JP7658607B2 - Information processing system, information processing method, and program - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an information processing system, an information processing method, and a program.

Estimation of carbon dioxide emissions has been carried out (see Patent Document 1).

JP 2022-091900 A

Restrictions on the use of emissions units may be imposed.

The present invention was made in light of this background, and aims to provide technology that can appropriately utilize emission intensity.

The information processing system according to this embodiment is characterized by comprising a memory unit that stores information indicating a first business entity and information indicating a second business entity among business entities that are at least either upstream or downstream in the supply chain, an activity amount memory unit that stores an activity amount related to the target object, an emission intensity memory unit that stores an emission intensity unit for calculating the greenhouse gas emission amount related to the target object, an output unit that outputs to the second business entity the emission intensity unit used in calculating the emission amount of the first business entity, and an emission calculation unit that calculates the emission amount of the second business entity based on the activity amount and the output emission intensity unit.

Other problems and solutions disclosed in this application will be made clear in the description of the embodiments of the invention and the drawings.

According to the present invention, the emission intensity can be appropriately utilized.

1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the overall configuration of an information processing system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a hardware configuration of a management server 200. FIG. 2 illustrates an example of the software configuration of a management server 200. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a process for outputting a target discharge amount. FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining a process for outputting an emission amount reduced by a solution. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a process for outputting a reduction target. FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining a process for presenting an emission coefficient. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a process 1 for generating and presenting third information. FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining a process 2 for generating and presenting third information. FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining a process 3 for generating and presenting third information. FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining a process 4 for generating and presenting third information. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a process for calculating and presenting a carbon tax. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a process of analyzing and outputting first information. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a process flow for displaying an emission intensity unit for each associated company. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a process flow for calculating a PCF. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a process of identifying an activity. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a process of classifying activities. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a process for providing solution information. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a process for providing solution information. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a process for providing solution information. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a process for managing the execution state of a reduction means. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a process for providing solution information. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a process for providing procurement information. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a process for providing solution information. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a process of registering a template. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating operation 1 of the 18th function. FIG. 13 is a diagram explaining operation 2 of the 18th function. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating operation 1 of the 19th function. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating operation 2 of the 19th function. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating operation 3 of the 19th function. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating operation 1 of the 20th function. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating operation 2 of the 20th function. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating the flow of a process for calculating an emission amount. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating the flow of a process for outputting a discharge amount. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of an output of a discharge amount. FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining a process for calculating an emission amount at a construction site. FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining a process for calculating the discharge amount for each package. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a process flow for setting an approval route. FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining a process for linking emission intensity units.

Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of an information processing system according to this embodiment. The information processing system according to this embodiment is configured to include a management server 200. The management server 200 is communicatively connected to a user terminal 100 via a communication network 300. The communication network 300 is, for example, the Internet, and is constructed using a public telephone line network, a mobile phone line network, a wireless communication path, Ethernet (registered trademark), or the like.

The user terminal 100 is a computer operated by a user of a business entity, such as a company, that is a waste emitter. The user terminal 100 can be, for example, a smartphone, a tablet computer, or a personal computer. The user can use the user terminal 100 to access the management server 200 and calculate the amount of waste emissions.

The management server 200 is a computer that calculates and manages emissions. The management server 200 may be a general-purpose computer such as a workstation or a personal computer, or may be logically realized by cloud computing.

<Management Server>
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the management server 200. Note that the illustrated configuration is an example, and other configurations may be used. The management server 200 includes a CPU 201, a memory 202, a storage device 203, a communication interface 204, an input device 205, and an output device 206. The storage device 203 is, for example, a hard disk drive, a solid state drive, or a flash memory that stores various data and programs. The communication interface 204 is an interface for connecting to the communication network 300, and is, for example, an adapter for connecting to Ethernet (registered trademark), a modem for connecting to a public telephone line network, a wireless communication device for wireless communication, a USB (Universal Serial Bus) connector or an RS232C connector for serial communication, etc. The input device 205 is, for example, a keyboard, a mouse, a touch panel, a button, a microphone, etc. that input data. The output device 206 is, for example, a display, a printer, a speaker, etc. that output data. Each functional unit of the management server 200 described below is realized by the CPU 201 reading a program stored in the storage device 203 into the memory 202 and executing it, and each storage unit of the management server 200 is realized as part of the storage area provided by the memory 202 and the storage device 203.

Figure 3 is a diagram showing an example of the software configuration of the management server 200. The management server 200 includes a calculation unit 210, an input unit 220, a storage unit 230, an output unit 240, an acquisition unit 250, a generation unit 260, an estimation unit 270, an analysis unit 280, and an execution unit 290. The information processing system including the management server 200 includes multiple functions. These functions are described below.

<<Goal setting function (first function)>>
An example of the software configuration of the management server 200 in the first function will be described with reference to Fig. 3. The management server 200 includes a storage unit 230 (emission coefficient storage unit, emission amount storage unit, solution storage unit), a calculation unit 210 (emission amount calculation unit, unit reduction amount calculation unit, target emission amount calculation unit), an input unit 220, and an output unit 240.

The emission coefficient memory unit constituting the memory unit 230 stores information including emission coefficients for calculating greenhouse gas emissions (hereinafter referred to as emission coefficient information). The emission coefficients may be primary data (data collected by the emitter itself, obtained from direct measurement, or obtained from calculations based on direct measurement in the first information source) or secondary data (data other than primary data, for example, data standardized (statistically processed) from emissions of multiple companies providing the same type of product). The emission coefficient memory unit can store emission coefficients in association with the type of activity. The emission coefficient memory unit can store emission coefficients in association with information identifying the business entity (entrepreneurship ID) and information indicating the type of activity (type-specific information).

The emission amount memory unit constituting the memory unit 230 stores the greenhouse gas emissions by the business entity. The emission amount memory unit can store the first direct emission amount (scope 1) by the business entity, the second indirect emission amount (scope 2) by the business entity, and the third emission amount (scope 3) by other business entities located upstream or downstream in the supply chain of the business entity. The emission amount memory unit can also store the fourth emission amount by category for the third emission amount (scope 3) related to the other business entities. In this embodiment, the emission amount memory unit can store the company ID indicating the business entity, information specifying the time when the activity was performed (time information), the scope, the category, and the emission amount in association with each other. The time information can be set to any period such as a fiscal year, a year, a year and month, a year and month, a date, or a date and time range. The scope and category can be the scope and category specified in the GHG Protocol. The category may be omitted.

