JP2024066945A - Environmental assessment system, environmental assessment method, and environmental assessment program - Google Patents

Abstract

[Problem] To provide a new technology for determining standards for calculating GHG amounts for each provider. [Solution] An environmental assessment system for determining calculation coefficients for GHG amounts, the environmental assessment system comprises a memory unit, a provider information receiving unit, a business activity information receiving unit, and a GHG unit calculation unit, the memory unit stores standard coefficients for calculating standard GHG amounts per unit quantity, the provider information receiving unit receives provider information on providers of business activities, the business activity information receiving unit receives business activity information including actual amounts and actual quantities during a unit period by the provider, and the GHG unit calculation unit determines individual calculation coefficients for the provider using the actual amounts, actual quantities, and standard coefficients, and stores the coefficients in association with the provider information. [Selected Figure] Figure 6

Description

The present invention relates to an environmental assessment system, an environmental assessment method, and an environmental assessment program.

Interest in environmental and energy issues has been growing for some time. In particular, in recent years, there has been a growing emphasis on the importance of reducing GHG emissions in business activities and personal life.

Patent Document 1 discloses technology that provides an information processing system that allows users to easily understand the difference in the amount of carbon dioxide reduction achieved by different modes of transportation.

Patent Document 2 discloses an information processing system that includes an estimated information storage unit that stores estimated information for estimating travel distance from the fare for each transportation means, a coefficient storage unit that stores an emission coefficient for calculating the emission amount of environmental load substances according to the travel distance for each transportation means, an input unit that accepts input of transportation cost information including the transportation means and fares related to employee transportation costs, a travel distance calculation unit that calculates the travel distance related to the transportation cost information based on the transportation means and fares included in the transportation cost information and the estimated information, and an emission calculation unit that calculates the emission amount by multiplying the travel distance by the emission coefficient corresponding to the transportation means.

JP 2022-026418 A Patent No. 7045601

For example, end users visit accommodations, restaurants, exhibition facilities, and theaters in their daily lives or when traveling, and receive products and services. They may also receive products and services such as activity experiences, lessons, relaxation, tourist guides, craft experiences, and souvenir shops.

Even providers who conduct the same type of business activities are likely to emit different amounts of GHG. For providers who conduct specific business activities, such as electric power companies, different coefficients may be used for each company, but for providers who conduct the above-mentioned business activities, there are no standards for calculating GHG amounts for each provider.

In view of the above, the present invention aims to provide a new technology for determining standards for calculating GHG emissions by provider.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides an environment evaluation system,
The environmental assessment system includes a storage unit, a provider information receiving unit, a business activity information receiving unit, and a GHG unit calculation unit,
The storage unit stores a standard coefficient for calculating a standard GHG amount per unit quantity,
the provider information receiving unit receives provider information relating to a provider of a business activity;
The business activity information receiving unit receives business activity information including an actual amount and an actual quantity by the provider during a unit period,
The GHG unit calculation unit determines an individual calculation coefficient for the provider using the performance amount, the performance quantity, and the reference coefficient, and stores the coefficient in association with the provider information.

The present invention also provides an environmental evaluation method, comprising the steps of:
In the provider information receiving step, provider information relating to a provider of business activities is received,
In the business activity information receiving step, business activity information including actual amounts and actual quantities during a unit period is received from the provider,
In the GHG unit calculation step, an individual calculation coefficient for the provider is determined using the performance amount, the performance quantity, and a standard coefficient for calculating a standard GHG amount per unit quantity, and is stored in association with the provider information.

The present invention also provides an environmental assessment program, comprising:
causing a computer to function as a provider information receiving unit, a business activity information receiving unit, and a GHG unit calculation unit;
the provider information receiving unit receives provider information relating to a provider of a business activity;
The business activity information receiving unit receives business activity information including an actual amount and an actual quantity by the provider during a unit period,
The GHG unit calculation unit determines an individual calculation coefficient for the provider using the performance amount, the performance quantity, and a standard coefficient for calculating a standard GHG amount per unit quantity, and stores the coefficient in association with the provider information.

With this configuration, a calculation coefficient can be determined to evaluate the amount of GHG for an activity for a service provided to a user from a base.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the provider information includes a base address of the provider,
The individual calculation coefficients are stored in association with the regions based on the base locations.

This configuration allows geographically related providers to be compiled into a database. Therefore, for example, alternative providers can be proposed depending on the results of the GHG amount evaluation.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the business activity information includes a plurality of types of actual results.
The GHG unit calculation section determines individual calculation coefficients using the actual amounts of the multiple types and the standard coefficients corresponding to the types.
The business activity information includes a plurality of types of actual results,
The GHG unit calculation unit determines an individual calculation coefficient for each of the types, using the actual amounts for the multiple types and the standard coefficients corresponding to the types.

By configuring it this way, the calculation coefficients can be determined more accurately.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the apparatus further includes a boundary determination unit,
The business activity information receiving unit receives a data set having a plurality of records to which the actual amount and items indicating the amount are linked,
The storage unit stores boundary information for determining whether the item corresponds to a target for tallying up actual amounts for calculating the individual calculation coefficients,
The boundary determination unit determines whether or not each item is to be included in the aggregation based on the boundary information,
The GHG unit calculation section determines the individual calculation coefficient based on the aggregated actual amount.
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the boundary information indicates, based on the item, to which type of aggregation target the actual amount corresponds,
The GHG unit calculation section determines the individual calculation coefficient based on the actual amount tallied for each type.

