Exploring Data

Overview

Before running calculations, it's helpful to explore what data is available in the Ecoinvent database. This guide shows you how to discover impact methods, units, biosphere flows, and database structures.

Discovering Impact Methods

Searching for Methods

Find specific impact assessment methods using keywords:

Prompt:

"What impact methods are available for climate change?"

AI Uses: search_methods tool with keywords "climate change"

Example Result:

Found 8 climate change methods:

1. IPCC 2013 > climate change > GWP100
   Unit: kg CO2-eq

2. IPCC 2021 > climate change > GWP100
   Unit: kg CO2-eq

3. ReCiPe 2016 midpoint > climate change > GWP100
   Unit: kg CO2-eq

4. TRACI 2.1 > global warming > GWP100
   Unit: kg CO2-eq

Browsing Method Categories

See all available impact categories:

Prompt:

"Show me all impact method categories in ecoinvent-3.11-cutoff"

AI Uses: list_method_categories tool

Example Result:

Available Impact Categories:

Climate Change (8 methods)
├─ IPCC 2013
├─ IPCC 2021
└─ ReCiPe 2016

Acidification (6 methods)
├─ CML 2001
└─ ReCiPe 2016

Eutrophication (12 methods)
├─ Freshwater
├─ Marine
└─ Terrestrial

Human Toxicity (15 methods)
├─ USEtox 2.1
└─ ReCiPe 2016

Resource Depletion (8 methods)
Water Scarcity (4 methods)
Land Use (5 methods)

Understanding Method Families

Different methodologies for LCA:

Method Family	Focus	Best For
IPCC	Climate change only	Carbon footprinting
CML 2001	Classic midpoint	European studies
ReCiPe 2016	Comprehensive	Complete LCA
USEtox	Toxicity	Chemical assessment
TRACI	US-focused	North American studies
AWARE	Water scarcity	Water footprinting

Prompts:

"Show me all IPCC methods"
"What methods are in the ReCiPe 2016 family?"
"Find toxicity methods from USEtox"

Validating Methods

Check if a method exists before using it:

Prompt:

"Validate that IPCC 2013 GWP100 exists in ecoinvent-3.11-cutoff"

AI Uses: validate_method tool

Result:

✅ Valid Method

Method: ecoinvent-3.11 > IPCC 2013 > climate change > global warming potential (GWP100)
Unit: kg CO2-eq
Database: ecoinvent-3.11-cutoff
Description: IPCC 2013 100-year global warming potential

Exploring Units

Listing Available Units

See all measurement units in the database:

Prompt:

"What units are available in ecoinvent-3.11-cutoff?"

AI Uses: get_units tool

Example Result:

Available Units by Category:

Mass:
- kilogram (kg)
- gram (g)
- ton (metric ton)
- megagram (Mg)

Energy:
- kilowatt hour (kWh)
- megajoule (MJ)
- gigajoule (GJ)

- watt hour (Wh)

Volume:
- cubic meter (m³)
- liter (L)
- milliliter (mL)

Transport:
- ton kilometer (tkm)
- person kilometer (pkm)
- vehicle kilometer (vkm)

Special:
- unit (dimensionless)
- hour
- year
- person

Validating Units

Check if a unit exists before creating custom activities:

Prompt:

"Validate that 'kilowatt hour' is a valid unit in ecoinvent-3.11-cutoff"

AI Uses: validate_unit tool

Result:

✅ Valid Unit

Unit: kilowatt hour
Symbol: kWh
Category: Energy
Standard name: kilowatt hour
Usage: 15,234 activities use this unit

Alternative names:
- kilowatt hour
- kWh (not valid for API, use full name)

Conversion: 1 kWh = 3.6 MJ

Unit Names

Always use full unit names like "kilowatt hour", not abbreviations like "kWh"

Common Unit Conversions

Understanding energy units:

Unit	Conversion	Use Case
1 kWh	3.6 MJ	Electricity
1 MJ	0.278 kWh	Energy content
1 GJ	1000 MJ	Large energy systems

Understanding mass units:

Unit	Conversion	Use Case
1 ton	1000 kg	Bulk materials
1 kg	1000 g	Standard mass
1 Mg	1000 kg	Same as metric ton

Exploring Biosphere Flows

What Are Biosphere Flows?