The solution storage unit constituting the storage unit 230 stores information (referred to as solution information) related to solutions that achieve emission reduction. Solutions can include, for example, various services and products related to the reduction and offset of greenhouse gas emissions, such as consulting services related to the formulation and execution of reduction plans, procurement of renewable energy power, and offset trading such as J-Credit. The solution storage unit can store reduction information for calculating the amount of emission power that can be reduced by the solution, in association with information identifying the solution (solution ID) and the industry in which the solution can be adopted. The reduction information can be, for example, a percentage of emissions, or an emission coefficient to be multiplied by the amount of activity.

The emission calculation unit constituting the calculation unit 210 can calculate the emission amount of the business entity (or at least any one of the first to fourth emissions). The emission calculation unit can, for example, accept input of the amount of activity, obtain an emission coefficient corresponding to the type of amount of activity from the emission coefficient storage unit, calculate the emission amount for each activity by multiplying the amount of activity by the obtained emission coefficient, and calculate the emission amount by summing up the emissions by scope and/or category. The emission calculation unit may also accept input of an emission amount calculated externally.

The input unit 220 accepts input of the business entity's emission reduction target percentage, base point in time, and target point in time. The base point in time and the target point in time are, for example, a year (fiscal year). The goal can be set to achieve a target emission amount at the target point in time that is reduced by the reduction target percentage based on the emission amount at the base point in time. The input unit 220 can accept first to third reduction target percentages for each of the first to third emission amounts. The input unit 220 can also accept a fourth reduction target percentage by category for the third emission amount.

The input unit 220 can accept the third reduction target ratio from the other business operator. The input unit 220 can receive the third reduction target ratio, for example, from a user terminal 100 operated by (an employee of) the other business operator. The input unit 220 can transmit a message to the user terminal 100 of the other business operator instructing the user to input the third reduction target ratio, and can receive from the user terminal 100 the third reduction target ratio input by the other business operator in response to the message.

The unit reduction amount calculation unit constituting the calculation unit 210 calculates the amount of reduction in the amount of emission in a unit time (unit period). The unit time is, for example, one year, but may be a quarter, month, week, etc. The unit reduction amount calculation unit obtains the amount of emission at the reference time from the emission amount storage unit, and multiplies the obtained emission amount by the reduction target rate to calculate the amount of reduction to be made from the reference time to the target time. The unit reduction amount calculation unit can calculate the target value (unit reduction amount) of the amount of reduction to be made per unit time (for example, one year) by dividing the calculated reduction amount by the number of unit times (for example, years) from the reference time to the target time. The unit reduction amount calculation unit can also calculate the first to third unit reduction amounts for each of the first to third emission amounts. The unit reduction amount calculation unit can also calculate a fourth unit reduction amount by category for the third emission amount.

The target emission calculation unit constituting the calculation unit 210 calculates a target value of emission (referred to as target emission amount) per unit time (e.g., one year). The target emission calculation unit can calculate the target emission amount for each unit time from the base point in time by subtracting the cumulative unit reduction amount from the emission amount at the base point in time. The target emission calculation unit can calculate the target emission amount per unit time (first to third target emission amounts) for each of the first to third emission amounts. The target emission calculation unit can calculate a fourth target emission amount by category per unit time for the third emission amount.

The output unit 240 can output the target emission amount for each unit time. The output unit 240 can output the target emission amount for each of the first to third emission amounts. The output unit 240 can output a fourth target emission amount by category for the third emission amount.

The output unit 240 can output the emission amount and the target emission amount (total or the first to fourth emission amounts and the target emission amount) in association with each other for the period for which the emission amount is registered. The output unit 240 can output the emission amount and the target emission force, for example, in a graph format.

The output unit 240 can also visualize the emissions (or reductions) after the solution is introduced. For example, the output unit 240 can accept a solution specification from the user terminal 100, read reduction information corresponding to the specified solution from the solution storage unit, calculate the amount of emissions reduction based on the read reduction information, calculate a value obtained by subtracting the reduction amount from the emissions (simulated emissions), and output the simulated emissions. The output unit 240 can also output the simulated emissions together with the emissions and target emissions.

<Operation>
FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the process (operation 1) of outputting the target discharge amount.

The management server 200 accepts input of a base time point, a target time point, and a reduction rate from a user terminal 100 operated by a user of the company (S401). The management server 200 transmits a request for a reduction rate, with the base time point and the target time point set, to the user terminal 100 of another business entity upstream and/or downstream in the supply chain (S402). The user of the other business entity inputs a reduction rate to the user terminal 100 in response to the request, and the management server 200 receives the reduction rate transmitted from the user terminal 100 in response to the request (S403). Note that a system that manages emissions in the other business entity may respond with the reduction rate. The management server 200 may also accept input of a reduction rate by another business entity from a user of the company.

The management server 200 calculates the reduction amount for each unit time (e.g., year) from the base point to the target point (S404). For example, the management server 200 can read the emission amount at the base point from the emission storage unit and calculate the reduction amount by multiplying the read emission amount by the reduction rate. The management server 200 may accept different reduction rates for each of scopes 1 and 2. For scope 3, the reduction rate acquired from the user terminal 100 of the other business entity may differ from the reduction rate for the company's own scopes 1 and 2. The management server 200 can calculate the target reduction amount by reading the emission amount corresponding to the company's own company ID and the base point from the emission storage unit and multiplying it by the reduction rate accepted from the company's own user terminal 100, and can calculate the target reduction amount by reading the emission amount corresponding to the company ID and the base point indicating the other business entity from the emission storage unit and multiplying it by the reduction rate received from the user terminal 100 of the other business entity, and can sum the target reduction amount for each scope and/or category.

The management server 200 calculates the reduction amount per unit time by dividing the target reduction amount by the number of unit times (e.g., years) from the base point in time to the target point in time (S405), and can calculate the target emission amount per unit time by subtracting the accumulated reduction amount from the emission amount at the base point in time (S405).

The management server 200 can output the emission amount and the target emission amount in association with each other for a unit time (year) for which an emission amount is registered in the emission amount storage unit (S406). The management server 200 can output only the target emission amount for a unit time (year) for which an emission amount is not registered. Note that the management server 200 may output the reduction amount and emission amount (if registered) per unit time instead of the target emission amount.

Figure 5 is a diagram explaining the process (operation 2) of outputting the amount of emissions reduced by the solution.