This configuration makes it easier to determine the calculation coefficients.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the method further includes a point award rate determination unit,
The storage unit stores a reference point award rate,
The point awarding rate determination unit determines a point awarding rate for the provider by using the individual calculation coefficient and the reference point awarding rate.

This configuration allows the environmental points given to a user for services provided from a base to differ between providers.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the method further includes a point award rate determination unit,
The storage unit stores a reference point award rate,
The point award rate determination unit determines a point award rate for the provider using the achievement amount or the GHG amount obtained by multiplying the achievement amount by the standard coefficient, and the standard point award rate.

By configuring it in this way, the environmental points given to providers can be made different for each provider.

The present invention can provide a new technology for determining standards for calculating GHG emissions for each provider.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a system according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a hardware configuration diagram of a system according to an embodiment. FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of a system according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of business activity information in the system according to an embodiment. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of boundary information in the system according to the embodiment. 11 is a flowchart showing a process for determining a point award rate in a system according to an embodiment. 11 is a processing flowchart for determining whether a result is correct or incorrect in a system according to one embodiment. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of calculation of individual calculation coefficients in the system according to an embodiment.

The present invention will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which preferred embodiments are shown. However, the present invention may be embodied in many different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein.

For example, the configuration, operation, etc. of the environmental evaluation system are described in this embodiment, but the same effects can be achieved by the executed method, device, computer program, etc. In this embodiment, a so-called server-client type environmental evaluation system is described, in which the program is started in an external computer to realize the function in the client terminal. The program may be provided as a non-transient recording medium readable by the computer, or may be provided so as to be downloadable from an external server.

In this embodiment, first, the calculation coefficients are registered, and then the GHG amount for the activity is evaluated using the registered calculation coefficients.

First, a party that enables end users to engage in activities by providing goods and/or services (hereafter referred to as the "provider") registers a calculation coefficient that serves as a basis for evaluating the amount of GHG generated/reduced by conducting business activities. Providers are, for example, accommodation facilities, restaurants, exhibition facilities, theaters, or individuals, organizations, or facilities that offer products and services such as activity experiences, lessons, relaxation, tourist guides, craft experiences, souvenir shops, etc. The calculation coefficient registered for each provider is referred to as an individual calculation coefficient. Multiple individual calculation coefficients may be registered for one provider.

Then, the GHG amount is evaluated for the products and services used by the end user. In this embodiment, the end user is a consumer, and the consumer receives an evaluation of the GHG amount of the products and services used by the provider and is awarded environmental points based on the evaluation results. For example, the end user may be a travel agency that creates an itinerary, and may receive an evaluation of the GHG amount of the products and services provided by the provider that are included in the itinerary.

"GHG" stands for Greenhouse Gas, which in this embodiment is carbon dioxide (CO2). GHG may also be methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), perfluorocarbons (PFCs), sulfur hexafluoride (SF6), or nitrogen trifluoride (NF3). "Amount" refers to a value related to a quantitative indicator of GHG, such as GHG emission amount, GHG increase amount, GHG reduction amount, GHG increase rate, or GHG reduction rate, and in this embodiment, CO2 emission amount and reduction amount (increase amount) are calculated.

1. System configuration
Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a system according to an embodiment. As shown in Fig. 1, the environment evaluation system 0 includes an evaluation device 1 (server device), a registration device 2 (server device), a provider terminal device 3 (terminal device), and a user terminal device 4 (terminal). The registration device 2 and the provider terminal device 3 (terminal device), as well as the evaluation device 1 and the user terminal device 4, are configured to be able to communicate with each other via a communication network NW, and the evaluation device 1 and the registration device 2 are also configured to be able to communicate with each other via the communication network NW or a network not shown. The evaluation device 1 and the registration device 2 operate as servers, and the provider terminal device 3 and the user terminal device 4 operate as clients.

A general-purpose server computer or a personal computer can be used as the evaluation device 1 and the registration device 2. A personal computer, smartphone, tablet terminal, wearable device, etc. can be used as the provider terminal device 3 and the user terminal device 4. The provider terminal device 3 and the user terminal device 4 have an application (typically a web browser) for making requests to the evaluation device 1 and the registration device 2 and receiving responses.

In this embodiment, the communication network NW is an IP (Internet Protocol) network, but there are no restrictions on the type of communication protocol, and there are also no restrictions on the type or scale of the network.

<1.1. Hardware configuration>
2 is a hardware configuration diagram. As shown in Fig. 2(a), the server device 10 (the evaluation device 1 and the registration device 2) has a calculation device 101, a main memory device 102, an auxiliary memory device 103, a communication device 106, and a bus interface, which are used to perform the functions of each part and each process.

The arithmetic device 101 has a processor such as a CPU capable of executing an instruction set, and controls the overall operation and processing of the evaluation device 1 by executing the evaluation program or GHG unit calculation program (environmental evaluation program) according to the present invention, an OS, and other applications.
The main memory 102 includes a volatile memory, such as a RAM, capable of storing an instruction set.
The auxiliary storage device 103 has a non-volatile recording medium such as an HDD or SSD capable of recording an OS and an evaluation program or a GHG unit calculation program.
The communication device 106 has an interface for physically connecting to a network, and controls communication with the communication network NW to input and output information.

As shown in FIG. 2(b), the terminal device 90 (provider terminal device 3 and user terminal device 4) has a calculation device 901, a main memory device 902, an auxiliary memory device 903, an input device 904, an output device 905, a communication device 906, and a bus interface, and is used to perform the functions of each part and each process.

