Add README

Added supplementary material and data organization details for the study on choice-based engineering design optimization.

Author: marvin-meck

README.md

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+# Supplementary material (results): "Choice-based engineering design optimization: a comparative analysis with conventional cost minimization applied to the design of a fuel cell micro cogeneration system"
+
+This repository contains supplementary material for the study:
+> Choice-based engineering design optimization: a comparative analysis with conventional cost minimization 
+applied to the design of a fuel cell micro-cogeneration system Marvin Meck, PhD thesis (under review), TU Darmstadt, 2026
+
+It includes intermediate and final results, as well as supporting data used to generate the findings reported in the study.
+
+The repository provides:
+* Intermediate data used during modelling and analysis
+* Final results underlying figures and tables
+* Data used to create supplementary figures and tables
+
+All data are stored in text-based formats to ensure long-term accessibility:
+`.csv` for tabular data
+`.json` / `.yaml` for structured data
+`AMPL` / `Pyomo` data formats for optimization model data
+
+## Data identification and organization
+
+Inspired by [Müller (2022)](#References) and [Hock et al. (2023)](#References), 
+the data generated during this research project are systematically organized using a structured identification scheme. 
+Each dataset consists of one or multiple files and is assigned a unique 3-tuple of integers of the form:
+```
+(DataType, Chapter, Counter)
+```
+
+To produce a compact and readable identifier for use in file names and references, each `(DataType, Chapter, Counter)` tuple is encoded using the [`sqids`](https://sqids.org) algorithm.
+[`Sqids`](https://sqids.org) converts the three-integer tuple into a short, unique, non-sequential string identifier. 
+For example:
+* The tuple `(0, 3, 1)` might become `gVHrJE`, and
+* the tuple `(1, 3, 1)` might become `fG9gW1`.
+
+The components of the tuple identifying the datasets are defined as follows. 
+`DataType` indicates the type of the data, and is defined to take the following values:
+* `0` - Support: Intermediate or supporting data used in modelling or analysis, but not directly associated with any particular figure or table. 
+* `1` - Figure: Data used to produce figures. 
+* `2` — Table: Data used to generate tables. 
+
+`Chapter` indicates the chapter in which the data is used or discussed, 
+numbered as:
+* `1` — Introduction
+* `2` — Literature Review
+* `3` — Methods
+* `4` — Results
+* `5` — Discussion
+* `6` — Conclusion
+* `7` — Appendix
+
+Lastly, `Counter` is an integer value incremented for datasets of the same type within the same chapter. 
+
+### Metadata
+
+Where necessary, files include metadata to support interpretation and reproducibility. 
+This may include:
+* parameter values
+* references to other datasets
+* software version information
+* modelling assumptions
+* data provenance (e.g. external sources)
+
+Metadata are stored either:
+* directly within files (e.g. comments in .csv, fields in .json/.yaml)
+* or in accompanying text files
+
+## Reproducibility
+
+All results in this repository are designed to be reproducible using the provided data and associated research code.
+Some datasets rely on third-party data sources. 
+These are archived within TU Darmstadt's institutional research data repository TUdatalib but not publicly redistributed due to licensing restrictions. 
+Access must be obtained from the respective rights holders; see ([here]((https://tudatalib.ulb.tu-darmstadt.de/handle/tudatalib/5082))). 
+
+## Usage
+
+Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) license.
+See: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
+
+If you use this material, please cite:
+
+> Meck, Marvin (2026), "Choice-based engineering design optimization: a comparative analysis with conventional cost 
+minimization applied to the design of a fuel cell micro cogeneration system", PhD thesis (in preparation), TU Darmstadt.
+
+## References
+
+Müller, T.M. (2022) Algorithmisch gestützte Planung dezentraler Fluidsysteme. UNSPECIFIED. Available at: https://doi.org/10.26083/TUPRINTS-00021608.
+
+Hock, M. et al. (2023) “plotID - a toolkit for connecting research data and visualization,” ing.grid, 1(1). Available at: https://doi.org/10.48694/INGGRID.3632.
+
+## Contact
+
+For questions or data access inquiries, please open an issue or contact the author.