The management server 200 accepts the designation of a solution (S501), reads out the reduction information corresponding to the accepted solution and the company's industry from the solution storage unit, and calculates the reduction amount (expected reduction amount) expected by the introduction of the solution based on the read reduction information and the emission amount at the reference time (S502). The management server 200 calculates the expected reduction amount per unit time by dividing the expected reduction amount by the number of unit times (e.g. years) from the reference time to the target time (S503), and calculates the emission amount (expected emission amount) expected by the introduction of the solution per unit time by subtracting the accumulated expected reduction amount per unit time from the emission amount at the reference time (S504). The management server 200 can output the expected emission amount in association with the emission amount and the target emission amount for unit times (years) for which the emission amount is registered in the emission storage unit (S505). The management server 200 can output the target emission amount and the expected emission amount in association with each other for unit times (years) for which the emission amount is not registered. Note that the management server 200 may output the expected reduction amount and emission amount (if registered) per unit time instead of the expected emission amount.

The calculation unit 210, input unit 220, and output unit 240 of the management server 200 may be executed by a system (mechanical system) with artificial intelligence that can learn by itself.

<Disclosures>
The first function also includes the following configuration.
[Item A1 (P025)]
an input unit that accepts input of a reduction target rate of the emissions by the business entity, a base point in time, and a target point in time; a unit reduction amount calculation unit that acquires the emissions corresponding to the base point in time from the emission memory unit, calculates a reduction amount by multiplying the acquired emissions by the reduction target rate, and calculates a unit reduction amount by dividing the calculated reduction amount by the number of unit times from the base point in time to the target point in time; a target emission calculation unit that calculates a target emission amount for each unit time by subtracting a cumulative unit reduction amount from the emission amount corresponding to the base point in time; and an output unit that outputs the target emission amount for each unit time.
[Item A2]
The information processing system described in item A1, wherein the emission amount memory unit stores a first direct emission amount by the business entity, a second indirect emission amount by the business entity, and a third emission amount by other business entities located upstream or downstream in the supply chain of the business entity, the input unit accepts first to third reduction target rates for each of the first to third emissions, the unit reduction amount calculation unit calculates first to third unit reduction amounts for each of the first to third emissions, the target emission amount calculation unit calculates the target emission amount per unit time for each of the first to third emissions, and the output unit outputs the target emission amount for each of the first to third emissions.
[Item A3]
The information processing system described in item A2, wherein the emission memory unit stores a fourth emission amount by category for the third emission amount related to the other business operator, the input unit accepts the fourth reduction target rate by category for the third emission amount, the unit reduction amount calculation unit calculates the fourth unit reduction amount by category for the third emission amount, the target emission amount calculation unit calculates the fourth target emission amount by category for the third emission amount per unit time, and the output unit outputs the fourth target emission amount by category for the third emission amount.
[Item A4]
The information processing system according to item A2, wherein the input unit receives the third reduction target ratio from the other business operator.
[Item A5]
The information processing system according to item A4, wherein the input unit transmits a message to the other business operator instructing the other business operator to input the third reduction target ratio, and accepts the third reduction target ratio input from the other business operator in response to the message.
[Item A6]
The information processing system according to item A1, further comprising: a solution storage unit that stores information for identifying a solution that realizes the reduction of the emission amount and reduction information for calculating an amount of reduction in the emission power that can be reduced by the solution, wherein the output unit accepts designation of the solution, reads out the reduction information corresponding to the designated solution from the solution storage unit, calculates the amount of reduction in the emission amount based on the read reduction information, and outputs a value obtained by subtracting the reduction amount from the emission amount.

<<Goal setting suggestion function (second function)>>
Next, although some of the above has been explained in the embodiment of the first function, an example of a configuration that can be further applied to the embodiment of the first function described above is described in detail below as an embodiment of the second function. In the embodiment of the second function, support is provided for formulating reduction targets for emissions, particularly those related to Scope 3 of the GHG Protocol. Scope 3 emissions are greenhouse gas emissions by business entities (hereinafter referred to as suppliers) that constitute the upstream and/or downstream of the supply chain related to the business entity that wishes to calculate emissions. An information processing system equipped with the second function imports the reduction targets of suppliers and proposes them as candidates for the company's own reduction targets for emissions related to Scope 3.

An example of the software configuration of the management server 200 in the second function will be described with reference to FIG. 3. The management server 200 includes a memory unit 230 (emission amount memory unit, target memory unit), an acquisition unit 250 (target acquisition unit), an estimation unit 270, and a calculation unit 210 (reduction rate calculation unit).

The emission amount memory unit constituting the memory unit 230 stores information identifying the amount of greenhouse gas emissions for each supplier. In an embodiment of the second function, the emission amount memory unit stores the amount of activity and the emission intensity as information identifying the amount of emissions, but it may also store the amount of emissions itself. The emission amount memory unit can store a company ID indicating the supplier, time information, information for identifying an activity by the supplier (activity content), the amount of activity and the emission intensity related to the activity. The time information may be, for example, a year. The time information may also be the year/month, the year/month/day, etc.

The emissions memory unit can further store information identifying the company's direct and indirect emissions (emissions related to Scope 1 and 2). The emissions memory unit may store the emissions themselves as information identifying the company's emissions related to Scope 1 and 2, or may store the amount of activity and an emissions coefficient.

The target memory unit constituting the memory unit 230 stores a target reduction rate for each supplier. The target reduction rate is a target set by the supplier and is a ratio to the supplier's emissions in a base year. The target memory unit stores the base point in time, the target point in time, and the reduction rate in association with a company ID that identifies the supplier and activity content that identifies the activity by the supplier. The base point in time and the target point in time may be specified by year, or may be specified by year/month, date, date and time, for example.

The target acquisition unit constituting the acquisition unit 250 acquires the target reduction rate from the supplier. The target acquisition unit can, for example, send a request to the supplier's user and receive the target reduction rate from the supplier's user terminal 100. The target acquisition unit may acquire the target reduction rate from a server on which the target reduction rate is managed, or may acquire the target reduction rate disclosed by the supplier from, for example, the supplier's web page or a newspaper's web page. The target acquisition unit can acquire the activity content, base year, target year, and reduction rate. The target acquisition unit can register the acquired target reduction rate in the target memory unit.

The target acquisition unit can also acquire the target reduction rate (company reduction rate) related to the company's emissions. The target acquisition unit can receive the company reduction rate from the user terminal 100.

The estimation unit 270 estimates future emissions for each supplier. The estimation unit 270 can multiply the supplier's emissions at the base point in time (the value obtained by multiplying the amount of activity by the emissions intensity) by the target reduction rate to calculate the emissions at the target point in time.