The computing device 901 has a processor such as a CPU capable of executing an instruction set, and executes an OS, a web browser, and other applications.
The main memory 902 includes a volatile memory, such as a RAM, capable of storing an instruction set.
The auxiliary storage device 903 includes a non-volatile recording medium such as an HDD or SSD capable of recording an OS, a web browser application, and the like.
The input device 904 includes an input device capable of input processing, such as a touch panel or a keyboard.
The output device 905 includes a display device capable of display processing, such as a display.
The communication device 906 has an interface for physically connecting to a network, and controls communication with the communication network NW to input and output information.

<1.2. Functional configuration of the environmental evaluation system 0>
Fig. 3 is a functional block diagram of the environmental assessment system 0. As shown in Fig. 3(a), the registration device 2 has a provider information receiving unit 21, a business activity information receiving unit 22, an input formatting unit 23, a boundary determination unit 24, a GHG unit calculation unit 25, and a point allocation rate determination unit 26. This is information processing by software (a GHG unit calculation program stored in the auxiliary storage device 103) specifically realized by hardware (the computing device 101, etc.).

As shown in FIG. 3(b), the evaluation device 1 has a reception unit 11, a judgment unit 12, an evaluation unit 13, and an environmental point evaluation unit 14. This is information processing by software (an evaluation program stored in an auxiliary storage device 103) specifically realized by hardware (the computing device 101, etc.).

In this embodiment, the evaluation device 1 and the registration device 2 are illustrated as having each functional component (unit), but each functional component may be contained in a single server device. Also, some of the functional components of one device may be realized in the other device or in another device including the terminal device 90.

In this embodiment, the evaluation device 1 and the registration device 2 are provided to the provider and the end user (collectively referred to as "user") in the form of a web application, and are used via the web browsers of the provider terminal device 3 and the user terminal device 4. The evaluation device 1 and the registration device 2 have a display processing unit (not shown) for functioning as a web server. The display processing unit displays a usage screen for the user to use the web application, and transmits the display processing result to the provider terminal device 3 or the user terminal device 4. The web browser of the provider terminal device 3 or the user terminal device 4 uses the display processing result received via the communication device 906 to display the usage screen on the output device 905. In addition, the evaluation device 1 or the registration device 2 is configured to accept operations on the usage screen via the input device 904, and to transmit information entered on the usage screen and a display processing request for further screens to the display processing unit of the evaluation device 1 or the registration device 2 via the communication device 906. In the following, in order to simplify the explanation, the explanation will be given without including the involvement of the display processing unit to the extent that it is not unclear.

<1.3. Provider Information Reception Unit>
The provider terminal device 3 inputs provider information and business activity information into the registration screen and transmits them to the registration device 2 .
The provider information receiving unit 21 receives the provider information and stores it in a memory unit (auxiliary storage device 103, etc.). The provider information is information about a provider (individual, organization, or facility) performing business activities, and includes, for example, the provider name, base location, etc. The base location is, for example, an address. Furthermore, in addition to or instead of an address, the provider information may include the latitude and longitude of the base, or two-dimensional or three-dimensional coordinates in any coordinate system such as a global coordinate system, as the base location. The coordinates may be acquired via a GNSS module, an altimeter, etc. provided in the provider terminal device 3, and may be entered into the registration screen or transmitted to the registration device 2.

<1.4. Business Activity Information Reception Department>
The business activity information receiving unit 22 receives the business activity information, and stores the business activity information in a storage unit (such as the auxiliary storage device 103) in association with the provider information. The business activity information is information on the business activities carried out by the provider during a specified period, and includes at least the actual amount and actual quantity during the unit period.

For example, the provider terminal device 3 can input the actual quantity by transmitting the value of the actual quantity via the registration screen. The actual quantity is, for example, the total number of guests staying at the provider, the total number of users, the number of vehicles, the number of operating days, the total number of meals, etc. The actual quantity does not necessarily have to be a single quantity. For example, multiple quantities to be added or multiplied, or the occupancy rate may be input. For example, if it is desired to register an individual calculation coefficient per room from the total GHG amount in an accommodation facility, the total number of rooms actually used can be calculated by multiplying the total number of rooms in the facility by the number of operating days by the occupancy rate. In this case, the occupancy rate is a value indicating the ratio of the number of rooms used to the total number of rooms in the facility. The number of vehicles used can also be calculated by the occupancy rate, which indicates the ratio of the number of vehicles used to the number of vehicles owned.

The provider terminal device 3 can also input business activity information by sending the actual amount value for each type via the same or a different registration screen. In this case, the GHG unit calculation unit 25 calculates the individual calculation coefficient based on the input actual quantity, actual amount, and type.

It is also possible to accept a data set showing the results of business activities for a unit period (such as the previous year) as business activity information, and calculate the individual calculation coefficient based on the data set. In this case, the boundary determination unit 24 determines whether or not to use the individual actual amount for each element included in the data set (hereinafter referred to as the individual actual amount) for calculating the individual calculation coefficient, and the GHG unit calculation unit 25 calculates the individual calculation coefficient based on the input actual quantity, individual actual amount and their type. Depending on the contents of the data set, the input formatting unit 23 formats the data before the boundary determination unit 24 makes a judgment.

The data set includes individual actual amounts and items indicating the details of the individual actual amounts, and is accounting data that lists data for a unit period, such as income and expenditure statements, invoices, receipts, and payment details managed by the provider. In this embodiment, the individual actual amounts are amounts linked to individual expense categories and items in the accounting data (e.g., electricity and water bills). The actual amounts may be sales amounts by department in the accounting data (e.g., accommodation sales, meal sales, souvenir sales, etc. for an accommodation facility) or sales amounts by product type.

