Integrating Sensors and Multicriteria Decision Making (MCDM) in Precision Agriculture: A Mini Review
Dianes David, O.S. Albahri, A.H. Alamoodi, A. S. Albahri, Muhammet Deveci, Iman Mohamad Sharaf
Abstract
As an emerging technology, smart agriculture is drawing increased attention to sensor technology and multicriteria decision-making (MCDM) models. MCDM-based techniques have been employed in various studies to support decision making under sensor-rich conditions, such as crop selection, irrigation, yield prediction, and animal facility management. In this brief review, significant studies involving sensor-based agriculture using MCDM models are discussed. This article also summarizes and identifies the theoretical background of MCDM methods applied in agriculture, as well as common problems in agricultural decision making. It identifies the criteria regularly used in decision making, such as technical efficiency, environmental sustainability, and economic efficiency, based on these works and other relevant literature. This result suggests that MCDM facilitates stakeholders in managing tradeoffs more effectively in uncertain environments and improves decision quality in the precision agriculture field. Recommendations for enhanced real-time integration, a hybrid approach, and consideration of the farmer in the design of decision support systems are also presented in the discussion.