internal consistency evaluations to be made within the parameter space. Comments and motivation for the cross-consistency judgments are documented in text areas behind each cross-consistency cell. Consistency keys can be defined for different purposes. When consistency checks are run, internally inconsistent configurations are deleted from the solution space, and other configurations can be flagged for different qualities.

The Display Field

Figure 3: Display field showing output (blue) for given input conditions (red).

The display field allows the solution space (or outcome space) of the morphological (scenario, strategy or policy) model to be examined. In this case (Figure 3, above), the field displays a given input (in red) concerning a rescue service's preparedness resources for a particular chemical accident, and output (in blue) showing the level of response associated with this preparedness level.



Figure 4

In Figure 4, the original configuration from Figure 3 is "frozen" (light blue), and new parameters values are chosen (red) in order to see how preparedness response levels can be most efficiently increased. Note that both Planning, Training and Equipment must be augmented in order to to gain the best response to the chemical release itself. This does not, however, improve Information and Human Rescue responses.



Figure 5

In Figure 5, the input has been shifted to the response segment, in order to ascertain what resources would be required for a (given) desired response. It is the characteristic of morphological models, that anything can be an input, and anything an output.

Applications

The morphological models presented above represent only one of many possible applications. During the past 10 years, general morphology has been used to model:

• Organisational structures and organisational development
• National and organisational security issues
• Crisis management and crisis mitigation policy
• Scenario and strategy development
• Negotiation and Stakeholder analysis