<1.4.1. Formatting of business activity information>
The input formatting unit 23 formats the business activity information accepted by the business activity information accepting unit 22. The formatting process includes converting the raw data of the business activity information into a predetermined data format for processing by the registration device 2 (deleting unnecessary attributes, swapping columns, converting to corresponding attribute names, etc.), and replacing item names (attribute names) and item values (attribute values) of the input business activity information based on dictionary information, etc., and adding items (attributes). The formatting process may be a rule-based process using a correspondence table, etc., or may be performed by natural language processing, for example.

One element (one record) in the business activity information as accounting data indicates the contents of the individual actual amount by a path of a hierarchical item structure in which lower items subdivide higher items for each individual actual amount. In this embodiment, the items are subjects or items, and each individual actual amount has a subject or a subject and one or more items. These items may have a subject as a parent or a item as a parent, and may have multiple hierarchical structures. For example, a subject is an account subject, a detail with an account subject as a parent is an item, a detail with an item (detail) as a parent is a product name, and a detail with a product name (detail) as a parent is a summary, department name, supplier, etc.

Also, for example, a detail may include attribute values that do not necessarily have a parent-child relationship with the subject or detail in terms of semantics. For example, a detail may include data indicating whether an expense is a direct or indirect expense, data indicating whether an expense is a variable or fixed expense, department data (department name) that generated the subject or detail, etc. Note that multiple details do not necessarily need to have a hierarchical structure in series, and it is not excluded that a single record of business activity information may have multiple details that have a common parent detail.

Figure 4 shows an example of the input business activity information and the formatted business activity information. The data shown in the upper part of Figure 4 shows the input business activity information (raw accounting data), and the lower part shows an example of the formatted business activity information. Note that the subject names shown in the figure may be codes used in the environmental assessment system 0.

In this embodiment, the record's subject and details are determined based on the subject code (the "debit subject code" in the upper part of the illustrated example) included in the input business activity information. This is done, for example, by storing the subject codes of the main accounting software, etc., in correspondence with the subjects and details corresponding to the codes in the memory unit (auxiliary storage device 103). The subject names (the "debit subject name" in the upper part of the illustrated example) in the input business activity information may also be processed in natural language to determine the corresponding subject and/or details (the "subject name", "item", "product name", etc. in the lower part of the illustrated example). Alternatively, output data output from not only accounting software but also budget management, purchasing management, production management, logistics management systems, etc. may be used as business activity information, and formatting processing may be performed to match the format of the output data.

The input formatting unit 23 may determine the individual actual amount, etc., from the text included in the summary in the business activity information received by the business activity information receiving unit 22. This may be determined by obtaining character strings adjacent to specific keywords (e.g., yen, ¥, m3, or kWh) included in the summary, and may extract information corresponding to the details by, for example, a rule-based method, a statistical method, machine learning, or natural language processing.

Here, the registration device 2 may further display an editing screen on which the received business activity information and/or the formatted business activity information can be edited, and store the business activity information that has been edited on the editing screen in a memory unit (auxiliary storage device 103). At this time, if the business activity information contains missing items or contents, or inconsistencies in numerical values, amounts, or quantities, the business activity information receiving unit 22 may display those parts via the editing screen and receive input.

<1.4.2. Business activity categories>
The provider information and/or business activity information includes category information of business activities. Examples of category information include "lodging,""bus,""restaurant," and "exhibition facility." In addition, two or more attributes may be linked as category information, and some or all of them may have a hierarchical structure. For example, if category 1 of the category information is "lodging," a lower-level category 2 may be defined as "business hotel,""inn," etc.

The actual quantity corresponds to the unit multiplied by the individual calculation coefficient, and the required actual quantity may differ depending on the individual calculation coefficient registered. The required actual quantity may also differ depending on the category information. For example, if the category information is "lodging", the actual quantity is the total number of overnight guests during the unit period (/person). If the category information is "bus", the actual quantity is the total number of users during the unit period (/person), the number of vehicles owned (/vehicle), the number of operating days (/day), etc. If the category information is "restaurant", the actual quantity is the total number of meals during the unit period (/meal), the total number of customers (/person), etc. If the category information is "exhibition facility", the actual quantity is the number of visitors during the unit period (/person).

<1.5. Boundary determination section>
The boundary determination unit 24 determines whether or not an individual actual amount is to be included in the calculation based on the items indicating the contents of the amount and the boundary information. Based on the combination of items (combination of items or items and one or more details), the actual amount used to calculate the individual calculation coefficient for each individual actual amount of each element (each record) included in the business activity information is calculated. In addition, the boundary determination unit 24 determines whether or not a record in the business activity information corresponds to the boundary information by, for example, a rule-based method, a statistical method, machine learning, or natural language processing. may be determined.

The boundary information is information for determining whether or not a result amount corresponds to a target for aggregation of the result amount for calculating the individual calculation coefficient, based on category information (boundary information) that indicates the content of the result amount, and the criteria for whether or not the result amount corresponds to a target for aggregation are indicated by listing category information that corresponds to a target for aggregation. Note that in this embodiment, category information that does not correspond to a target for aggregation is also listed in the boundary information.

