Page 165 - Materials Chemistry, Second Edition

SOFTWARE FOR LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT 149

Figure 6.4 SolidWorks Sustainability XPress, Screenshot from youtube video
(http: / / www.youtube.com/ watch? v=qh63doJpw_8).

6.1.3 Two Basic LCA Software User Types and their Needs

LCA software user types are usually not discussed in the different LCA soft-
ware assessment reports (e.g. [Menke et ah 1996; Dunmade 2007; Siegenthaler
et ah 2005, Jönbrink et ah 2000]) - the many different and partially conflicting
characteristics of LCA software indicate that this would probably deserve an
own investigation. For this chapter, however, only two different user types are
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distinguished :
• Professional LCA modelers: This user type actively creates new
LCA models, using all required methodological aspects of LCA;
• LCA model users: This user type uses existing LCA models in
software.

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LCA model users require :

3. Quick, intuitive understanding of the tool and of data in the tool;
4. Easy and fast use, especially it should be easy and quick to come
to results;
5. Reliable information provided by the tool;

10 [Unger et al. 2004] define two similar LCA software user types, "scientists and research"
(similar to the LCA modelers above) and "industry" (similar to LCA model users); however,
since LCA has disseminated in many different areas, there are, for example, now also industry
users modeling comprehensive, detailed LCA models, for business reason and not primarily for
research.
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Source is mostly the experience of the author.