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The theme of migration is not new for Ecuadorians. In the visual arts and literature, artists have traditionally found the theme of migration to be useful when interpreting the personal and existential experiences of individuals living outside of Ecuador. Initially, the topic was not understood as a collective phenomenon capable of putting at risk an elusive national identity. Over time, however, the personal drama became a collective tragedy, which defines and conditions in no small measure the cultural, psychological and geographic boundaries of a pluri-national Ecuador struggling to re-signify the new cartographies that place and displace a nation in constant migratory movement, both internally and externally. This complex social, migratory and cartographic process of becoming is found in works of literature and the visual arts, which often oscillate between testimonial representations and representational testimonies. My analysis focuses on five works and highlights some of the identity transformations that Ecuador, a country located at the centre of the world, continues experiencing while seemingly adrift, yet fully engaged in re-inventing its multiple moving borders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scholars and practitioners are increasingly turning to maps as tools for promoting health and development communication. These maps are often criticized for privileging the interests of the global North and for authorizing (neo)colonial approaches. The authors offer a case of community mapping incorporating asset-based community development that offers an alternative cartography. Drawing on the maps produced by members of four communities in rural Ecuador, the authors articulate how their maps productively use and challenge assumptions about maps. Following this analysis, the authors offer some implications that community-scale maps have for articulating rhetorical alternatives in health and development communication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cotopaxi is an active volcano in Ecuador, whose eruptions are characterized by producing destructive primary lahars which represent a major risk for the country. The hazard assessment related to such lahars relies largely on the knowledge of the latest event, which occurred on 26 June 1877, for either scenario definition or simulation calibration. A detailed (1:5000 scale) cartography of the deposits belonging to that eruption has been obtained in the proximal northern drainage of Cotopaxi. The cartography was performed through a combination of geological fieldwork, as well as the analysis and interpretation of high-definition imagery obtained by drone surveys combined with the Structure from Motion technology for image processing. Such imagery included red and green visible bands, and a near-infrared band, which allowed the obtention of NDVI imagery where the primary lahar deposits were identified and cartographed with support of fieldwork data. Both data sources are mutually complementary, and the final cartography would be impossible if any of them were not available. The results obtained represent a significant advance for the level of detail with respect to previous cartographic works. Moreover, they should allow an improved calibration of the new generation of numerical models that simulate lahar flow for hazard assessment at Cotopaxi. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]