Integrating ERP and Environmental Information Systems – the Case of Life Cycle Inventories

Abstract

This paper takes the life cycle inventory database ecoinvent as an example of the integration of ERP and environmental information systems. A reference model describes the ERP-integrated creation of life cycle assessments based on ecoinvent data. The main challenges to implement the reference model from the viewpoint of ecoinvent are identified and approaches for a solution presented. First, an outline for an ontology enhancing ecoinvent metadata is given to help bridge the so-called semantic gap. Second, the basic web services needed to attach to a service-oriented architecture are described.