International journal of engineering and computer science

Geopark design management based on multimodal 4.0 technology

2026-05-03T15:08:43+00:00

The growing need to integrate sustainability, technological innovation, and territorial development has driven new ways of conceiving geopark management. In this context, multimodal tourism 4.0 emerges as an integrative approach that combines advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence, data analytics, and augmented reality. The objective of this research is to propose a methodology for geopark design management based on this approach. A mixed-methods, quasi-experimental, cross-sectional study was conducted in the Moa-Baracoa region of Cuba. The sample consisted of 200 participants selected through simple random sampling (100 in Moa and 100 in Baracoa), representing 30% of potential users. The results highlight limitations in traditional management models and demonstrate the feasibility of incorporating multimodal technologies to optimize decision-making. It is concluded that the proposed methodology promotes intelligent, participatory, and sustainable geopark management.

Context and policy: Enabling circular construction across diverse global realities (2023–2030)

2026-05-01T08:59:25+00:00

Purpose: The construction sector generates 2.2 billion tonnes of waste each year, yet recycling rates vary wildly, from 80% in Japan to below 15% in many emerging economies. This article explores how different policy frameworks, regulatory approaches and local realities shape construction waste management outcomes across the globe. Theory: Institutional theory, through its regulatory, normative, and cultural-cognitive pillars, combined with transition management’s multi-level perspective on niches, regimes, and landscape pressures, provides the analytical foundation for this study. These frameworks are applied to explain the varying success or failure of policies across different contexts. Methodology: Using comparative case study analysis, we examined construction waste systems in 12 countries across six continents. Data come from policy documents, government reports, academic research and publications by multilateral organisations, industry bodies and civil society groups. Findings: Five factors consistently separate high-performers from laggards: strong regulatory enforcement, well-designed economic incentives, infrastructure that matches ambition, investment in skills, and genuine stakeholder inclusion. But how these play out depends heavily on context. Importantly, informal waste workers who recover 40% of materials in India and number over 60,000 in South Africa are routinely excluded from formal policy, leading to the kind of conflict seen with Chile’s EPR law. Practical Implications: This article offers policymakers a practical framework for adapting strategies to four different contexts: High- income economies, emerging economies, Resource- rich transforming countries, and Places where informal waste sectors dominate. It also outlines a research agenda to guide future inquiry. Originality/Value: This is the first comparative study of construction waste policy that explicitly uses institutional theory and transition management to explain cross- country differences, with a focus on informal sector integration, just transition principles, and context? sensitive adaptation.

Evaluation of the proper use of personal protective equipment by construction workers in the Chone Canton, Ecuador, period 2025-2026

2026-10-08T12:01:47+00:00

In the construction sector, personal protective equipment (PPE) is essential to protect workers from potential occupational hazards. However, it is common to find that PPE is frequently misused or even not used at all by construction workers. Therefore, it was deemed necessary to conduct research to evaluate the proper use of PPE by construction workers in the canton of Chone, Manabí province, during the year 2026. The research methodology employed a quantitative approach, with a non-experimental, field-based design, collecting empirical data through the application of the questionnaire from the First Survey on Occupational Safety and Health in Ecuador. on which it was considered to apply the items of the workplace safety dimension were applied to a representative sample of 283 construction workers in Chone. This descriptive, cross-sectional study revealed complex risk factors faced by construction workers, who in 89.8% of cases do not use personal protective equipment properly. This highlights a significant need requiring attention, as construction workers lack the knowledge to use protective equipment effectively.