Biosphere flows represent: - Emissions: CO₂, CH₄, NOₓ, SOₓ, particulates - Resources: Water, minerals, fossil fuels - Land use: Occupation and transformation

Searching Biosphere Flows

Find specific environmental exchanges:

Prompt:

"Search for carbon dioxide emissions in the air compartment"

AI Uses: search_biosphere tool

Example Result:

Found 5 biosphere flows:

1. Carbon dioxide, fossil
   Compartment: Air
   Sub-compartment: unspecified
   Unit: kilogram
   Code: abc123...

2. Carbon dioxide, non-fossil
   Compartment: Air  
   Sub-compartment: unspecified
   Unit: kilogram
   Code: def456...

3. Carbon dioxide, fossil
   Compartment: Air
   Sub-compartment: urban air close to ground
   Unit: kilogram
   Code: ghi789...

Understanding Compartments

Get the complete compartment hierarchy:

Prompt:

"Show me all biosphere compartments in ecoinvent-3.11-cutoff"

AI Uses: get_biosphere_compartments tool

Example Result:

Biosphere Compartments:

AIR (4,523 flows)
├─ unspecified
├─ high population density
├─ low population density
├─ lower stratosphere + upper troposphere
└─ urban air close to ground

WATER (3,287 flows)
├─ groundwater
├─ groundwater, long-term
├─ ocean
├─ surface water
└─ unspecified

SOIL (1,456 flows)
├─ agricultural
├─ forestry
├─ industrial
└─ unspecified

NATURAL RESOURCE (2,134 flows)
├─ biotic
├─ in air
├─ in ground
└─ in water

LAND (245 flows)
├─ agricultural
├─ forest
└─ urban

Searching by Compartment

Filter biosphere flows by environmental compartment:

Prompts:

"Search for emissions to water compartment"
"Find resources extracted from ground"
"Show me air emissions with 'methane' in the name"

Common Biosphere Flows

Greenhouse Gases:

"Search for methane emissions to air"
"Find nitrous oxide emissions"
"Search for SF6 emissions"

Water Pollutants:

"Search for phosphorus emissions to water"
"Find nitrogen compounds in water"
"Search for heavy metals in water"

Air Pollutants:

"Search for sulfur dioxide emissions"
"Find particulate matter PM2.5"
"Search for nitrogen oxides NOx"

Understanding Database Structure

Graph Schema Exploration

See the complete database structure:

Prompt:

"Show me the graph database schema for ecoinvent-3.11-cutoff"

AI Uses: get_graph_schema tool

Example Result:

Neo4j Graph Schema:

Node Types:
- Activity (19,534 nodes)
- BiosphereFlow (11,645 nodes)
- Method (284 nodes)
- Location (4,567 nodes)
- Unit (248 nodes)

Relationships:
- HAS_EXCHANGE (345,678 edges)
- HAS_CF (78,234 edges)
- LOCATED_IN (19,534 edges)
- HAS_UNIT (31,179 edges)

Properties:
Activity nodes:
  - name (string)
  - code (string)
  - location (string)
  - unit (string)
  - reference_product (string)

Advanced Cypher Queries

For power users who know Cypher:

Prompt:

"Use advanced_search to find all activities in the US 
that produce electricity"

AI Uses: advanced_search tool with Cypher query

Example Query:

MATCH (a:Activity)
WHERE a.location = 'US' 
  AND a.reference_product CONTAINS 'electricity'
RETURN a.name, a.reference_product, a.unit
LIMIT 10

Cypher Knowledge

You don't need to know Cypher - the AI can write queries for you. Just describe what you want to find.

Activity Details

Reading Activity Information

Get comprehensive details about a specific activity:

Prompt:

"Show me detailed information about activity code [activity_code]"

AI Uses: read_activity tool

Example Result:

Activity Details:

Name: electricity production, photovoltaic, 3kWp slanted-roof installation, multi-Si, panel, mounted
Location: GLO (Global)
Unit: kilowatt hour
Reference Product: electricity, low voltage

Process Description:
This dataset represents the electricity generation from a 3kWp multi-crystalline 
silicon photovoltaic slanted roof installation. The system includes panel manufacturing,
balance of system components, installation, operation for 30 years, and end-of-life.

