Format converter

The format converter is the first plug-in to be realised for the openLCA framework.

Probably since the second LCA database was created, there was dispute about "the best" data format. Evidently, this is not a straightforward basis for discussion, since the most suitable data format depends on the application. In some cases, one data format might appear far too heavy and overloaded, while in other cases it may lack important aspects.

One often sees the creation of expert groups in case of dissens. This seems inspired by a view that there are dozens of da Vincis and Gallileos, working in isolation and in parallel on brillant, yet incompatible ideas, who, after meeting in person, hear about each other's views for the first time, and then start to consider them, in earnest, and come to one conclusion. Evidently this text has no mandate to tinker with this further; however, a recent Setac/UNEP initiative had exactly this task and did not arrive at a conclusion after more than three years of hard work.

The converter aims to provide a surrogate for a format consensus. It provides the technical means for loss-less data exchange between the most important LCA data formats today, and thus enables users to switch between them as they need. In that sense, it resembles very much an electical adaptor. By closer inspection, it might even be a more convenient solution since it allows using different formats in parallel.