The journal IDEAS, in its Volume 8, Number 1 issue titled “Convergencia Digital y Productiva: Ingeniería para el Desarrollo Local”, brings together research that converges around digital technologies, optimization of productive processes, and applied solutions to regional and environmental challenges. The works published here show how engineering and applied sciences connect with data methodologies, automation, and user‑centered design to generate impact in small businesses, public services, and environmental management.

In the area of digital transformation for SMEs, Palacios and Trejo present a mobile application integrated with electronic invoicing that, using the Mobile D agile framework and cross‑platform technologies (Flutter and Firebase), significantly reduces transaction times and improves the shopping experience in a local retail store.

Regarding networks and communications, Meneses et al. compare SD‑WAN and MPLS through simulation scenarios with controlled loads and visualization in Grafana, offering technical criteria on latency, jitter, bandwidth, and packet loss to guide decisions in enterprise infrastructures.

Revelo, applying remote sensing to environmental conservation, explores species distribution models that integrate machine learning and geospatial data, highlighting their usefulness for identifying critical areas and supporting conservation and ecosystem management strategies.

In the field of Big Data and infrastructure, Caicedo reviews architectures and tools such as Hadoop, Spark, and NoSQL databases, and discusses Lambda and Kappa patterns, security challenges, and emerging trends like edge computing and the integration of AI in data ingestion and analysis workflows.

On API security and architecture, Rea proposes the design and implementation of a lightweight API Gateway in Java as a centralized alternative to JWT tokens, describing functional requirements, architecture, and the application of DSR and Scrum methodologies for its development and secure integration with REST APIs.

In the sphere of agricultural automation, Buenaño offers a systematic review on automatic control in banana production, emphasizing the role of PLC and SCADA systems in improving efficiency, stability, and sustainability of the sector’s production processes.

For demand forecasting in transport services, Sánchez and Chamorro compare ARIMA, Prophet, and Random Forest in the context of a radio‑taxi service, finding that ARIMA shows better error metrics (MAE, MSE, RMSE) and greater consistency in the analyzed predictions.

Concerning the design and quality of public transport, Garzón proposes the development of a statistical model to interpret variables of comfort, accessibility, safety, and cleanliness at bus stops, aiming to produce data‑driven recommendations to improve user experience and inclusion.

Finally, in the area of plant layout and emerging technologies, Valenzuela and collaborators review the integration of IoT, virtual/augmented reality, and artificial intelligence in facility layout, showing how these technologies can increase operational efficiency and support decision making in industrial settings.

The articles gathered in this issue offer an interdisciplinary panorama where data, automation, and applied design combine to solve concrete regional problems. IDEAS Vol. 8 N.º 1 proposes not only technical solutions but also replicable methodological frameworks that strengthen the link between academia, industry, and community. We thank the authors and reviewers for their contributions and hope these studies inspire new collaborations and applications that drive local development with sustainable impact.