Evaluating the Effectiveness of Machine Learning vs Rule-Based Systems in Real-World Decision Making

This study evaluates the effectiveness of machine learning models compared to traditional rule-based systems in real-world decision-making scenarios. Two practical applications were developed and analyzed: a flood prediction and advisory system for agriculture, and a rain-adjusted cricket score prediction model as an alternative to the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern (DLS) method. Machine learning models, including Random Forest and XGBoost, were trained on real-world datasets and evaluated against rule-based approaches. Results show that machine learning systems significantly outperform rule-based methods in adaptability and predictive accuracy, achieving up to 28% improvement in cricket score prediction and 98.75% accuracy in flood risk classification. The findings highlight the limitations of static rule-based systems and demonstrate the potential of machine learning for dynamic, data-driven decision making in diverse domains.