For a supplier for which the target reduction rate could not be obtained, the estimation unit 270 can estimate future emissions by using the statistical value of the target reduction rate stored in the target memory unit as the target reduction rate for that supplier. For example, the estimation unit 270 can use the average of the target reduction rates of all suppliers as the target reduction rate for a supplier for which the target reduction rate could not be obtained.

The reduction rate calculation unit, which is one of the calculation units 210, calculates a target reduction rate for emissions related to Scope 3. The reduction rate calculation unit can calculate a reduction rate (the ratio of the value obtained by subtracting the second total from the first total) by comparing a first total of future emissions estimated for each supplier with a second total of emissions for each supplier at the base time. The reduction rate calculation unit can similarly calculate reduction rates for each category of Scope 3.

The reduction rate calculation unit can also calculate the reduction rate (carbon footprint: CFP reduction rate) for the total of scopes 1 to 3. The reduction rate calculation unit can calculate the future emissions (at the target time) for the company based on the company's emissions and the company's reduction rate, calculate a first total value of the emissions for the company and its suppliers at the target time and a second total value of the emissions for the company and its suppliers at the base time, and calculate the ratio of the difference between the first and second total values to the second total value as the reduction rate for scopes 1 to 3.

<Operation>
FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the process (operation 3) of outputting a reduction target.

The management server 200 acquires a reduction target (reduction rate from a reference time point to a target time point) from a supplier (S601). The management server 200 can, for example, send a request to the supplier's user and receive the reduction target from the user terminal 100 of the supplier's user. The management server 200 acquires the emissions at the reference time point related to the supplier's activities from the emissions storage unit, and calculates the reduction target amount up to the target time point by multiplying the acquired emissions by the reduction rate (S602). The management server 200 calculates the reduction target amount related to Scope 3 by adding up the reduction target amounts calculated for each supplier (S603). Note that, for a supplier for which the management server 200 was unable to acquire a reduction target, the reduction target amount can be calculated using the statistics of the reduction targets (such as the average reduction rate) of other suppliers in Scope 3 or other suppliers in the same category in Scope 3.

The management server 200 can calculate the total of the supplier's emissions at the reference point in time (i.e., the scope 3 emissions at the reference point in time) and calculate the ratio of the scope 3 reduction target amount to the total value as the scope 3 target reduction rate (S604).

The management server 200 acquires the reduction targets for scopes 1 and 2 of the company (S605). The management server 200 can, for example, acquire the reduction targets of the company and calculate the reduction target amount up to the target point in time by multiplying the company's emissions at the base point in time by the reduction rate. The reduction targets of the company can be acquired by, for example, sending a request to the company's user and receiving the reduction targets from the user terminal 100 of the company's user.

The management server 200 obtains the company's emissions related to scopes 1 and 2 from the emissions memory unit, and multiplies the obtained emissions (total) by the reduction rate to calculate the reduction target amounts for scopes 1 and 2 up to the target time (S606).

The management server 200 sums up the reduction target amounts for scopes 1-3 (S607), calculates the total emissions related to scopes 1-3 at the reference point in time from the emissions storage unit, and calculates the ratio of the total reduction target amounts for scopes 1-3 to the calculated emissions for scopes 1-3 at the reference point in time as the company's target reduction rate (S608).

The management server 200 can output the reduction target (target reduction rate) for scope 3 and the reduction target (target reduction rate) for scopes 1-3 (carbon footprint; CFP) (S609).

In this way, the information processing system of the second function can automatically calculate the company's Scope 3 reduction target and its carbon footprint reduction target based on the reduction targets collected from suppliers.

The calculation unit 210, acquisition unit 250, and estimation unit 270 of the management server 200 may be executed by a system (mechanical system) with artificial intelligence that can learn by itself.

<Disclosures>
The second function also includes the following configuration.
[Item B1 (P032)]
an information processing system comprising: a target acquisition unit that acquires target reduction rates of greenhouse gases from multiple business entities that are upstream or downstream in a supply chain; an emission memory unit that stores information identifying the greenhouse gas emissions of each of the business entities at a base point in time; an estimation unit that estimates future emissions for each of the business entities by multiplying the emissions by the target reduction rate; and a calculation unit that calculates the target reduction rate of emissions for all of the business entities by comparing a total value of the future emissions estimated for each of the business entities with a total value of the emissions for each of the business entities at the base point in time.
[Item B2]
An information processing system according to item B1, wherein the emission amount memory unit further stores information identifying the first emission amount by the business entity, as well as information identifying direct and indirect second emission amounts by the company; the target acquisition unit acquires a company reduction rate related to the second emission amount; and the calculation unit estimates the future third emission amount for the business entity, calculates a future fourth emission amount for the company based on the second emission amount and the company reduction rate, and calculates a target reduction rate for the company based on a value corresponding to the sum of the third and fourth emission amounts and a value corresponding to the sum of the first and second emission amounts.
[Item B3]
The information processing system according to item B1, further comprising a target memory unit that stores the target reduction rate for each of the business entities, and the estimation unit estimates the future emissions for a business entity for which the target reduction rate could not be obtained, using a statistical value of the target reduction rate stored in the target memory unit as the target reduction rate for that business entity.

<<Function for generating and presenting various types of information (third function)>>
Next, although some of the above-mentioned embodiments have been described in detail, an example of a configuration that can be further applied to the above-mentioned embodiments of the first and second functions is set as an embodiment of the third function, which will be described in detail below. P030, P044, P045, P047, P052, P054, P063, and P064.

An example of the software configuration of the management server 200 in the third function will be described using FIG. 3. Note that the illustrated configuration is an example, and other configurations may be used. The management server 200 includes a memory unit 230 (emission coefficient memory unit, scale information memory unit), an acquisition unit 250 (activity amount acquisition unit, information acquisition unit), a calculation unit 210 (emission amount calculation unit), an output unit 240 (information presentation unit, emission coefficient presentation unit), a generation unit 260 (information generation unit, information conversion unit), and an input unit 220 (information input unit).

The emission coefficient memory unit constituting the memory unit 230 stores, for each business entity, an emission coefficient for calculating the greenhouse gas emissions by that business entity. The emission coefficient memory unit can store emission coefficients in association with information (activity details) that identifies the business entity and the activities by the business entity. The emission coefficient memory unit can also store the company's own emission coefficient.

The scale information storage unit constituting the storage unit 230 stores scale information indicating the scale of the business entity for each business entity. In this embodiment, the scale of the business entity is at least one of the sales scale and the asset scale. The sales scale and the asset scale may be numerical values. In this embodiment, the scale information includes the sales amount and the asset amount of the business entity in association with the business entity ID indicating the business entity. The scale information storage unit stores first information and second information, which will be described later. The first information and the second information may be combined as total information, and this total information may be stored in the scale information storage unit. Note that the first information and the second information may be stored using a storage unit other than the scale information storage unit.

