Complex Networks for Cross-Sectoral Water Diagnosis

Environmental challenges are becoming more complex while the population grows, resource demand expands, and production increases. Due to the implications of these problems, constructing accurate diagnosis to develop impactful solutions represents a major test. In complex problems such as the current global hydric crisis, where the number of elements, actors, and sectors that interact with each other around water usage is significant, more specialized tools are required to deliver the discoveries that are needed to correctly understand and visualize the issues. This is where complex networks contribute to comprehending and predicting the system’s behavior by giving a wider panorama and measuring pivotal aspects that will provide the information to construct adequate diagnosis. Additionally, the cross-sectoral approach in water matters highlights the interactions within sectors around hydric usage, pollution, extractions, and exchange, to deliver important knowledge for comprehending the relationships among elements alongside their possible effects in the system. Therefore, the objective of the study is to provide a conceptual proposal to diagnose water issues from a cross-sectoral perspective using complex networks as a main tool, helping in the determination of the most relevant aspects of the hydric problem.