Contributions published at Informatics and Sustainability Research (Lorenz Hilty)

The current patterns of production and consumption in the industrialized world are not sustainable. The goods and services we consume cause resource extractions, greenhouse gas emissions and other environmental impacts that are already affecting the conditions of living on Earth. To support the transition toward sustainable consumption patterns, ICT applications that persuade consumers to change their behavior into a “green” direction have been developed in the field of Persuasive Technology (PT). Such persuasive systems, however, have been criticized for two reasons. First, they are often based on the assumption that information (e.g., information on individual energy consumption) causes behavior change, or a change in awareness and attitude that then changes behavior. Second, PT approaches assume that the designer of the system starts from objective criteria for “sustainable” behavior and is able to operationalize them in the context of the application. In this chapter, we are exploring the potential of gamification to overcome the limitations of persuasive systems. Gamification, the process of using game elements in a non-game context, opens up a broader design space for ICT applications created to support sustainable consumption. In particular, a gamification-based approach may give the user more autonomy in selecting goals and relating individual action to social interaction. The idea of gamification may also help designers to view the user’s actions in a broader context and to recognize the relevance of different motivational aspects of social interaction, such as competition and cooperation. Based on this discussion we define basic requirements to be used as guidance in gamification-based motivation design for sustainable consumption.

While the traditional roles of the computer as a machine for scientific calculations, text editing, and graphic design are still significant, computers are increasingly perceived as means of accessing information and interacting with other people – i.e., as electronic media. The aim of this chapter is to analyze digital electronic media and their effects on environmental sustainability. Two fields of application are addressed: electronic media that may replace or augment traditional print media such as newspapers or magazines, and videoconferencing as a potential substitute for traveling to a face-to-face meeting or conference. In both cases, the environmental costs of the electronic media are compared to those of their conventional counterparts. The examples show that electronic media can represent an energy-efficient alternative to traditional activities such as long-distance travel. But they can also be added on top of existing activities instead of replacing them. In such cases, a net increase in the environmental impact results. The availability of small, energy-efficient devices being used as electronic media does not guarantee dematerialization. The overall resource use and emissions throughout the life cycle of the media product systems and, more importantly, at the macro level of total global production and consumption need to be considered. To achieve the dematerialization potential of new electronic media solutions, their efficiency needs to be combined with sufficiency; thus additional measures are necessary to turn the dematerialization potential of electronic media into environmental relief.

This chapter revisits a System Dynamics model developed in 2002 with the aim of exploring the future impacts of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) on environmental sustainability in the EU, which then consisted of 15 countries. The time horizon of the study was 20 years (2000-2020). We analyze the results in light of empirical data that is now available for 2000-2012. None of the three scenarios that were developed by experts to specify the external factors needed to run the model were realistic from today’s point of view. If the model is re-run with more realistic input data for the first half of the simulation period, however, the main results regarding the impact of ICT remain qualitatively the same; they seem to be relatively robust implications of the causal system structure, as it is represented in the model. Overall, the impacts of ICT for mitigating greenhouse gas emissions and other environmental burdens for 2020 tend to be slightly stronger if the simulation is based on the empirical data now available.

We present a software system to create and implement internal markets in organizations that want to limit the CO2 emissions or the use of scarce resources by their employees. This system can be applied to domains such as business travel by distributing a limited number of permits for business travel-related CO2 emissions at the beginning of a period and then allowing the permits to be traded inside the organization. The system calculates the CO2 emissions caused by planned trips and provides the market mechanisms to trade the permits. The approach can be generalized from emission permits to any scarce good that is assigned by the management to units or individual members of the organization, such as parking spaces. Both cases are described by way of detailed examples.

ICT Innovations for Sustainability is an investigation of how information and communication technology can contribute to sustainable development. It presents clear definitions of sustainability, suggesting conceptual frameworks for the positive and negative effects of ICT on sustainable development. It reviews methods of assessing the direct and indirect impact of ICT systems on energy and materials demand, and examines the results of such assessments. In addition, it investigates ICT-based approaches to supporting sustainable patterns of production and consumption, analyzing them at various levels of abstraction – from end-user devices, Internet infrastructure, user behavior, and social practices to macro-economic indicators. Combining approaches from Computer Science, Information Systems, Human-Computer Interaction, Economics, and Environmental Sciences, the book presents a new, holistic perspective on ICT for Sustainability (ICT4S). It is an indispensable resource for anyone working in the area of ICT for Energy Efficiency, Life Cycle Assessment of ICT, Green IT, Green Information Systems, Environmental Informatics, Energy Informatics, Sustainable HCI, or Computational Sustainability.

The induction of demand by increasing the efficiency of a production or consumption process is known as the rebound effect. Feedback loops in System Dynamics can be used to conceptualize the structure of this complex phenomenon and also for communicating model-based insights. In passenger transport, the rebound effect can be induced through increased cost efficiency (direct economic rebound) and/or increase in speed (time rebound). In this paper we review and compare two models on environmental effects of passenger transport—including a model on the role of information and communication technology. We highlight the feedback mechanisms used to deal with the rebound effect (price, efficiency, and time rebound).