The activity amount acquisition unit constituting the acquisition unit 250 acquires the activity amount of the business entity. The activity amount acquisition unit can accept input of the activity amount of the company. In addition, the activity amount acquisition unit can acquire the activity amount of the company from the company's accounting system, business system, etc.

The activity amount acquisition unit can also acquire the amount of activity by a first business entity (supplier) that is upstream or downstream in the supply chain. The activity amount acquisition unit may, for example, accept an input of the amount of activity, or may acquire the amount of activity from an information processing device of the supplier.

The emission calculation unit constituting the calculation unit 210 calculates the greenhouse gas emission amount. The emission calculation unit may calculate the emission amount of the company itself. The emission calculation unit can also calculate the emission amount of a supplier. The emission calculation unit can calculate the emission amount of a supplier by reading the emission coefficient corresponding to the supplier from the emission coefficient storage unit and multiplying the activity amount of the supplier acquired by the activity amount acquisition unit by the read emission coefficient.

The emission coefficient presentation unit constituting the output unit 240 presents the emission coefficients of other business entities similar to the supplier when the supplier's emissions are not registered. The emission coefficient presentation unit transmits the presented emission coefficient to the user terminal 100, and can receive instructions from the user terminal 100 on the emission coefficient to be adopted. The user terminal 100 can adopt the presented emission coefficient, can input an emission coefficient that the user terminal 100 knows, or can adopt a standard emission coefficient provided by the Ministry of the Environment or the like. The emission calculation unit can calculate the emission amount using the emission coefficient instructed by the user terminal 100.

The emission coefficient presentation unit constituting the output unit 240 reads out scale information corresponding to the supplier from the scale information storage unit, and further refers to the scale information storage unit to identify a second business entity (another supplier) corresponding to scale information that matches or is similar to the read out scale information, and reads out an emission coefficient corresponding to the identified other supplier from the emission coefficient storage unit. The similarity of the scale information can be determined by whether or not the difference in sales and/or asset amount is within a predetermined range. The emission coefficient presentation unit may read out an emission coefficient corresponding to the identified other supplier and activity from the emission coefficient storage unit. The emission coefficient presentation unit can present the read out emission coefficient. The second business entity is one or more other suppliers.

The emission coefficient presentation unit may identify other suppliers with similar scale information related to the activity. In this case, the scale information stored in the scale information storage unit includes sales and/or asset amounts by activity (e.g., by product, service, etc.). The emission coefficient presentation unit can read out from the emission coefficient storage unit other suppliers with the same or similar scale information related to the activity and the emission coefficient corresponding to the activity.

The information acquisition unit constituting the acquisition unit 250 acquires the first information and the second information. The first information is information including at least information related to greenhouse gas emissions by business entities constituting the upstream or downstream of the supply chain. The first information is, for example, a report containing information related to emissions (hereinafter, an emission report), a group of information showing multiple external findings, etc. The first information is also referred to as emission information. Examples of the emission report include a TCFD report, a CDP report (a response to a CDP questionnaire), a sustainability report, and a periodic report based on the Energy Conservation Act, but may be other reports such as a securities report. The information related to greenhouse gas emissions is, for example, information showing the amount of emissions, information on the contents to be described in the emission report, information showing internal or external findings, etc.

The second information is information that indicates at least the attributes of the business entity (supplier). The second information includes, for example, scale information, attribute information of each supplier, information on business type, greenhouse gas emission registration information, information on future targets, industry information as attribute information of suppliers, industry trend information, customer information, information mapping accounting items and emission intensity, information on guidelines related to the GHG protocol, information on internal and external knowledge such as mapping information of accounting items and emission coefficients accumulated in the past, and various other information. The second information may be a variable.

The method of the information acquisition unit acquiring this information includes a method of acquiring information input from one or more user terminals 100 and a method of the management server 200 acquiring information. In the case of the method of acquisition by the management server 200, the size information of the second business entity and information related to emissions are acquired based on the attribute information corresponding to the first business entity. For example, if the attribute information corresponding to the first business entity is transportation, the size information of the second business entity, which is transportation information, and information related to emissions are acquired. The information related to emissions (also referred to as information on types of emissions) is, for example, information on greenhouse gas emissions, information indicating scopes 1 to 3, information indicating categories 1 to 15 of scope 3, etc. The information acquisition unit and the activity amount acquisition unit may be a single acquisition unit rather than separate acquisition units. Furthermore, the information related to emissions may be information on the contents to be described in an emission report, etc.

The information generating unit constituting the generating unit 260 reads out second information (e.g., transportation information, which is the attribute information of the company) corresponding to the first business entity from the scale information storage unit, refers to the scale information storage unit, identifies a second business entity (e.g., another transportation supplier) corresponding to the second information that matches or is similar to the read out second information, reads out information related to emissions (e.g., information on the contents to be described in the TCFD report) corresponding to the identified second business entity from the scale information storage unit, and generates third information (e.g., a TCFD report reflecting the review results or a new TCFD report) different from the first information and the second information based on the read out information related to emissions. The third information is information that reflects the contents to be described in the emission report of the second business entity. In other words, the third information is information created based on the emission reports of other suppliers, and the management server 200 stores the emission reports of multiple other suppliers and generates the third information based on this information. In detail, the emission reports of multiple other suppliers are analyzed by the generating unit 260, and the third information is generated based on the analysis results. In addition, an analysis unit 280 as a function different from the generation unit 260 may be provided separately from the generation unit 260, and the analysis unit 280 may analyze the emission reports of multiple other suppliers, and the generation unit 260 may generate the third information based on the analysis results of the analysis unit 280. The subject of the analysis is not limited to the emission reports of other suppliers. Emissions and carbon taxes in the embodiment of the fourth function may be analyzed to present future emissions and carbon taxes. The third information to be generated may be the emission report itself, and in this case, the information generation unit creates a new emission report. Furthermore, the third information may be information on the emission amount of the second business entity, information indicating scopes 1 to 3, information suggesting categories 1 to 15 of scope 3, etc.

