A Multi-Layer Contextual Model for Managing Data Overload in Smart Hydroponics

Abstract

The widespread use of the Internet of Things (IoT) in hydroponic agriculture allows continuous monitoring of environmental conditions and provides real-time information to support crop management. However, the increasing amount of sensor data generated makes the monitoring process more complex as users need to interpret multiple environmental parameters simultaneously. Existing hydroponic monitoring systems focus on data collection and visualization, while the management and information delivery aspects to reduce data overload are still limited. This study proposes a multi-layer contextual model to manage environmental information in an intelligent hydroponic monitoring system. The model consists of five interconnected layers (Power, Sensor, Communication, Database and Visualization), which support the process of acquisition, validation, management and contextual data delivery. To validate the proposed model, a solar-powered IoT hydroponic monitoring system integrated with an Augmented Reality (AR) application was developed based on Situation Awareness Theory. Using the System Usability Scale (SUS), the prototype was assessed by three domain experts. The results achieved an average usability score of 85.83, which reflects excellent usability. The results indicate that the proposed model improves organisation and presentation of environmental information by prioritising contextually relevant data rather than displaying all available sensor readings at once. This enables users to identify important environmental conditions efficiently and supports more effective monitoring. This approach helps to reduce data overload and provides a practical framework that can support the development of IoT-based smart agriculture applications in the future through the integration of anomaly detection techniques and predictive analytics.