Analysis of Functional Requirements for Water Quality Monitoring in the Amazon Rainforest: A Systematic Review

The Amazon River basin, home to one of the world’s largest freshwater reserves and unparalleled biodiversity, silently suffers from a vast environmental disaster caused by illegal mining, during which mercury is discharged into its waters. This contamination threatens aquatic ecosystems and poses serious risks to highly vulnerable populations. In response, this paper provides clues for a resilient and scalable system architecture for real-time water quality monitoring, tailored to the environmental and infrastructural challenges of the Amazon region. A detailed systematic literature review assesses state-of-the-art Internet of Things (IoT)-based monitoring techniques, focusing on key variables such as mercury concentration, temperature, turbidity, and pH. Special emphasis is given on communication technologies suitable for diverse settings—from Wi-Fi-enabled urban areas to remote rainforest regions where LoRa, NB-IoT, and WiLD (Wi-Fi over Long Distance) present viable alternatives. The study also highlights the role of the application layer in enabling data analysis, real-time alerts, and remote visualization of environmental conditions. This research contributes to developing time-efficient and sustainable monitoring strategies to support public health initiatives and ecological conservation by bridging technological innovation with the urgent environmental needs of one of the planet’s most critical biomes.