System Boundary: Cradle-to-gate
Technology Level: Current
Time Period: 2015-2020

Classifications:
- ISIC: 35.11 (Electric power generation)
- CPC: 17100 (Electrical energy)

Exchanges Summary:
- Technosphere inputs: 23
- Reference outputs: 1
- Biosphere emissions: 15

Understanding Activity Structure

Activities contain: - Inputs: Materials, energy, services consumed - Outputs: Products, co-products, waste - Emissions: Direct environmental exchanges

Prompt:

"Explain what inputs and outputs this solar activity has"

Database Comparisons

Comparing Database Versions

Understand differences between Ecoinvent versions:

Prompt:

"What are the differences between ecoinvent-3.9.1 and ecoinvent-3.11?"

AI Response Example:

Key Differences:

ecoinvent 3.11 (Latest):
- 19,534 activities
- Updated to 2024 data
- New impact methods (IPCC 2021)
- Improved water scarcity data
- Updated electricity mixes

ecoinvent 3.9.1 (Legacy):
- 19,212 activities  
- Data from 2021
- IPCC 2013 methods
- Widely used in research
- Better for reproducibility

Recommendation: Use 3.11 for new studies, 3.9.1 for consistency with existing research.

Regional Coverage

Check data availability by region:

Prompt:

"What countries have specific electricity data in ecoinvent-3.11?"

Prompt:

"Search for electricity production activities and show me unique locations"

Practical Exploration Workflows

Workflow 1: New User Getting Started

You:

"I'm new to EcoSemantic. What kind of environmental impacts can I calculate?"

AI:

You can calculate many environmental impacts! Here are the main categories:

1. Climate Change (carbon footprint)
2. Acidification
3. Eutrophication (water pollution)
4. Human Toxicity
5. Ecotoxicity
6. Resource Depletion
7. Water Scarcity
8. Land Use

Would you like me to show you available methods for any specific category?

You:

"Yes, show me climate change methods"

Workflow 2: Method Selection

You:

"I want to calculate carbon footprint. Which method should I use?"

AI:

[Searches for climate change methods]

For carbon footprint, I recommend:

1. IPCC 2013 GWP100 (most common)
   - Widely accepted
   - Used in most publications
   - Good for comparison with existing studies

2. IPCC 2021 GWP100 (latest)
   - Updated characterization factors
   - More accurate
   - Use for new studies

Both measure in kg CO2-eq. Use IPCC 2013 for consistency 
with existing literature, or IPCC 2021 for most current science.

Workflow 3: Unit Verification

You:

"I want to create a custom activity for battery production. 
What unit should I use?"

AI:

For battery production, common units are:

1. "kilogram" - If measuring by weight
   ✅ Valid unit, used by 8,234 activities

2. "unit" - If measuring per battery
   ✅ Valid unit, used for discrete items

3. "kilowatt hour" - If measuring by capacity
   ✅ Valid unit, used for energy products

Recommendation: Use "kilogram" for raw battery mass,
or "unit" if you want to model per complete battery.

I can validate any of these for you before you create the activity.

Tips for Effective Exploration

✅ DO

• Start broad, then narrow down
• Validate methods and units before calculations
• Explore compartments to understand emission types
• Read activity details to understand scope
• Compare methods when unsure which to use

❌ DON'T

• Assume method names without searching
• Use unit abbreviations (use "kilogram" not "kg")
• Skip validation steps
• Mix database versions
• Forget to check regional availability

Next Steps

Now that you know how to explore data:

1. Examples - See complete real-world workflows
2. Tools Reference - Detailed tool documentation

Related Tools

• search_methods - Find impact methods
• list_method_categories - Browse categories
• validate_method - Verify methods
• get_units - List available units
• validate_unit - Verify units
• search_biosphere - Find biosphere flows
• get_biosphere_compartments - Browse compartments
• read_activity - Get activity details
• get_graph_schema - Understand database structure

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