Figure 5 is a diagram showing an example of boundary information. As shown in the illustrated example, the boundary information has information ("type"/"non-target flag") indicating whether each category information (boundary information) is subject to aggregation. Category information (boundary information) indicates the contents of individual actual amounts by a path of a hierarchical item structure in which lower items subdivide higher items, and in this embodiment, category information (boundary information) has an item or a combination of items (a subject, or a combination of a subject and one or more sub-items).

The boundary information indicates, for each category information (boundary information), which type of aggregation target the individual actual amount corresponds to. Note that the boundary information in the illustrated example is boundary information for the "accommodation" category. When business activity categories are different, the types linked to the same combination of items may be different.

<1.6. GHG unit calculation section>
The GHG unit calculation unit 25 determines the individual calculation coefficient of the provider using the actual amount (individual actual amount or aggregated), actual quantity, and standard coefficient, and stores the determined individual calculation coefficient in the storage unit in association with the provider information. In this embodiment, the storage unit (auxiliary storage device 103, etc.) stores calculation formulas for the standard coefficient and the individual calculation coefficient, and the GHG unit calculation unit 25 determines the individual calculation coefficient by calculating the actual amount, actual quantity, and standard coefficient according to the calculation formula. The GHG unit calculation unit 25 preferably determines the individual calculation coefficient by using the actual amount aggregated by type.

<1.7. Point award rate determination unit>
The point grant rate determination unit 26 uses the individual calculation coefficient and the reference point grant rate to determine a point grant rate for each provider to be applied when points are granted to a user. The point grant rate determination unit 26 preferably uses the GHG amount and performance amount tallied by type and the reference GHG amount and performance amount prepared by type to determine a point grant rate to be applied when points are granted to a provider. The point grant rate may be set for each provider or for each business activity.

<2. Overall procedure for determining the point allocation rate>
FIG. 6 is a flow chart showing the process from inputting business activity information to determining the point allocation rate.

<2.1. Steps for inputting provider information and business activity information>
First, the environment evaluation system 0 executes step S61. In step S61, the provider information receiving unit 21 receives input of provider information from the provider, and the business activity information receiving unit 22 receives input of business activity information. In step S62, the input formatting unit 23 formats the received raw data of the business activity information to generate business activity information formatted in the common format. If the business activity information input in step S61 is already data conforming to the common format, step S62 is not necessary.

<2.2. Correct/incorrect judgment step>
Next, the environment evaluation system 0 executes step S63. In step S63, the boundary determination unit 24 determines whether each record included in the business activity information is to be counted based on the boundary information. In this embodiment, the boundary determination is performed according to the processing flowchart shown in FIG. 7 to determine the individual actual amount to be counted for each type.

<2.2.1. Processing procedure for determining whether or not a result has been passed>
Fig. 7 shows the procedure for the boundary judgment unit 24 to judge whether a record k (1, 2, ..., n) included in the business activity information is true or false by using the boundary information i (1, 2, ..., l). At this time, the boundary information i is explained as being judged as true or false in order from the top items, that is, at least for each subject, in order from the items with the lowest judgment ranking number, as shown in Fig. 5.

In step S701, business activity information is input via the business activity information receiving unit 22 (and the input formatting unit 23), and the item or combination of items to be judged is determined. In step S702, for the item (subject or detail) determined in step S701, boundary information 1 is set, which is the first boundary information to be used in the pass/fail judgment. In step S703, record 1 is set, which is the first record in the business activity information to be judged using boundary information 1.

In step S704, the division information (boundary information) 1 of boundary information 1 is compared with the subject or subject and details contained in record 1, and if record 1 matches the division information (boundary information) 1 of boundary information 1, the process proceeds to step S705.

In step S705, if a type is set in the division information (boundary information), the determination is correct. If the determination is correct, that is, if record 1 includes division information (boundary information) 1 and boundary information 1 does not have an excluded flag, a type is set for record 1.

In step S705, if a type is not set in the division information (boundary information), a negative judgment is made. If a negative judgment is made, that is, if record 1 includes division information (boundary information) 1 and boundary information 1 has an excluded flag, a type is not set for record 1. Not setting refers to processing that does not add a type.

If the result in step S704 is not applicable, i.e., if neither pass nor fail is applicable, or if the result in S705 is applicable to either pass or fail and the type is set or not set, proceed to step S708. If the determination has not been completed for all records (NO in step S708), the next record k+1 is set in step S709, and the processing of steps S705 to S708 is repeated until the determination has been completed for all records. If the processing has been completed for all records (YES in step S708), proceed to step S710.

If determination has not been completed for all boundary information related to the subject or subitem determined in step S701 (NO in step S710), proceed to step S711. In step S711, the next boundary information i+1 is set, and the processing of steps S705 to S710 is repeated until determination has been completed for all boundary information. If processing has been completed for all boundary information (YES in step S710), end the processing.

In this embodiment, boundary information is first selected, a judgment is made for each record against that boundary information, and then the next boundary information is selected; however, it is also possible to first select a record, make a judgment for each piece of boundary information against the items or combinations of items contained in that record, and then select the next record. This process may be performed serially or in parallel for each piece of boundary information/record, and the judgment may be performed serially or in parallel for each type linked to the category information.

In this embodiment, a standard coefficient is linked to each type, and the standard coefficient multiplied for each performance amount is determined by the type, but a standard coefficient may be linked to each boundary information. In that case, the total GHG amount for each type can be evaluated by multiplying the performance amount included in the record to be aggregated by the standard coefficient for each boundary information and aggregating it. Each provider performing the same business activity calculates an individual calculation coefficient using the same standard coefficient. Different standard coefficients may be applied to providers performing the same business activity between regions.

