A data-driven decision support framework for smart campus governance: integrating heterogeneous educational data sources with optical technologies

The rapid digital transformation of educational institutions has led to the proliferation of heterogeneous data sources in smart campuses, including academic records, IoT sensor data, optical attendance logs, and behavioral logs. However, the lack of an integrated decision-support system hinders administrators from leveraging these diverse datasets for evidence-based governance. Existing solutions often suffer from static data integration models, limited scalability, and insufficient transparency in decision-making processes. To address these challenges, this study proposes a Data-Driven Decision Support Framework for Smart Campus Governance (DDSF-SC), which enables real-time analysis and actionable insights from multi-modal educational data enhanced by optical character recognition for document processing and fiber-optic backbones for low-latency data transmission. The framework adopts a microservices architecture to ensure modularity and scalability, incorporating a federated learning mechanism to preserve data privacy. It introduces a dynamic weighting model for multidimensional assessment, along with edge computing components to reduce latency in real-time analytics. A key innovation is the development of plug-and-play data adapters that standardize heterogeneous inputs from learning management systems, IoT devices, optical attendance systems, and administrative databases. The implementation leverages Kubernetes for orchestration, Apache Kafka for stream processing, and explainable AI techniques to enhance decision interpretability. Evaluation at a university pilot demonstrates a 32% improvement in operational efficiency and a 41% reduction in decision response time compared to traditional methods. The framework facilitates data-driven policy adjustments in resource allocation, curriculum planning, and infrastructure management. The findings provide actionable insights for institutions transitioning toward smart campus ecosystems while balancing innovation with regulatory compliance.