About Us

Scientific Metrics (the maker of Tetra) offers the only software for evaluation, measurement and decision making that is based on sound mathematical foundations. We also provide consulting services and training in the use of this software.

Our products and services are based on more than twenty years of research into the mathematical foundations of the Analytic Hierarchy Process, utility theory, decision theory, measurement theory, and related fields. A sample of related research publications can be found on our Publications page.

Scientific Metrics was founded in 2002 by Jonathan Barzilai and is located in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.

Jonathan Barzilai, President and CEO, holds B.Sc., M.Sc. and D.Sc. degrees in Applied Mathematics from the Technion, Israel Institute of Technology. His research interests include measurement theory, decision theory and analysis, and numerical optimization. He has held positions at the University of Texas at Austin (Mathematics), York University (Business), Dalhousie University (Business), the Technical University of Nova Scotia (Computer Science) and currently Dalhousie University (Industrial Engineering). Dr. Barzilai has published major papers on measurement and decision theory and has developed a methodology, Preference Function Modelling (PFM), for measurement, evaluation, and decision making by a single decision maker or a group.

Tetra is a software implementation of PFM. The development of Tetra has been led by Dan Barzilai, V.P. Software Development, who holds the degree of B.Comp.Sc. from the Technical University of Nova Scotia (which has merged with Dalhousie University in 1997).

Acknowledgements

Contributions to Tetra
Dan Barzilai, John Garden, Sam Howse, Peter Lichodzijewski, Rick MacDonald, Jason MacNeil, Mark McManus, Ron Pelot, Michelle Pinfold, Jeremy Porter, Trevor Smedley.

Other Contributions
Jonathan Barzilai, Tom Brown, Joe Howse, Uzi Ravhon, Uday Venkatadri.


In Memory

Dr. Sam Howse (1980-2008) was an exceptionally talented computer scientist and a gifted teacher with broad knowledge and interests. A tenacious perfectionist who practiced what he preached, Sam believed people deserve far more reliable software than they are getting today — that poor design, programming errors, uncorrected bugs and insecure systems result in wasted time and money, and put lives at risk. Sam’s expertise in software design, program correctness, and other disciplines is manifested in Tetra.

Above all, Sam has contributed to all of us. We will always remember him as a friend and a colleague.


Recent

NEW: Ordinal Group Decision Making

Error in the Sciences workshop

The Reality Test

On Ordinal, Cardinal, and Expected Utility


The Foundations

Decision Theory Errors

Economic Theory Errors

Game Theory Errors

Measurement Theory Errors


Software

Download Tetra

Tetra Quickstart Guide

Tetra Online Documentation


Algorithms

NEW: Demonstration


Video

Ordinal Utility and Indifference Curves

Von Neumann's Error

Game Theory: Whose Values?