Page 153 - Materials Chemistry, Second Edition

136 LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT HANDBOOK

Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC), a process to lead to global
agreement was established with the following vision:

• To provide global guidance on the establishment and mainte-
nance of LCA databases, as the basis for future improved dataset
consistency and interlinkages of databases worldwide;
• To facilitate additional data generation (including data specific to
certain applications such as carbon and water footprint creation)
and to enhance overall data accessibility;
• To increase the credibility of existing LCA data through the pro-
vision of guidance on the usability or fitness of data for various
purposes; and
• To support a sound scientific basis for product stewardship in busi-
ness and industry, for life cycle-based policies in governments,
and ultimately, to help advance the sustainability of products.

In early 2011, a workshop was held in Japan for one week, bringing together
48 experts from six continents on both the provider and user sides to develop
global guidance principles for LCA databases and the datasets they contain.
This document, known informally as the Shonan Guidance Principles (UNEP/
SETAC 2011), are being widely promoted by UNEP and SETAC staff throughout
the LCA community, targeting in particular database managers who are in a cen-
tral role to support improvements in LCA datasets and database management. It
is expected the guidance principles will be taken up worldwide and lead toward
better serving the needs of end users as they strive to conduct LCAs.

5.10 Future Knowledge Management

Future knowledge management incorporates concepts related to processes
which can encompass and connect available, accessible databases in the near
term as well carry us into the future and enable data providers from a variety
of backgrounds to make data available to the LCA community. One promising
solution for nearly automating the conversion of relevant external data into
process data is the application of Semantic Web technology. Anticipating how
Web 2.0 and other emerging information and knowledge management tech-
niques could be used to produce more efficient, higher quality and increased
numbers of LCI datasets as well as how such datasets link to databases as well
as other distribution mechanisms. The evolution of information and communi-
cations technology (ICT) systems over the next five to ten years will influence
the way we currently handle data. LCIs will have to adapt to new systems,
accordingly.
Current trends in information technology are expected to shape users'
expectations regarding data, software functionality, and interoperability in
ways that will alter the scope of what can be done with LCA data. It is impor-
tant to anticipate these trends along with market drivers to be better prepared