<2.3. Calculation step of individual calculation coefficient>
Next, the environmental assessment system 0 executes step S64. In step S64, the GHG unit calculation section 25 calculates the individual calculation coefficient.

<2.3.1. Calculation example of individual calculation coefficient>
A calculation example of the individual calculation coefficient will be described with reference to FIG. 8. FIG. 8(a) is an individual calculation coefficient master for calculating the individual calculation coefficient. The individual calculation coefficient may be registered for each business activity content provided by the provider, and a calculation formula for the individual calculation coefficient and classification information (individual calculation coefficient) indicating the business activity content by the provider are set. In the illustrated example, a provider in the "lodging/business hotel" category can register two types of individual calculation coefficients, "one night without meals" and "one night with meals" as business activities, and each is linked to classification information (individual calculation coefficient).

The classification information (individual calculation coefficient) indicates the business activity content by a path of a hierarchical item structure in which lower items subdivide higher items. In this embodiment, the items of the classification information (individual calculation coefficient) include category information, subjects, or a combination of subjects and one or more details. Values entered as provider information or business activity information may be set in some or all of the items of the classification information (individual calculation coefficient). In the illustrated example, the provider's name is set in the item of detail 2, and the classification information (individual calculation coefficient) of the individual calculation coefficient is determined.

The GHG unit calculation unit 25 calculates the individual calculation coefficient using, for example, Formula 1, and stores it in the storage unit in association with the classification information (individual calculation coefficient). In this embodiment, n corresponds to the "type" when calculating the individual calculation coefficient using multiple types of actual amounts, the actual amount is the amount obtained by aggregating the individual actual amounts for which the same type is set, and the standard coefficient is a value set for each type. In this way, the GHG unit calculation unit 25 may determine the individual calculation coefficient using multiple types of actual amounts and the standard coefficient corresponding to the type.

In the illustrated example, when the business activity is "one night accommodation only," the individual calculation coefficient is calculated from the actual amounts of the four items (n = 1, 2, 3, 4) of "electricity," "gas," "fuel," and "water," the standard coefficient corresponding to each actual amount, and the actual quantity (total number of guests), with the unit quantity being "persons." Also, when the business activity is "one night accommodation with meals," the individual calculation coefficient is calculated from the actual amounts of the six items (n = 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6) of "electricity," "gas," "fuel," "water," "food ingredients," and "waste" for the year, the standard coefficient corresponding to each actual amount, and the actual quantity (total number of guests).

Note that a standard coefficient may be linked to each combination of category information and type, or the value of the standard coefficient may be written in advance in the calculation formula for the individual calculation coefficient. When a standard coefficient is linked to each boundary information, the actual amount to be multiplied is converted to an individual actual amount. The GHG unit calculation unit 25 then calculates the individual calculation coefficient using N individual actual amounts (n = 1 to N) that are classified into the same type and are the subject of aggregation. Note that in formula 1, the individual actual amount is multiplied by a standard coefficient corresponding to the individual actual amount to convert it into a GHG amount and aggregate it, but depending on the standard coefficient, multiple individual actual amounts may be aggregated and then converted into a GHG amount by multiplying them by the standard coefficient.

The GHG unit calculation unit 25 may determine the individual calculation coefficients using multiple types of actual amounts and the previous base coefficients corresponding to the types, or may determine the individual calculation coefficients using one type (N=1) of actual amounts and the corresponding base coefficients depending on the definition of the business activity indicated by the individual calculation coefficients and the type of actual amount used. For example, when the business activity information reception unit 22 receives sales data for the whole year compiled by subject as actual information (actual amount), the sales amount of the type of accommodation expenses is set as the actual amount, and an individual calculation coefficient for evaluating the GHG amount per unit amount (one person) can be calculated from the accommodation amount using the corresponding base coefficient and actual amount (total number of guests, etc.). In addition, the sales of meals is set as the actual amount, and an individual calculation coefficient for evaluating the GHG amount per unit amount (one meal) can be calculated from the meal amount using the corresponding base coefficient and actual amount (total number of meals, etc.).

Figure 8 (b) is an example of provider information received by the provider information receiving unit 21. In addition to the provider name and base location (address in the illustrated example), the provider information in the illustrated example includes category information indicating the type of provider (facility), such as "lodging (category 1)" and "business hotel (category 2)." The category information is stored in a category master (not shown), and the provider selects a category corresponding to their business activity and transmits it as the provider information. The provider information also includes the base location, which makes it possible to geographically group combinations of providers and individual calculation coefficients, and to search for providers with higher/lower GHG emissions in the same area.

Figure 8 (c) is an example of business activity information (actual quantity) accepted by the business activity information acceptance unit 22. The provider inputs the actual quantity required for calculating the individual calculation coefficient according to the business activity. In the illustrated example, the total number of overnight guests during a unit period (e.g., fiscal year 2021) is input as the actual quantity corresponding to some or all floors of the category information.

Figure 8 (d) is an example of business activity information (actual amount) accepted by the business activity information acceptance unit 22. For example, the business activity information acceptance unit 22 accepts the actual amount for each item (type) during a unit period (for example, fiscal year 2021).

Figure 8 (e) is an example of a business activity for which a provider wishes to register individual calculation coefficients. When a provider specifies category information, business activity contents that can be specified in that category (registered in the individual calculation coefficient master) are presented to the provider terminal device 3. The illustrated example shows a case where two types of individual calculation coefficients, "one night without meals" and "one night with meals", are registered, but for example, a provider who does not have a plan for an accommodation without meals will register one type of individual calculation coefficient, "one night with meals".

