Main components of ecoinvent database system | |
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Name of component | Function |
Central database | The central database contains Life Cycle Inventory data on energy systems, transport systems, waste treatment systems, chemicals, building materials,etc., and Life Cycle Impact Assessment (LCIA) methods such as the Swiss Ecological Scarcity, Ecoindicator 99, IMPACT 2002C or the CML characterisation scheme 2001. The database is located on a computer server and accessible via the Internet. |
Calculation routines | Data are supplied by the partner institutes as non-terminated unit processes (i.e., they can and usually do contain exchanges from and into the technosphere as well as elementary flows). The computation of cumulative inventory results is performed with powerful calculation routines related to the central database. Unit process raw data as well as LCI results include (cumulative) uncertainty ranges. |
Editor | The local database administrators of the participating institutes use the editor to create new data sets and to change, complete or delete existing data sets. The editor administrates the data set names (via a direct link to the central database, where the index of data set names is located), ensures the use of the actual list of names when compiling new inventories and includes a unit converter. The editor acts as the interface between the local administrator and the central database and generates files in the ecoinvent data format. |
Administration tools | The administration tool supports the integration of data sets delivered by the cooperating institutes into the central database. It helps to verify the completeness of data sets, calculates inventories and (normalised and weighted, if appropriate) category indicator results and supports the administration of ecoinvent users. |
Query tool | The Query tool is the users’ interface to the database and is used to download data sets from the central database. It enables the search for individual processes, for processes of a certain economic sector (e.g., transport or energy sector) or for data from a certain institute. General information (so-called metainformation) on the processes (technology, age of data, geographic coverage, etc.) is accessible to everyone, whereas the quantitative LCI data is only accessible for registered ecoinvent members (customers). |
Data (exchange) format | The data exchange format lists all data fields that were available to describe a data set. It has evolved from the international SPOLD data exchange formatand corresponds to the international technical specification ISO/TS 14048. Some of the data fields are mandatory, i.e. information must be provided. Among other features, the data exchange format allows for specifying upper and lower estimates (or the 95% standard deviation) as well as the probability distribution(e.g., lognormal) of inventory data. |
Local databases | Commercially available LCA-software such as Emis, PEMS, Regis, SimaPro, TEAM and Umberto are used as local databases. These local databasesare tailored for an implementation of ecoinvent data v1.0 and its updates. It is recommended to use the ecoinvent data (exchange) format for the purpose of data import. |
The structure of ecoinvent data format | |
Process | ReferenceFunction, defining the product or service output to which all emissions and requirements are referred. |
TimePeriod, defining the temporal validity of the data set. | |
Geography, defining the geographical validity of the data set. | |
Technology, describing the technology(ies) of the process. | |
DataSetInformation, defining the kind of process or product system, and the version number of the data set. | |
Modeling and validation | Representativeness, defining the representativeness of the data used. |
Sources, listing the literature and publications used in a data set. | |
Validations, listing the reviewers and their comments. | |
Administrative information | DataEntryBy, documenting the person in charge of implementing the data set in the database. |
DataGeneratorAndPublication, documenting the originator and the published source of the data set. | |
Persons, listing complete addresses of all persons mentioned in a data set. | |
Flow data | Exchanges, quantifying all inputs from technical systems and nature to the process and all outputs from the process to nature and to other technical systems |
Allocations, describing and quantifying allocation procedures and factors, respectively, required for multi-function processes. |