Current World Environment

The efficiency of applying linear regression (LR) and artificial neural network (ANN) models to estimate inside air temperature (T) of a glasshouse (37^o48΄20΄΄N, 23^o57΄48΄΄E), Lavreotiki, was investigated in the present work. The T data from an urban meteorological station (MS) at 37⁰58΄55΄΄N, 23^o32΄14΄΄E, Athens, Attica, Greece, about 30 Km away from the glasshouse, were used as predictor variable, taking into account the actual time of measurement (ATM) and two hours earlier (ATM-2), depending on the case. Air temperature data were monitored in each examined area (glasshouse and MS) for four successive months (July-October) and averages on a two-hour basis were used for the aforementioned estimation. Results showed that ANN were better than LR models, considering their better performance as shown in the scatterplots of the distribution of observed versus estimated inside T data of the glasshouse, in terms of both higher coefficient of determination (R²) and lower mean absolute error (MAE). The best ANN model (highest R² and lowest MAE) was achieved by using as predictor variables the T at ATM and the T at ATM-2 from MS. The findings of our study may be a first step towards the estimation of inside T of a glasshouse in Greece, from outside T data of a remote MS. Thus, the operation of the glasshouse could be improved noticeably.