SAMOKwhich

SAMOKwhich is an open-source decision-support framework designed to help individuals and organizations evaluate alternatives across multiple criteria. The project aims to provide an extensible, transparent platform for aggregating data, applying decision models, and presenting ranked options with explanations. It emphasizes explainability and provenance, allowing users to inspect how weights and data influence results.

The project originated in the early 2020s as a community effort by researchers and developers seeking a lightweight, modifiable tool for multi-criteria decision analysis. The core engine is designed to be data-agnostic and plugin-oriented, enabling connectors to databases, spreadsheets, APIs, or manual inputs. Core components include a ranking module, a scenario simulator, and an explanation generator that traces decisions to inputs and model choices.

Typical workflows involve defining criteria, assigning weights or using data-driven scoring, importing candidate options, running the ranking, and reviewing explanations. The framework supports multiple decision methods (for example, weighted sum, TOPSIS, and AHP-like hierarchies) and can produce visualizations and audit trails. It is often used in procurement, policy analysis, and product evaluation exercises.

Reception in the open-source and academic communities has been cautiously favorable, with emphasis on interoperability and openness, while critiques focus on handling of bias and the learning curve for new users. The project is maintained by volunteers with periodic releases and ongoing community discussions.