Background: Information and communication technologies (ICT) have introduced “smart” concepts across industries, including ports. Smart ports, leveraging IoT, cybersecurity, and cloud computing, are trending in maritime operations. They optimize data for informed decision-making, cutting costs, enhancing efficiency, mitigating risks, and fostering growth. Methods: To consolidate knowledge in this area, we are conducting a systematic literature review and meta-analysis using the PRISMA framework. Our goal is to synthesize existing insights, minimize biases, increase reliability, and effectively communicate our findings. To address the research needs mentioned, the current study focuses on implementing a systematic literature review (SLR). Results: The goals of this review are: (i) to present and describe the main categories and themes within the research topic, and (ii) to identify research gaps that will aid future research. Key findings include the identification and classification of current literature trends in the smart port performance evaluation framework and the examination of fundamental themes discussed within this area of research. Conclusions: In our review, we emphasize the smart port concept, clarifying its common interpretations amid the industry 4.0 revolution. We discuss recent advancements in emerging technologies and identify key challenges driving researchers’ exploration of the evolving smart port landscape.

Multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) is a decision-making process that involves assessing and selecting the best alternative from a group of options based on various criteria or qualities. In this research work, we propose and elucidate the theory of neutrosophic logic, which is unique in its approach to evaluating candidates’ performance in a manner that takes into account significant elements and criteria that are essential for the overall process when dealing with unclear, inaccurate, or incomplete data. We propose a novel hybrid integrated MCDM methodology based upon neutrosophic Delphi (N-Delphi) and neutrosophic AHP (N-AHP) methods, which takes into consideration the importance of each decision-maker and their preferences per evaluation criterion. A new MAXMIN threshold value technique treats the criteria under consideration as the decision alternatives and their score functions as their payoff values, thus reducing unnecessary resources by eliminating unimportant criteria during the personnel selection process.

Contemporary ports are facing a variety of challenges due to technological advancements, economic pressures, and changing policies. Key issues include the effects of globalization, rapid advancements in information and communication technologies (ICTs), and the changing nature of port services. In order to tackle these challenges and achieve operational excellence, adapt to the shifting of activities, and meet new business demands, smart ports have been proposed as a comprehensive solution. These challenges arise because port success is often measured by traditional metrics such as port size and performance. To accurately assess the intelligence of a port, there is a need for a systematic and scientifically sound smart port evaluation method. This paper provides an overview of the concept of a smart port and develops a multi-criteria assessment framework of port smartness based on neutrosophic cognitive maps (NCMs). The unique and valuable characteristic of NCMs lies in their ability to manage the uncertainty associated with the relationship between two concepts, indicating their effects on each other in neutral states. This structure enables the NCM to provide results with a greater degree of sensitivity than fuzzy cognitive maps (FCMs) and allows for a greater degree of freedom of intuition for an expert to express not only the potential impacts but also the uncertainty associated with those impacts. Our methodology can make decisions using incomplete, uncertain, and inconsistent data during the assessment process, providing a rigorous quantitative framework for the assessment of port “smartness”. The proposed solution has the potential to act as a valuable tool in a group decision support environment and can be used to accelerate an organization’s development, improve productivity, and reinforce efforts to achieve strategic and sustainability objectives. To achieve this, an appropriate framework for such a methodology is demonstrated through an illustrative example offering actionable insights for improving port operations.

Addressing uncertainty is a significant challenge in the field of artificial intelligence (AI). AI systems often encounter uncertainty due to incomplete data, ambiguous information, or inherent unpredictability in specific situations. To tackle this uncertainty, various solutions have been developed. These solutions range from probabilistic approaches like Bayesian networks and Monte Carlo methods to fuzzy logic and neural networks. These strategies enable AI systems to model and make judgments amid ambiguity by assigning probabilities, dealing with imprecise data, or utilizing learning processes that adapt to changing and uncertain contexts. However, probabilistic methods have limitations when it comes to handling uncertainty. These limitations include assumptions of independence, computational complexity, difficulty in capturing subjectivity, and interpretability. To address these limitations, other methods have been proposed, such as the model of certainty factors. This model offers a framework for reasoning under uncertainty by assigning a numerical value to statements or propositions. Additionally, neutrosophic logic extends classical logic by incorporating the concept of indeterminacy through truth/indeterminacy/falsity-membership functions. In this paper, we propose a method for investigating how certainty factors adapt to a neutrosophic environment. This method contributes to the development of more robust and adaptable decision support systems capable of dealing with diverse uncertainty. Our method, introduced for the first time in related literature, addresses issues such as the limited handling of indeterminacy, the inability to address contradictions, and the limited binary representation of uncertainty that characterize the model of certainty factors. We will provide a clear illustration of these implications through an example that demonstrates the superiority of our suggested method over the traditional technique of certainty factors.

In 2017, Professor F. Smarandache introduced the Neutrosophic Theory of Evolution, Involution, and Indeterminacy (or Neutrality) (NToEIaI). He concluded that every theory of evolution is characterized by a certain degree of truth, indeterminacy, and untruth, as in neutrosophic logic. In this perspective, he raised several open questions on evolution, neutrality, and involution that required further research effort. Very recently, in 2024, Smarandache conducted research, from a soft sciences/philosophical viewpoint, on identifying and studying common parts in uncommon things and uncommon parts in common things emphasizing the complexity and interconnectedness of concepts within the context of neutrosophy. In this article, we propose a neutrosophic model that incorporates the ideas of finding common parts in uncommon things and uncommon parts in common things within the realms of NToEIaI. We attempt to provide a proper answer on how to measure the degree of evolution, involution, and indeterminacy (neutrality) of a species in a given environment and specific timespan. By employing our approach, we can explain how a species adapts, regresses, or remains neutral within a specific environment and timespan. This method acknowledges not only the clear changes in traits but also the uncertainty and ambiguity that may arise during the process of evolution or involution.

Simulating uncertainty for dealing with actual events is one of Artificial Intelligence's key difficulties and challenges. The ultimate objective for decision-makers is to manage uncertainty, particularly in indeterminate scenarios when it is not the case that the solution of the problem can be expressed with true or false values. As a result, new techniques to facilitate the interpretation of indeterminacy are currently under development. Neutrosophic logic (NL), which addresses the concept of neutralities, extends classic logic, fuzzy logic, paraconsistent logic, intuitionistic logic, and so on. The single-valued neutrosophic set (SVN) is a subclass of neutrosophic sets that has recently been presented. Solving multicriteria decision-making problems is an essential use case for SVNs to be applied. The research objectives of the article are twofold. First, we examine the potential of utilizing single-valued neutrophilic sets in a more efficient manner to address the issue of multicriteria decision-making. Within this framework, our aim is to explore and extend the concept of information quality as an uncertainty measure by comparing it to neutrosophic Dempster–Shafer (D–S) evidence theory in the context of decision-making. As a proposed solution to the aforementioned research objectives, this manuscript suggests and implements a novel conceptual framework for determining and quantifying the similarity measure between SVNSs in a multicriteria decision-making context under the principles of D–S evidence theory. Finally, illustrative case studies are given to support the logic and practicality of the suggested methodology compared to current methodologies.