The REDATAM program: an approach to the Sustainable Development Goals in the Galapagos Islands

Abstract

Computer programs are an essential ally for fulfilling the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). They offer enormous potential for accelerating said fulfillment and reducing the cost of implementation processes. Our objectives in this Galapagos Islands case study were: i) to quantify the proportion of male and female inhabitants, separated by ethnicity, ii) to identify the number of dwellings distributed at urban and rural levels according to their typology, and iii) to determine the proportion of dwellings that are supplied with water. The Galapagos Islands are located 1000 km from mainland Ecuador. The program used was REDATAM Version 7 (Microcomputer Data Recovery for Small Areas), which specializes in processing microdata from population and housing censuses. The unit of investigation was the dwellings, and within them, the households and household members who are habitual residents in the province of Galapagos and who were in the 2015 census. It was identified that at the provincial level, 51.20% are male and 48. 80% are female, and the most populous canton is Santa Cruz. The population is divided into six ethnic groups heterogeneously between urban and rural sectors and between cantons. There are no group housing projects at the rural level for preventive or remedial assistance for the population, and there is a deficit in terms of water supply to the rural sector. Therefore, local authorities must promote programs to improve the living conditions of rural and urban dwellers to work toward complying with the goals of the Sustainable Development Goals, as outlined in the 2030 Agenda.