Page 172 - Materials Chemistry, Second Edition

156 LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT HANDBOOK

by changing the calculation and modeling possibilities. Users will appreciate
if they can make these changes on their own, or at least in a somewhat flexible
and swift way, different from buying a more expensive license with more, pre-
defined, features.
Interoperability: Nowadays, LCA software is often rather monolithic. Data
exchange is an adventure, especially when moving from one LCA software
system to another. Interoperability, meaning the ability of systems to work
well together, will be required for the broader application scope of future LCA.
This is linked to data stored and calculated in LCA software, which also needs
to allow a fluent exchange.
Scalability: At present, LCA software systems are used by one user, or by a
few; there will be demand for LCA software systems, or for software that pro-
vides LCA features, to many more users.
Usability: Usability of LCA software will improve, driven both by users
unwilling to accept steep learning curves, and by new technological possibili-
ties and experiences.
Lower License Costs for Standard LCA Software: Regarding features, pro-
fessional LCA software has reached a certain maturity; new LCA features that
offer completely new modeling possibilities will be difficult to offer in the future,
since the LCA methodology and its software implications are meanwhile well
17
reflected . Also, open source software is offering similar features. As a conse-
quence, users will be less inclined to pay several thousand Euros for one single
user license. The situation might be different for specifically developed features
in software, meeting e.g. one of the "trend points" mentioned above.

6.1.6 Outlook and Conclusions
LCA software is literally the tool for applying LCAs; without appropriate soft-
ware, LCAs cannot be conducted. Availability and features of LCA software
determine how LCA is used.
With increasing use of LCA, on a worldwide level and for increasingly
specific applications, the LCA software landscape is changing. Since the LCA
approach has reached a certain maturity, all professional LCA software systems
allow, in principle, to apply the different aspects of LCA. Changes regarding
LCA software will, therefore, most likely not focus on the application of LCA
with specific methodological details, but rather on usability aspects. Future
LCA software systems will need to become more flexible, scale better for larger
user numbers, and exchange information and data easier. License costs for
standard LCA software will probable decline.
Open source LCA software fits perfectly to a fully transparent, flexible, and
low-license cost requirement; however, there is at present not a general trend
to "open source" LCA software systems.

17
One of the major new features was, for example, the introduction of parameters in LCA
software.