Figure 8 (f) is an example of the reference coefficient master stored in the memory unit. The reference coefficient master stores, for each type of actual amount, a reference coefficient for evaluating the GHG amount per unit period from the actual amount. The reference coefficient may be different by multiplying a common calculation coefficient by a value for further apportioning or multiplying the amount. For example, when the sales totaled by room type are used as the actual amount, when the sales of double rooms are multiplied by reference coefficient A (= calculation coefficient), the sales of four-person rooms may be multiplied by reference coefficient B (= calculation coefficient x 2) and the sales of single rooms may be multiplied by reference coefficient C (= calculation coefficient x 0.5).

<2.4. Step for determining point allocation rate>
Then, the environmental evaluation system 0 executes step S65. In step S65, the point grant rate determination unit 26 determines a point grant rate for each business activity content provided by the provider, and stores the rate in association with the individual calculation coefficient and the category information (individual calculation coefficient). The point grant rate is a value used to calculate the number of points to be provided by multiplying information on the number of people, number of units, number of days, number of meals, number of products, amount of money, etc.

<2.4.1. Example of point allocation rate calculation>
Points may be given by a point provider such as a company or a local government to the provider, to the user (end user), or to both. Also, the points given to the provider may be returned to the end user.

<2.4.2. Example of calculation of point allocation rate for provider>
When points are awarded to the provider, the point award rate determination unit 26 calculates the point award rate, for example, using Equation 2.

The actual amount is, for example, a total actual amount during a unit period (such as the latest fiscal year). More specifically, it is an individual actual amount linked to an item or a combination of items used to calculate the GHG amount among the accounting data during the unit period, an aggregated actual amount thereof, or an aggregated actual amount for one or more specific types. The actual amount may be a GHG amount obtained by multiplying the individual actual amount or the aggregated actual amount by a standard coefficient.
The standard performance amount is a unit amount corresponding to the performance amount, and may be an individual amount of a provider, or may be a common amount between some or all providers. The common amount is an industry average performance amount, an arbitrary performance amount set by a point provider, a GHG amount obtained by multiplying them by a standard coefficient, etc. Note that some providers may be, for example, providers that have a common provider category, or a common type or item of amount used as the performance amount. The industry average may be an average of the performance amount or GHG amount of providers in the same category, and is preferably an average during the same unit period (such as the latest year). The individual amount is, for example, a value based on past performance amounts, and is a performance amount or GHG amount of a year prior to the unit period of the performance amount or a specific year.
The standard award rate is a standard point award rate, and may be uniform or may differ for each provider category, location, item or combination of items, and one or more combinations of types.

2.4.3. Example of calculation of point allocation rate to user
When points are awarded to a user, the point award rate determination unit 26 calculates the point award rate, for example, using Equation 3.

The point allocation rate is not limited to formulas 2 and 3 and may be calculated in any manner. In addition to the point allocation rate calculated using formulas 2 and 3, the point allocation rate and the number of points may be set for each provider, each business activity, each item of merchandise handled, etc.

<3. Use of individual calculation coefficients>
The user terminal device 4 can evaluate the GHG amount using an individual calculation coefficient that differs for each facility. For example, the user inputs the business activity content of the provider that the user uses/used and the usage quantity into the evaluation screen displayed on the user terminal device 4, and transmits it to the evaluation device 1 as evaluation target information. For example, the provider, the business activity content, and the usage quantity are specified by operating a pull-down menu or the like on the evaluation screen. The reception unit 11 of the evaluation device 1 receives the evaluation target information. The evaluation unit 13 determines an individual calculation coefficient for evaluating the GHG amount from the business activity content of the provider received by the reception unit 11, and multiplies it by the usage quantity to evaluate the GHG amount. The usage quantity is an amount corresponding to the actual quantity, such as the number of people, the number of units, the number of days, the number of meals, the number of items, etc.

The provider posts a one-dimensional or two-dimensional code in a facility or the like that is encoded with information indicating the provider's business activities or the business activities and the amount of use, and the code can be read by the user terminal device 4 to input the evaluation target information into the evaluation screen or transmit the evaluation target information to the evaluation device 1. If the code contains only a portion of the evaluation target information (does not contain information indicating the amount of use), the user separately inputs the evaluation target information (amount of use) that is the difference via the evaluation screen. Note that instead of reading the code, the evaluation target information may be provided using an RFID or beacon.

The user terminal device 4 may also input evaluation target information, such as an itinerary estimate, that includes multiple records of items or combinations of items and usage quantities on the evaluation screen, and transmit the information to the evaluation device 1. The determination unit 12 determines the individual calculation coefficient to be applied to the usage quantities included in the evaluation target information from the items or combinations of items included in the evaluation target information and the classification information (individual calculation coefficients) linked to the individual calculation coefficients. The evaluation unit 13 may evaluate the GHG amount based on the combination of the individual calculation coefficients and usage quantities determined by the determination unit 12.

