Digital Education Strategy for Lake Water Quality: Integrating the Saprobity Index and a Socio-Psychological Approach

Abstract

Telaga Ngipik holds a strategic ecological, social, and economic role in Gresik, yet it currently faces critical environmental threats due to industrial pollution, land-use change, and low community environmental awareness. This community service program aimed to present an accurate, accessible environmental quality assessment system that drives behavioral change by integrating ecological science with socio-psychological approaches. The methods executed comprised four main stages: participatory needs assessment and application co-design, saprobic index biological monitoring model integration, psycho-educational digital interface development, and capacity-building workshops involving 50 local community members and stakeholders. The main results demonstrated that the developed digital application successfully converted complex phytoplankton saprobic index calculations into real-time, user-friendly visual bioindicator metrics (β-mesosaprobic to α-mesosaprobic classifications). Furthermore, capacity-building workshops achieved a 42.5% increase in participants' technical competence regarding digital water quality assessment and an 88% rise in environmental stewardship intention. Community engagement metrics revealed high application usability (System Usability Scale score of 84.2) and a 65% increase in self-initiated community water monitoring activities. In conclusion, the integration of biological indicators and socio-psychological approaches through an interactive digital platform effectively bridges scientific data with community literacy, empowering local populations to actively monitor, preserve, and restore the Telaga Ngipik aquatic ecosystem independently.