Can Fuzzy Logic Assist With Decision Making and Modelling? – Possibilities For Farm and Catchment Management

Fuzzy logic has been developed to assist decision making when imprecise data is subject to interpretation, and where the boundaries between data classes are indistinct; i.e. when data points can belong to more than one class to varying degrees. This is different from other forms of evaluation using multi criteria assessment. Although the name suggests otherwise, fuzzy logic is built on the sound theoretical base of fuzzy sets. It is in widespread use in the manufacturing and process control sectors, and is beginning to be explored for agricultural applications, because it allows descriptive language to help design mathematical algorithms. This may have potential in farm and catchment management, to assist with the interpretation of complex multivariate data from scientific experiments. Fuzzy logic may also assist in the design of better models, decision support systems, and consensus building tools, where professional judgement, expert opinion, and community positions can be included in addition to data from scientific experiments.