<4. Awarding of environmental points>
The user terminal device 4 reads a two-dimensional code such as a QR code (registered trademark) and transmits information indicating the business activity content of the provider to the evaluation device 1. For example, the two-dimensional code is presented to the end user in a photographable manner after receiving a service such as an activity experience, a lesson, relaxation, a tour guide, or a manufacturing experience from the provider. The provider and the business activity content (menu content, items, etc.) are encoded in the two-dimensional code, and the user terminal device 4 transmits the provider and the business activity content read from the two-dimensional code to the reception unit 11 of the evaluation device 1. The two-dimensional code may include information on the number of people, the number of units, the number of days, the number of meals, the number of items, the amount of money, and other information on the amount of use. The reception unit 11 of the evaluation device 1 associates the received information with user information, a timestamp, and the like, and stores it in a database. The environmental point evaluation unit 15 determines the point allocation rate to be applied from the business activity content of the provider accepted by the reception unit 11, and calculates the number of points to be allocated using the amount of use. The calculated number of points is stored in association with user information, etc.

When an end user purchases a product, receives accommodation, or receives a service, and transfers money, a POS (Point of Sales) terminal (not shown) transmits the provider, menu, item, and the quantity used (amount and number of items) to the reception unit 11 of the evaluation device 1. It also transmits user identification information linked to the information. The user identification information is displayed, for example, in the form of a barcode or two-dimensional code on the user terminal device 4 or the user's card, and is read by a handy scanner or camera at the POS terminal. The reception unit 11 of the evaluation device 1 associates the received information with user information, timestamp, and stores it in a database. The environmental point evaluation unit 15 determines the point allocation rate to be applied from the provider's service or item accepted by the reception unit 11, and calculates the number of points to be allocated using the quantity used. The calculated number of points is stored linked to the user information, etc.

0: Environmental evaluation system 1: Evaluation device 2: Registration device 3: Provider terminal device 4: User terminal device 10: Server device 11: Reception unit 12: Judgment unit 13: Evaluation unit 14: Environmental point evaluation unit 15: Environmental point evaluation unit 21: Provider information reception unit 22: Business activity information reception unit 23: Input formatting unit 24: Boundary judgment unit 25: GHG unit calculation unit 26: Point allocation rate determination unit 90: Terminal device 101: Computing device 102: Main memory device 103: Auxiliary memory device 106: Communication device 901: Computing device 902: Main memory device 903: Auxiliary memory device 904: Input device 905: Output device 906: Communication device NW: Communication network

Claims (10)

An environmental assessment system, comprising:
The environmental assessment system includes a storage unit, a provider information receiving unit, a business activity information receiving unit, and a GHG unit calculation unit,
The storage unit stores a standard coefficient for calculating a standard GHG amount per unit quantity,
the provider information receiving unit receives provider information relating to a provider of a business activity;
The business activity information receiving unit receives business activity information including an actual amount and an actual quantity by the provider during a unit period,
The GHG unit calculation unit determines an individual calculation coefficient for the provider by using the performance amount, the performance quantity, and the standard coefficient, and stores the coefficient in association with the provider information. The provider information includes a base address of the provider,
The environmental assessment system according to claim 1 , wherein the individual calculation coefficients are stored in association with an area based on the base location. The business activity information includes a plurality of types of actual results,
The environmental assessment system according to claim 1 , wherein the GHG unit calculation section determines individual calculation coefficients by using the actual amounts of the plurality of types and the standard coefficients corresponding to the types. The business activity information includes a plurality of types of actual results,
The environmental assessment system according to claim 1 , wherein the GHG unit calculation section determines an individual calculation coefficient for each of the types by using the actual amounts for the plurality of types and the reference coefficients corresponding to the types. Further, a boundary determination unit is provided,
The business activity information receiving unit receives a data set having a plurality of records to which the actual amount and items indicating the amount are linked,
The storage unit stores boundary information for determining whether the item corresponds to a target for tallying up actual amounts for calculating the individual calculation coefficients,
The boundary determination unit determines whether or not each item is to be included in the aggregation based on the boundary information,
The GHG unit calculation unit determines the individual calculation coefficient based on the aggregated actual amount.
The environmental evaluation system according to claim 1 . The boundary information indicates which type of aggregation target the actual amount corresponds to based on the item,
The GHG unit calculation unit determines the individual calculation coefficient based on the actual amount tallied for each type.
The environmental evaluation system according to claim 5 . Further, a point allocation rate determination unit is provided,
The storage unit stores a reference point award rate,
The point award rate determination unit determines a point award rate of the provider by using the individual calculation coefficient and the reference point award rate.
The environmental evaluation system according to claim 1 . Further, a point allocation rate determination unit is provided,
The storage unit stores a reference point award rate,
The point allocation rate determination unit determines a point allocation rate of the provider by using the actual amount or the GHG amount obtained by multiplying the actual amount by the reference coefficient, and the reference point allocation rate.
The environmental evaluation system according to claim 1 . An environmental assessment method, comprising:
In the provider information receiving step, provider information relating to a provider of business activities is received,
In the business activity information receiving step, business activity information including actual amounts and actual quantities during a unit period is received from the provider,
In the GHG unit calculation step, an individual calculation coefficient for the provider is determined using the actual amount, the actual quantity, and a standard coefficient for calculating a standard GHG amount per unit quantity, and the individual calculation coefficient is stored in association with the provider information. 1. An environmental assessment program comprising:
causing a computer to function as a provider information receiving unit, a business activity information receiving unit, and a GHG unit calculation unit;
the provider information receiving unit receives provider information relating to a provider of a business activity;
The business activity information receiving unit receives business activity information including an actual amount and an actual quantity by the provider during a unit period,
The GHG unit calculation unit determines an individual calculation coefficient for the provider using the performance amount, the performance quantity, and a standard coefficient for calculating a standard GHG amount per unit quantity, and stores the coefficient in association with the provider information.