In our latest release, openLCA 2, we gave openLCA a fresh visual and technical update. Explore a variety of new features, including:

• Improved model graph: The improved model graph allows direct modelling within the graph interface, offering greater flexibility and user-friendliness. Moreover, users can customise the graph’s appearance using various present and editable themes.
• Updated Design & Dark Mode: The application’s design has been refreshed and now also include a dark mode, providing a visually appealing interface that reduces eye strain in low-light environments. Our dark mode seamlessly follows the mode set for your entire system.
• Improved Calculation Speed: We optimized openLCA calculations, leading to faster processing and better overall performance. You’ll experience shorter waiting time to obtain results.
• Accelerated Calculations with Data Libraries: The system uses data libraries to boost calculation speed, allowing even quicker and more efficient analyses.
• Direct Work with Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs): Users can now import and create EPDs directly within the system, streamlining the workflow and eliminating the need for extra tools or manual processes.
• LCIA Methods: The structure of the LCIA methods has been improved, especially by turning impact categories into independent entities.
• Enhanced Results Visualization: We improved the visualization options, including a Sankey diagram and the possibility to view, edit and compose a product system on a schematic platform. Users can also export a contribution tree with a chosen number of levels for detailed analysis.
• Improved and Faster Regionalized Calculations: Regionalized calculations have been significantly improved, making the process of calculating environmental impacts for specific regions much faster.
• LCA Collaboration Server 2.0: The collaboration server has been upgraded to version 2.0, offering enhanced features for smooth collaboration, data sharing, and project management among multiple users.
• Parameters: Now it is possible to create parameter sets in product systems to perform scenario modelling. Is it also possible to update uncertainty values in the global parameter table, and redefine parameter across the database by modifying the global parameter values, among other available options.
• Enhanced Script Writing: The system’s API has new utility functions accessible via an internal Python editor, making it easier to write scripts and customize the application more efficiently.
• Script storage: It is now possible to store scripts as global scripts or exclusively within the database.
• Waste flow impact direction: A new functionality allows the user to specify the impact direction as either "Input" or "Output" for every impact category available.
• Additional Information through "Tags": Users can now add extra information to different system components using tags, making it easier to organize and retrieve specific data or analysis.

Extra features to enhance your experience:

• Experimental theming support for product systems
• Project result page now mirrors that of product systems
• Improved calculation setup and options for projects
• Experimental feature to prefer links within the same location
• Uncertainty distribution parameters in the global parameter table
• Monte Carlo simulations for the direct calculations
• ecoinvent geographies added directly to reference data
• Total requirements section of a product
• Export and import of libraries
• Management of default mapping via navigation

Features for improved performance:

• Improved import/export functionalities
• Faster and extended database validations
• Updating links in the product system
• Calculation of upstream trees via olca-ipc.py

Technical features:

• CSS theming for graphical editor
• Availability of more gRPC functions
• Inclusion of a Java 16 runtime environment