In 2014, we revisit a 2002 model commissioned by the European Commission’s Institute for Prospective Technological Studies (IPTS), to explore the future impacts of information and communication technology (ICT) on environmental sustainability in the EU-15 for the time horizon of 2000-2020.

The keynote presentation defines three big Issues for developing "ICT for Sustainability" (ICT4S) as a research field: 1. Understanding and improving the role of ICT in technological substitution at all levels of the resource tree. 2. Understanding and shaping the micro-macro link: How does the socio-economic system translate micro substitutions into societal change at the macro level? 3. Developing "accompanying measures": Designing technological artefacts is neither sustainable nor unsustainable in itself – it is unavoidable to attach a political message to them. How can this be done systematically? How can we develop the arenas of discourse needed? And how can ICT help here?

Smart technologies provide diverse and promising opportunities for reducing energy demand and greenhouse gas emissions; they are increasingly expected to shift modern societies’ patterns of production and consumption towards sustainability. However, the existence of a theoretical potential does not imply that every smart solution (application of a smart technology) will actually contribute to sustainability. Policy-makers therefore need methodologies for evaluating the sustainability of smart solutions. This paper gives an overview of the current discussion in the field and the emerging methodological challenges. The challenges of assessing the direct impact of the ICT components and infrastructures are special cases of known issues in life cycle assessment methodology. The challenges of assessing indirect impacts are inherently interdisciplinary and call for integrated modelling approaches. The last two sections provide an overview of the papers assembled in this thematic issue that treat specific cases and general principles of modelling and evaluating the sustainability of smart solutions.

Simulations play an ever more central role in today’s research. The massive amount of data generated by these simulations is likely to contain new knowledge. The present bachelor thesis engages in implementing a software tool for analyzing the data of a very specific case, the data resulting from the simulation of the model of the Swiss wood fuel market. The goal was to provide the user with a powerful tool in order to extract knowledge and hidden patterns from the data. Methods from multivariate statistics, with a special focus on cluster analysis, are used. Default settings has been developed to release the user from the responsibility of choosing and configuring the mostly complex cluster algorithms. Additionally, an editor for creating logical rules was developed and integrated into the program. With the help of this editor substantial phenomena (in terms of content) can be discovered. Along with the software tool itself and the description of its development and functionality, this thesis contains a theoretical foundation of the used statistical methods and an introduction to cluster analysis.

This bachelor thesis evaluates a tool for the course “Informatics for Business III” at the Department of Informatics at the University of Zurich. In this lecture, among other topics, the basics of the Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN) and the simulation will be taught. The tool is intended to support the teaching field and thereby allow students to make experimental experiences in the above mentioned fields. Before it can be used, it must be determined whether the tool is suitable for the teaching area. Several models can be constructed to test the basic elements of BPMN and the simulation. The tool should not only support basic elements of BPMN and the simulation, but also be easy to use. Therefore, the software’s usability is another important point. The results of the evaluation reveal advantages and disadvantages systematically. The tool provides a lot of useful simulation functions. Furthermore the simulation report is very clearly structured. It can therefore be used to show impacts of model parameter changes to the simulation. The tool has some little bugs, but is very user-friendly and easy to operate.

Within the scope of this project the abilities of IYOPRO are examined to easily simulate and analyze processes of different levels of complexity in a realistic manner. Therefore, already existing and partially optimized examples are implemented with IYOPRO and the result of the simulation is analyzed as well as the handling of the application itself. This leads to three didactically reasonable case studies which help to feasibly explain the use of IYOPRO and the subject of process simulation to beginners. Due to the implementation of the above-named examples, the strengths and weaknesses of IYOPRO can easily be identified. This shows, that despite many strengths, the application suffers from serious drawbacks which avoid an accurate use. Thus a malfunction is detected in the scope of this project, which relates to the event-based gateway and the timer intermediate event. This makes it impossible to correctly simulate models with an increased complexity. In spite of some scarcities, IYOPRO is excellently suited for the simulation and the analysis of comparatively simple processes. Nevertheless sophisticated models exceed the abilities of the application because not all BPMN elements operate successfully. Under these circumstances IYOPRO can only partially be recommended for the use in lecture.

Cyberwarfare presents a risk to a state’s national security and various measures to minimize that risk have therefore been undertaken, e.g. the United States Cyber Command (USCYBERCOM) or the National strategy for Switzerland’s protection against cyber risks (NCS). Because cyberwarfare is a relatively new phenomenon, the base of knowledge is quite low. Therefore the question arises, how appropriate these measures are with respect to the existing risks. This bachelor thesis examines this question from the Precautionary Principle’s (PP) perspective. The PP aims to minimize risks by taking early action to prevent irreversible damage. According to the PP, this action should even be taken in the absence of scientific consensus. Firstly, this thesis examines the question of the appropriateness of the measures with respect to the general risk situation of cyberwarfare. Secondly, with respect to the case study of Switzerland, with its National strategy for Switzerland’s protection against cyber risks (NCS). The general risk situation shows that lower intensity cyberattacks have become a reality. From the PP’s perspective it is therefore too late to take preventative measures. Higher intensity cyberattacks have not revealed themselves as a persistent threat yet. Therefore, according to the PP, preventative measures should be taken into consideration. The case study of Switzerland shows that the persons responsible for the NCS do not pay enough attention to the risks of higher intensity cyberattacks. They regard them as too unlikely to seriously deal with and invest resources into. Based on these findings, this thesis proposes certain actions for Switzerland.