The information generating unit may also read information corresponding to the first business entity (e.g., information on a question) from the scale information storage unit, refer to the scale information storage unit, identify a second business entity (e.g., another supplier) corresponding to second information that matches or is similar to the read information corresponding to the first business entity, read information related to emissions corresponding to the identified second business entity (e.g., information on external knowledge) from the scale information storage unit, and generate third information (e.g., information on a response to a question) different from the first information and the second information based on the read information related to emissions. Note that the information generating unit may also read out combined information (e.g., information combining internal knowledge and external knowledge) that combines information related to emissions corresponding to the identified second business entity with information related to emissions corresponding to the first business entity from the scale information storage unit, and generate third information (e.g., information on a response to a question) different from the first information and the second information based on the read information related to emissions. The third information is information of an answer to a question, such as information indicating a scope, information indicating a category, information indicating a reason, etc. Furthermore, the third information may be information of a suggestion to the question. Furthermore, the third information may be an answer to the question and a suggestion to the question.

The information corresponding to the first business entity may be, for example, information in which a user maps the scope and/or category for accounting items and the emission coefficient. In this case, the information generating unit reads out information corresponding to the first business entity (e.g., information in which the scope and/or category for accounting items and the emission coefficient are mapped) from the scale information storage unit, refers to the scale information storage unit, identifies a second business entity (e.g., another supplier) corresponding to second information that matches or is similar to the read information corresponding to the first business entity, reads out information related to emissions (e.g., information on external knowledge) corresponding to the identified second business entity from the scale information storage unit, and generates third information (e.g., knowledge on the mapped information) different from the first information and the second information based on the read information related to emissions. The third information is information in which accounting items and emission units are mapped, information in which scope and/or category are mapped and the emission coefficient, etc.

The information conversion unit constituting the generation unit 260 converts unit information (e.g., kilowatts) in a certain type of emission report (first information) into unit information (e.g., gigajoules) in another type of emission report (third information). When the information conversion unit determines that the type of emission report as the first information is different from the type of emission report as the third information, it executes a process to convert the unit information, but when the converted unit information is specified by the user, it may execute a process to set the specified unit information. When the unit information is specified by the user in this way, the information presentation unit described later presents (notifies) the user that the specified unit information does not match the third information. In this case, the information presentation unit presents unit information that matches the third information. Then, when the user instructs that he or she wants to convert to the presented unit information, the information conversion unit converts to unit information corresponding to the third information. Note that an example has been shown in which the information conversion unit judges whether the types of emission reports are different, but an information judgment unit different from the information conversion unit may be provided to make the judgment. The information determination unit constitutes the generation unit 260, but may also constitute a determination unit or the like different from the generation unit 260. The unit information may be currency unit information, such as from yen to dollars.

The information presentation unit presents the third information. The information presentation unit transmits the third information to be presented to the user terminal 100, and displays the third information on the user terminal 100. The third information transmitted to the user terminal 100 can be edited and processed on the user terminal 100. The information presentation unit is described as having a different function from the emission coefficient presentation unit, but may have the same function, in which case it is referred to as the presentation unit.

The information input unit inputs information corresponding to the first business entity input from the user terminal 100 to the management server 200. The management server 200 acquires the input information corresponding to the first business entity by the information acquisition unit. The information corresponding to the first business entity is, for example, information regarding an inquiry such as a question.

In addition, when the user inputs information on an emission report created by the user's company to the management server 200 via the user terminal 100, a review result (third information) may be displayed. In this case, the emission report created by the user's company is the first information. It is also preferable that the emission report created by the user's company includes the second information. The management server 200 generates a review result, which is information on the items to be described that are necessary for the user's emission report and information on the contents to be added or corrected in the emission report, based on the emission reports of multiple other suppliers that have been acquired, and presents an emission report that reflects the review result. The method of inputting the emission report information to the management server 200 may be to input character information via OCR using the input unit 220. In this way, multiple types of emission reports can be easily acquired.

When inputting information for the emission report into the management server 200, the information recorded on the vehicle inspection certificate may be input as text information by the input unit 220 as text information to be read by OCR. The information written on the vehicle inspection certificate includes the vehicle registration number, registration date/issuance date, initial registration date, vehicle type, purpose (passenger or cargo type, second information), personal or business use (personal or business type, second information), vehicle shape (van, station wagon, etc., second information), vehicle name, passenger capacity, maximum load, vehicle weight, total vehicle weight, vehicle number, length, width, height, front axle load, front and rear axle load, rear axle load, model, engine model, total displacement or rated output (combined with engine model to form first information), type of fuel (gasoline, diesel, etc., first information), model designation number, classification number, vehicle ID, owner's name or title, owner's address, user's name or title, user's address, expiration date, etc. These pieces of information can be imported into the vehicle master of the information processing system. The vehicle master data can be automatically imported by matching vehicle master data items with vehicle inspection certificate data items. By inputting vehicle inspection certificate data in this way, it can be easily imported as vehicle master data into the information processing system. The vehicle master data can be output to logistics companies, who can use this vehicle master data within the logistics company as a vehicle management ledger.

When the information on the vehicle inspection certificate is inputted by OCR, an information processing system having the following configuration, an information processing method executed by a computer, and a program for causing the computer to execute the information processing system can be provided (P060). The information processing system includes: first information including at least information related to greenhouse gas emissions by business entities that constitute the upstream or downstream of the supply chain (e.g., information on emissions and information on gasoline or diesel as the type of fuel); an acquisition unit that acquires at least second information indicating the attributes of the business entities (e.g., information on personal use or business use as information on the vehicle inspection certificate); an information setting unit (information generation unit that generates information) that sets third information (e.g., emission intensity) based on information related to the emissions of the second business entity that matches or is similar to the second information corresponding to the first business entity; and a presentation unit that presents the third information. In the case of a logistics business entity consisting of a primary contractor and a subcontractor, the emission intensity as the third information is the emission intensity reported by the subcontractor to the primary contractor. The information setting unit constitutes the generation unit 260. Instead of the information setting unit, the information generating unit may generate the third information, or the information identifying unit may identify the third information. Even if the information identifying unit identifies the third information, it is preferable that the identified information be presented by the presenting unit.

When the acquisition unit 250 acquires an emission report or when the first information is an emission report, it is preferable that the information setting unit sets an emission unit based on the type of emission report.

The information recorded on the vehicle inspection certificate may be added to the vehicle inspection certificate in the form of a barcode, QR code (registered trademark), or IC tag. In the case of a barcode, QR code (registered trademark), or IC tag, it is preferable to read it using the user terminal 100 and input the information using the input unit 220.

