indicador

Indicador is a term used in Spanish and Portuguese to denote a sign, signal, or measurable quantity that reveals the state of a system. It can refer to a device, a metric, or a set of data that helps monitor, compare, or forecast conditions.

In the physical realm, indicators include devices such as thermometers, gauges, and indicator lights that display temperature, pressure, level, or status. In data analysis and economics, indicators are metrics or indices that summarize complex phenomena, such as GDP, inflation, unemployment, or health indices.

Common domains include physical indicators (gauge, display), statistical indicators used in economics and social science, environmental indicators such as indicator species or air quality indices, manufacturing indicators used in quality control, and computing indicators such as progress bars or status icons.

Examples illustrate usage: a thermometer indicates temperature; a car fuel gauge shows remaining fuel; GDP serves as an economic indicator; an indicator species signals ecosystem health. Indicators can be leading or lagging and are often imperfect representations that require contextual interpretation. The term derives from Latin indicare, meaning to point out.