This paper compares two Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) studies independently carried out to assess the environmental impacts of electronic versus print media. Although the two studies lead to the same overall conclusion for the case of a news magazine – namely that the tablet version of the magazine has environmental advantages over the print version – there are significant differences in the details of the LCA results. We show how these differences can be explained by differences in the methodological approaches used for Life Cycle Inventory (LCI) modelling, in particular the use of rough average data versus the attempt to use the most specific and detailed data as possible. We conclude that there are several issues in LCA practice (at least when applied in the domain of media) that can significantly influence the results already at the LCI level: The data collection strategy used (e.g. relying on desk-based research or dismantling a device under study) and the decisions made at inventory level with regard to parameters with high geographic variability, such as the electricity mix or recycling quotas.

This bachelor thesis studies the environmental impact caused by the use of lecture notes by Informatics students at the University of Zurich. For this, the life cycle assessment methodology was applied and the product systems were modeled and assessed with Umberto NXT LCA. Three electronic media (desktop computer, laptop computer, tablet computer) and two print media (self-printed lecture notes, printed books of lecture notes) were taken into consideration for the impact assessment. Alternative scenarios were also assessed to identify strategies aiming at an improvement of the environmental performance. On the basis of the results of this research, it can be concluded that the current use of multiple media to study lecture notes is not environmentally preferred. The results suggest that desktop computer and self-printed lecture notes are the least preferred media and the shift to a purely laptop or tablet computer-based strategy can improve the current environmental performance by up to 80%. Even a combination of printed books, provided by the University, and tablet computer optimizes the current scenario by 42%.

Dynamic material flow analysis (MFA) is a frequently used method to assess past, present, and future stocks and flows of metals in the anthroposphere. Over the last fifteen years, dynamic MFA has contributed to increased knowledge about the quantities, qualities, and locations of metal-containing goods. This article presents a literature review of the methodologies applied in 50 dynamic MFAs of metals. The review is based on a standardized model description format, the ODD (Overview, Design concepts, Details) protocol. We focus on giving a comprehensive overview of modeling approaches and structure them according to essential aspects, such as their treatment of material dissipation, spatial dimension of flows, or data uncertainty. The reviewed literature features similar basic modeling principles, but very diverse extrapolation methods. Basic principles include the calculation of outflows of the in-use stock based on inflow or stock data and a lifetime distribution function. For extrapolating stocks and flows, authors apply constant, linear, exponential, and logistic models, or approaches based on socioeconomic variables, such as regression models or the intensity-of-use hypothesis. The consideration and treatment of further aspects, such as dissipation, spatial distribution, and data uncertainty, vary significantly and highly depends on the objectives of each study.

This essay gives the reader a basic understanding of e-commerce and provides an insight into the Chinese company Alibaba Group and its international platform AliExpress. The essay discusses the different aspects of electronic commerce which are necessary to be successful in e-commerce and to sustain this success long term. Apart from design, construction as well as the usability of the platform surface, other factors such as technical security, the type of payment and the diverse product offering play an important role in the online shop. An online shop can only be successful if it addresses many customers. For this reason, customer acquisition and customer loyality are part of the success factors as well. In order to find the online shop quicker and easier, there are also different marketing strategies, which are examined in this essay.

ICT is a transformational technology bearing both opportunities and risks for sustainable development. The "ICT for Sustainability" (ICT4S) conferences areabout utilizing the transformational power of ICT for making our world more sustainable: saving energy and material resources by creating more value from less physical input, increasing quality of life for ever more people without compromising future generations´ ability to meet their needs. While the potential of ICTs´ contribution to sustainable development has been increasingly recognized during the last decades, implementing this potential has proven to be a challenge. One of the main obstacles is the cooperation between the academic disciplines, such as engineering sciences and social sciences, but also between academia, industry, and politics. From its beginning, the conference therefore had a strong focus on exchanging ideas and mediating between different intellectual cultures.

Clemens Mader provides a distinct insight of potentials that assessment and quality management have in the sustainability transformation of the nexus of higher education, society and policy. Focusing on transformative assessment of processes, Mader explores cases from Europe, Africa and Asia. As a consequence he describes key principles of assessment for transformation that can be applied in any HEI system or culture. Mader concludes with a systemic model that draws attention to the iterative process of transformation assessment and outlines the role of quality management and assessment in scaling HEI sustainability initiatives from institutional to HEI system-wide, social, and policy level.