27 April 2018

Technological Environment

Author/Compiled by
Andrea Pain (seecon international gmbh)

There are hundreds of technologies that may be part of the technological environment of your local water and sanitation system, depending on such factors as water sources available, water use (e.g. agriculture, industry, or domestic use), wastewater quality, and wastewater reuse possibilities. The specific technologies that may be employed in your area depend on numerous environmental and social factors such as water availability, scale (e.g. household vs. community), rural vs. urban settings, degree of social change necessary, and technical complexity of the technology. For more information on relevant technologies, see:

In the scan of your technological environment, keep in mind the following questions: what technologies are currently in use? How are these technologies changing, and what opportunities for new technologies are emerging to reduce costs, improve quality, or lead to innovation?

Further Readings

Doing Environmental Scanning

This guide provides you with an overview of doing environmental scanning in your organisation. The aim is to allow you to build an understanding of the environmental scanning process and what is involved.

CONWAY, M. (2009): Doing Environmental Scanning. An Overview Guide. Hotham Hill, Australia: Thinking Futures URL [Accessed: 22.08.2012]

Environmental scanning

This web article contains a thorough list of references regarding environmental scanning, as well as concepts and theories developed in the last decades. It also contains an interesting analysis of the external environment of Higher Education, which could be used for those planning starting up a business in the training sector of water and sanitation.

MORRISON, J.L. (1992): Environmental scanning. In: WHITELY, M.A. ; PORTER, J.D. ; FENSKE, R.H. (1992): A primer for new institutional researchers. Tallahassee, Florida: 86-99. URL [Accessed: 22.08.2012]

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