Import databases · ecoinvent
Import ecoinvent EcoSpold 2 files
VoLCA does not provide, bundle, or redistribute ecoinvent. It reads the EcoSpold 2 format ecoinvent ships in. To import ecoinvent you need your own license and your own exported files from ecoinvent.
License and access come first
Get ecoinvent from its publisher, ecoinvent.org, under your own license. ecoinvent publishes several versions and system models, such as Cut-off, APOS, and Consequential; that choice is made at their site, not in VoLCA. Confirm your license covers the way you plan to use and share results before importing.
Upload, then load
Once you have an EcoSpold 2 export, the path is the same as any other database: upload stages the archive, loading makes it queryable.
CLI
Upload the archive
volca --config volca.toml database upload /data/ecoinvent-3.10.7z \
--name "ecoinvent"Upload an archive (ZIP, 7z, tar.gz, tar.xz) of .spold datasets to a running, writable engine. A directory can instead be referenced in a local engine configuration.
HTTP API
Load it explicitly
curl -X POST http://localhost:8080/api/v1/db/ecoinvent/loadUpload alone does not load a database. Load it with this endpoint, or set load = true in its configuration entry to load at startup.
Cross-linking a foreground database
A database such as Agribalyse or your own foreground data commonly leaves some suppliers unresolved on its own. Name ecoinvent as a dependency so those suppliers resolve against it:
[[databases]]
name = "ecoinvent"
path = "/data/ecoinvent-3.10"
load = true
[[databases]]
name = "my-foreground"
path = "/data/my-foreground.csv"
load = true
depends = ["ecoinvent"]What EcoSpold 2 import gives you
Loading .spold datasets builds activities, reference products, technosphere and biosphere exchanges, classifications, and supplier links into searchable, computable structures. See the EcoSpold 2 format page for the full list of accepted files and imported data.
Verify before you trust the result
A supported file format is not proof of a complete or correct import. Before treating an ecoinvent import as calculation evidence:
- Compare the loaded activity count against the release notes for the exact version and system model you imported.
- Search for a process you already know, such as a national electricity mix, and confirm its reference product and unit are as expected.
- Read any supplier-linking warnings the load reports rather than ignoring them; each one names an unresolved reference.
- Import an LCIA method, such as an EF 3.1 collection, as a separate step and audit its flow mapping against ecoinvent before trusting characterized results.
Frequently asked questions
Does VoLCA include ecoinvent?
No. ecoinvent is licensed data; you need your own copy and license from ecoinvent.org. VoLCA reads the EcoSpold 2 format ecoinvent ships in, it does not provide or redistribute the database.
Which ecoinvent versions and system models does VoLCA read?
VoLCA detects EcoSpold 2 from the .spold datasets themselves, not from a specific ecoinvent release. Version and system model, such as Cut-off, APOS, or Consequential, are choices you make at ecoinvent's own site. Verify the loaded activity count and a known process against your chosen release after import.
Does importing ecoinvent prove it is compatible with an LCIA method?
No. A successful import establishes that the data loaded, not that a chosen method's flows map onto it. Audit flow mapping and validate the method separately.
Can I link ecoinvent to my own foreground database?
Yes. Set depends on the foreground database's configuration entry, naming ecoinvent, so its unresolved suppliers are looked up there.
Where do I get ecoinvent?
From ecoinvent.org, the database's own publisher, under your own license.