Incorporating LCA Tools in Integrated Simulation Environments

In this paper we address the issue of building data schema evolution in integrated simulation environments, as seen from the perspective of incorporating LCA tools within these environments. First we describe the key features of an integrated simulation environment designed for expandability, focusing on a) the mechanism for the expansion of the integrated environment, and b) its overall system architecture that allows processes and data to be added to the system without modifications or restructuring of existing code.

We then focus on how the data schema allows the inclusion and maintenance of specialized construction objects bearing LCA data. Finally, we discuss various integration issues that arise from modeling capabilities and idiosyncrasies of individual simulation and analysis tools.