In addition, when an IC tag is used, the IC tag is read at the start (time) of the trip and the end (time) of the trip when calculating the trip record, and this information is input by the input unit 220, so that the trip record can be stored (registered) in the storage unit 230. The calculation unit 210 can calculate the greenhouse gas emissions using the trip record. Note that the trip record can also be used as a transportation record by a user such as a logistics company. When a user such as a logistics company uses the trip record as a transportation record, the information identification unit can identify the emissions based on specific information such as shipper information and cargo information (name of the cargo to be transported or delivered). For example, the original receiving company can search for specific information indicating shipper A or shipper B as shipper information, and the emission amount per shipper for shipper A or shipper B can be identified and presented as a search result. The information identification unit can identify the shipper from the shipper information such as the owner's name or title, the owner's address, the user's name or title, and the user's address in the vehicle master.

When the user inputs information such as receipts and quotations acquired by the user to the management server 200 via the user terminal 100, an emission coefficient (third information) may be displayed. The identification of the emission coefficient will be described later in the ninth function. In this case, the acquired information such as receipts and quotations is the first information. It is preferable that the acquired information such as receipts and quotations includes the second information. The management server 200 classifies the acquired multiple receipts and quotations into items such as material costs, transportation costs, and labor costs, identifies the emission coefficients corresponding to the classified items, and presents the emission coefficients. The method of inputting information such as receipts and quotations to the management server 200 may be to input character information via OCR via the input unit 220. In this way, multiple types of information such as receipts and quotations can be easily acquired.

When information such as receipts and quotations is input using OCR, an information processing system having the following configuration, an information processing method executed by a computer, and a program for causing a computer to execute the information processing system can be provided. The information processing system has an acquisition unit that acquires first information (e.g., information such as receipts and quotations) including at least information related to greenhouse gas emissions by business entities that are upstream or downstream of the supply chain, and second information (e.g., information on items such as material costs, transportation costs, and labor costs) that indicates at least the attributes of the business entities, an information setting unit (information generation unit that generates) that sets third information (e.g., an emission coefficient) based on information related to the emissions of a second business entity that matches or is similar to the second information corresponding to the first business entity, and a presentation unit that presents the third information.

<Operation>
FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining the process (operation 4) of presenting the emission coefficient of the information processing system.

For each activity for which emissions are to be calculated (e.g., each of the raw materials procured by the company), the management server 200 acquires the activity amount of the corresponding supplier related to that activity (S701). For example, the management server 200 may send a request to the supplier and receive the activity amount from the supplier's user terminal 100, or may receive the activity amount from the company's user terminal 100, or may acquire the activity amount from the supplier's business system, etc. The management server 200 acquires the emission coefficient corresponding to the supplier and the activity from the emission coefficient storage unit (S702).

If the emission coefficient cannot be acquired (S703: NO), the management server 200 reads out the scale information corresponding to the supplier from the scale information storage unit (S704). The management server 200 may acquire the scale information (sales and/or asset amount) related to the supplier and the activity corresponding to the activity. The management server 200 identifies other suppliers similar to the acquired scale information from the scale information storage unit (S705), and reads out the emission coefficients corresponding to the other suppliers and activities from the emission coefficient storage unit (S706). If the emission coefficients corresponding to the other suppliers and activities are not registered, the management server 200 can repeat the process from S705. The management server 200 transmits the read out emission coefficients to the user terminal 100 (S707), and accepts the designation of the emission coefficient to be used from the user terminal 100 (S708).

The management server 200 can calculate the amount of emissions by multiplying the emission coefficient and the amount of activity (S709).

In this way, for suppliers whose emission coefficients are unknown, the emission coefficients of other suppliers of a similar scale can be presented to the user. Users can use the emission coefficients of other similar suppliers related to their own company, instead of secondary data.

In the embodiment of the third function, other suppliers with similar scale information to the supplier are identified, but other suppliers whose industry is the same or similar to that of the supplier and whose scale (sales, asset value) is the same or similar to that of the supplier may also be identified. In this case, the scale information may include the industry of the business entity, or an industry storage unit may be provided that stores the industry of the business entity.

Figure 8 is a diagram explaining process 1 (operation 5) of generating and presenting the third information.

The management server 200 acquires first information including at least information related to greenhouse gas emissions by business entities that constitute the upstream or downstream of the supply chain for each activity for which emissions are to be calculated (for example, each of the raw materials procured by the company) (S801). The management server 200 also acquires second information indicating at least the attributes of the business entities (S802). Next, the management server 200 stores the acquired first information and second information in the scale information storage unit (S803). Next, the management server 200 reads out second information corresponding to the first business entity from the scale information storage unit (S804). Next, the management server 200 refers to the scale information storage unit to identify a second business entity that corresponds to second information that is identical or similar to the read out second information (S805). Next, the management server 200 reads out information related to emissions corresponding to the identified second business entity from the scale information storage unit, and generates third information based on the read out information related to emissions (S806). Next, the management server 200 presents the third information (S807).

In operation 5, the management server 200 may calculate information related to greenhouse gas emissions by business entities that are upstream or downstream in the supply chain. This calculation is performed by the emission calculation unit. Operation 4 and operation 5 may also be combined.

An increasing number of companies are disclosing information related to greenhouse gas emissions. Specialized knowledge and know-how are required to prepare an emissions report, but businesses that do not possess these (particularly small and medium-sized enterprises) often do not know what type of information to compile or what to include when preparing an emissions report, and are forced to rely on consultants who are knowledgeable in this field. Also, while it is possible for a company to prepare its own emissions report by referencing emissions reports disclosed by other companies in the same industry, there is the problem that it takes a great deal of time to aggregate and organize the information that the company needs from the referenced emissions reports.

According to operation 5 (P044), an information processing system can be provided that includes: first information (e.g., a TCFD report) including information related to greenhouse gas emissions by business entities constituting the upstream or downstream of the supply chain (e.g., information on the contents to be described in a TCFD report); an acquisition unit that acquires second information indicating attributes of the business entities (e.g., transportation information as attribute information of a supplier); an information generation unit that generates third information (e.g., a new TCFD report, a TCFD report reflecting review results) based on information related to emissions of a second business entity (another supplier) that matches or is similar to the second information (transportation information) corresponding to the first business entity; and a presentation unit that presents the third information. Note that the first information and the third information are not limited to the same type of report, and may be different types of reports. For example, a securities report may be the first information, and a CDP report may be the third information. In this way, a report different from a certain type of report can be easily created from a certain type of report.

In this way, by simply inputting the prerequisites such as the first information and the second information, an emission report format suited to the user is provided, so even businesses without specialized knowledge or know-how can easily create emission reports. In addition, the information processing system reviews the reports based on many published emission reports, which can improve the accuracy of emission reports created in-house.

