Browsing by Author "Jilumbango Gualavisi, Sisa Pacarina"

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    Evaluación de la implementación de un sistema de monitoreo de la calidad del agua para consumo humano basado en ciencia ciudadana y ciencia abierta para la comunidad San Francisco de Cruz Loma, provincia de Pichincha
    (Universidad Técnica de Cotopaxi (UTC) Ciencias Agropecuarias y Recursos Naturales. Ambiental, 2026-10-16) Jilumbango Gualavisi, Sisa Pacarina; Vargas Erazo, Carla Lizeth; Fonseca Largo, Kalina Marcela
    Various communities around the world manage their water autonomously; however, limited coordination with the government hinders the monitoring and resolution of water-related problems due to political, economic, social, technological, environmental, and legal (PESTEL) factors. Consequently, this study evaluated the implementation of a participatory system for monitoring the quality of water for human consumption—based on the principles of open science and citizen science—in the San Francisco de Cruz Loma community, located in the Metropolitan District of Quito, Pichincha Province. This community is part of the community organizations affiliated with the Water Protection Fund (FONAG), an institution that promotes the conservation of water sources and the strengthening of community-based water management. To this end, a mixed-methods approach—combining descriptive and prospective elements—was employed to identify, through PESTEL analysis, the main issues affecting the availability of safe water. Data were collected through participatory workshops using purposive non-probabilistic sampling, involving representatives from the Water Management Board, community leaders, and stakeholders involved in water resource management, selected for their experience and knowledge of the water supply system. Subsequently, solution strategies were evaluated by integrating Fuzzy Cognitive Maps (FCM) and fuzzy inference. As a result, 36 concepts were identified across the political, economic, social, technological, ecological, and legal dimensions, demonstrating that the availability of safe water depends on the systemic interaction of PESTEL factors. The structural analysis yielded a density of 0.93 and identified the concept “Insufficient Control of Water Pollution” (LC2) as the node with the highest centrality (Ci = 56.73), making it the most influential factor within the system. Subsequently, a worst-case scenario and three strategic scenarios were simulated: a) implementation of a participatory water quality monitoring system, b) mapping of relevant stakeholders, and c) independence of EPMAPS. The simulations showed that the strategies modified between 94.59% and 94.74% of the model’s PESTEL concepts, with the implementation of the monitoring system being the alternative with the greatest capacity to improve information generation, strengthen regulatory compliance, promote community monitoring, and consolidate water governance. The final product was a standardized community manual for implementing participatory water quality monitoring systems, based on the principles of citizen science and open science, serving as a replicable tool to strengthen sustainable water resource management in rural communities. In conclusion, the results show that the implementation of the participatory water quality monitoring system is technically and socially viable in the San Francisco de Cruz Loma community, thanks to its community organization, the active participation of the Water Management Board, and the support of FONAG—conditions that favor its implementation and long-term sustainability.