NEWS RELEASE                                                                                                    MAY 2012

Decisive Classification is an Important New Tool in Air, Water and Energy

A Decisive Classification system promises to make the following contributions:

• Increase world productivity and GDP
• Allow developing nations to utilize the wisdom of the developed world
• Eliminate language barriers
• Encourage the selection of lowest life cycle cost products rather than those with lowest initial cost

The Decisive Classification system is being developed by the McIlvaine Company and is accessible free of charge in the Global Decisions Orchard website.

All decisions are a sequence of classifications. The more relevant the classifications, the better the decision. In the increasingly international world it is also important that classifications be precise and that this precision is conveyed in the appropriate languages of which Chinese and English are the two most important.

The system is designed to assist purchasers in finding the right products in the air, water and energy sectors. But it is also equally useful to suppliers, researchers and even investors.

The purchaser typically starts with classifying his application. McIlvaine has adopted the U.S. NAICS code system but with decisive additions.

Internal Data Search by Application

In this case McIlvaine has chosen to separate oil shale from shale oil. The reason is that they are two completely different applications. Shale oil can be extracted with hydraulic fracturing because it is a liquid. Oil shale must be heated in-situ or mined in order to process the solid kerogens.

Classification of products is by market share rather than by theory. A decade ago dissolved oxygen monitors were based on either galvanic or polarographic methods. Then optical instruments gained popularity. This created three categories. Today optical instruments are dominant, so the first classification should now be optical or electrochemical. This classification is very valuable to the searcher because it indicates that it is more important to decide between optical and electrochemical than between specific electrochemical approaches. A new development in this field uses nanotechnology. Therefore, the classifications are likely to change again.

The classification sequence includes applications, processes, products, goals, tasks and supplier companies. A process could be water treatment. The goals could be safety or air quality. One of the big problems with identifying supplier companies is the multiple names in Chinese and English. This is overcome by a system whereby every company is identified by a number. The corporate name in Chinese and English is linked to the number as is the precise subsidiary name.

Tasks and products are identified in a parent–child system. Here is an example for catalyst maintenance for a power plant selective catalytic reduction system:

The value of this classification to Chinese power plant operators is substantial. They have just recently installed their first DeNO_x systems and do not have the maintenance experience to be familiar with the options. A system which clarifies that there are three main options is therefore very helpful.

The McIlvaine Company will continue to develop the system and is seeking input from associations, governments and corporations. A niche expert network is also being established to ensure that the classifications reflect the world’s knowledge.

For more information, click on: Global Decisions Orchard or contact the McIlvaine Company at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.   847 784 0012.