Opportunities and limitations of artificial intelligence applied to environmental monitoring.
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.63618/omd/revinvlid/v1/n1/9Keywords:
artificial intelligence, environmental monitoring, remote sensing, data governance, EcuadorAbstract
Environmental monitoring in Ecuador and Latin America faces growing pressures from climate change, loss of forest cover, pollution, and institutional limitations in processing timely information. The study aimed to analyze the opportunities and limitations of artificial intelligence applied to environmental monitoring, considering its use in forests, biodiversity, water, air, and climate risks. A qualitative, documentary, non-experimental, and cross-sectional study was conducted, based on a review of scientific literature, institutional reports, and technical and regulatory sources published between 2020 and 2025. The results showed that artificial intelligence is primarily applied to classification, prediction, early detection, and the integration of multi-source data, with the most established applications in air quality, Earth observation, and forest monitoring. The discussion led to the conclusion that its usefulness depends on data quality, available infrastructure, institutional interoperability, and ethical governance criteria. It is concluded that artificial intelligence can strengthen environmental monitoring if it is integrated with contextual validation, local technical capabilities, and principles of transparency, traceability, and public accountability.
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Copyright (c) 2024 Guerrero-Calero, Juan Manuel, Salvatierra-Pilozo, Darwin Marco (Autor/a)
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