Journal of Applied Sciences1812-56541812-5662Asian Network for Scientific Information10.3923/jas.2011.719.724RostirollaMarco RostirollaPietro 42011114The SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) is generally developed through a reading of few variables that are a priori selected on the basis of the previous knowledge of the system under investigation. With reference to the analysis to support several municipality territorial Plan, we propose an approach like the SWOT analysis that it leaves from objectives of the Plan and the typology of interventions for their attainment; before it identifies a wide battery of variables in order to describe the knowledge requirement; then, it examines them through a multivariate statistics analysis in order to characterize the homogenous groups of municipalities; at last it describes the weak and strong points on the base of the variables who characterize the groups. In a second phase, the results from SWOT analysis are the inputs for an optimization model that allows representing, in percentage, the weight that every municipality must have as optimal allocation of the financial resources managed from the plan. The ideal allocation of the financial resources shows the expectations of the each municipality constructed on the basis of the physical, environmental and cultural characteristics and of their coherence with the projects proposed by the Plan.]]>Akca, H.,2006628372839Belton, V., J. Hodgkin and G. Montibeller,2004Bock, H.H.,19881988Fabbris, L.,1983Mahdavi, I., F. Hamed, M.M. Paydar and H. Armaghan,2008829832990Rostirolla, P. and F. Monacciani,20082008Cefarelli, P., F. Rossi, M. Rostirolla and P. Rostirolla,20082008