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A Study on Graphical Representation of Hierarchical Information Space in Life Cycle Inventories

Harald E. OTTO （Università Politecnica delle Marche）

Abstract:
Currently, at both national and international level, new directions are being presented and new laws put into force demanding life cycle assessment (LCA) considerations for newly designed environmentally conscious products and services. This spurs increased interest in and development of LCA methodologies and the compilation and analysis of life cycle inventories (LCIs), which, in turn, translate quickly into huge amounts of life cycle related and environmental impact related information. Traditional methods of data representation soon become unable to meet current requirements for thorough and effective analysis and assessment. With the advent of advanced information visualization technology, however, sophisticated techniques and frameworks for use in graphical encoding can be provided to convey data and their context in a multi-dimensional information visualization space. This paper presents an approach which draws on the potential of the human perceptual capability for distinguishing spatial structures and shapes presented in different colors and textures by providing a computer-generated visual representation of hierarchical information in LCIs, utilizing advanced glyph-based interactive displays.

Key Word:
life cycle assessment, life cycle inventory, life cycle data set mapping, information visualization, glyph rendering

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