According to operation 5 (P063), an information processing system can be provided that includes: first information (e.g., CDP report) including information related to greenhouse gas emissions by business entities constituting the upstream or downstream of the supply chain (e.g., information on the contents to be included in the CDP report); an acquisition unit that acquires second information indicating the attributes of the business entities (e.g., company information such as industry, sales, and number of employees as attribute information of the supplier); an information generation unit that generates third information (e.g., a new CDP report, a CDP report reflecting the review results) based on information related to emissions of a second business entity (other supplier) that matches or is similar to the second information (company information) corresponding to the first business entity (e.g., information on the contents to be included in a highly rated CDP report); and a presentation unit that presents the third information. The information processing system also includes an input unit that inputs instruction information (e.g., information on questions, instruction information for the information generation unit), and an information generation unit that generates new information (e.g., answers to questions, questionnaires, new email addresses, codes) based on the instruction information. The analysis unit 280 may be provided to perform evaluation of the CDP reports acquired by the acquisition unit 250 and acquire reports with high scores. The scores of the previous year may be referred to and analyzed to sort the reports in descending order of score, and the top 10 (not limited to the top 10) reports may be acquired, or the scores of multiple years, such as the previous year and the year before last, may be referred to and analyzed to acquire the top 10 reports with the highest average scores, or when the scores of multiple years are referred to and analyzed, the latest scores may be used preferentially. The analysis unit 280 may also machine-learn the information acquired by the acquisition unit 250 to generate the best answer. In this way, the top CDP reports of the industry indicated by the attributes are analyzed and presented, so that it is possible to create an emission report (for example, a CDP report) with a high score, and it can also be used for climate change strategies, etc. After the CDP report is submitted once a year, the submitted CDP report may be automatically acquired and machine-learned. In addition, the CDP report may be acquired by a user using the user terminal 100 to specify the CDP report to be individually referenced.

Figure 9 is a diagram explaining process 2 (operation 6) of generating and presenting the third information.

The management server 200 acquires first information including at least information related to greenhouse gas emissions by business entities that constitute the upstream or downstream of the supply chain for each activity for which emissions are to be calculated (e.g., each of the raw materials procured by the company) (S901). The management server 200 also acquires second information indicating at least the attributes of the business entities (S902). Next, the management server 200 stores the acquired first information and second information in the scale information storage unit (S903). Next, the management server 200 reads out the second information corresponding to the first business entity from the scale information storage unit (S904). Next, the management server 200 acquires information corresponding to the first business entity (S905). Acquiring information corresponding to the first business entity means storing information corresponding to the first business entity input from the user terminal 100 in a storage unit (e.g., a scale information storage unit) and acquiring the stored information by reading it out. Next, the management server 200 refers to the scale information storage unit to identify a second business entity that corresponds to the second information that is identical or similar to the read first business entity (S906). Next, the management server 200 reads out information related to emissions that corresponds to the identified second business entity from the scale information storage unit, and generates third information based on the read out information related to emissions (S907). Next, the management server 200 presents the third information (S908).

In operation 6, the management server 200 may calculate information related to greenhouse gas emissions by business entities that are upstream or downstream in the supply chain. This calculation is performed by the emission calculation unit. Operation 6 may also be combined with operations 4 and 2.

Companies are using FAQs and chatbots as a way to reduce the amount of work required to respond to customer questions (inquiries). However, because conventional FAQs and chatbots can only respond with pre-defined patterns, they may not be able to elicit the answers or solutions that the questioner is truly looking for.

According to operation 6 (P045), an information processing system can be provided that includes an acquisition unit that acquires first information (e.g., group information of internal knowledge) including at least information (e.g., internal knowledge) related to greenhouse gas emissions by multiple business entities constituting the upstream or downstream of the supply chain, and second information (e.g., information of external knowledge such as customer information) indicating at least the attributes of the business entities, a storage unit (e.g., a scale information storage unit) that stores the acquired first information and second information, an input unit that inputs information corresponding to the first business entity (e.g., information of a question), an information generation unit that generates third information (e.g., information of an answer to a question) based on information related to emissions by a second business entity (other supplier) that matches or is similar to the information corresponding to the first business entity, and a presentation unit that presents the third information. The input unit includes a voice input unit that enables voice input by a microphone or the like. The voice input unit starts voice input based on detecting the pressing of a button to start voice input. After starting voice input, the voice input unit ends the voice input based on detecting another press of the voice input start button. Note that voice input may also be ended based on detecting a press of the voice input end button. Voice input may also be ended based on an interruption in the voice, or based on the passage of a predetermined time from the start of voice input. Information input from the voice input unit is acquired by the acquisition unit and stored in the storage unit.

According to operation 6 (P047), an information processing system can be provided that includes an acquisition unit that acquires emission information (e.g., group information of information indicating scope) including at least type information (e.g., information indicating scope) regarding greenhouse gas emissions by business entities that are upstream or downstream of the supply chain, a storage unit (e.g., scale information storage unit) that stores the acquired emission information, an input unit that inputs information corresponding to the first business entity (e.g., question information), an information generation unit that generates type information corresponding to the first business entity based on type information regarding emissions that matches or is similar to the information corresponding to the first business entity (e.g., information indicating the scope, information indicating the category, and information on the reason) and a presentation unit that presents type information corresponding to the first business entity. Note that type information corresponding to the first business entity is also third information.

By combining publicly available external expert knowledge in this way with internal knowledge such as customer data accumulated within the company, it is possible to extract the answers and solutions that the customer asking the question is truly looking for, making it possible to automatically respond to inquiries with high accuracy.

In addition, the following issues have arisen. Under the Energy Conservation Act, companies and organizations designated as specific businesses are required to submit regular reports on their energy usage, etc. In addition to these regular reports, CDP (an international environmental non-profit organization) requires companies and organizations to disclose information on their environmental impact, and companies and organizations voluntarily respond to the "CDP Environmental Questionnaire" to demonstrate to the public that they are responding to the disclosure of climate change-related information. Companies and organizations report their energy usage, etc. to the public by submitting regular reports under the Energy Conservation Act and responding to the CDP questionnaire. However, because the emission intensity (kilowatts) used in regular reports under the Energy Conservation Act and the emission intensity (gigajoules) used in responses to the CDP questionnaire are different, companies and organizations that are the reporting entities are required to convert the emission intensity of the calculated carbon dioxide emission data from that used in regular reports under the Energy Conservation Act to that used in the CDP questionnaire. The same is true for the work of converting the emission intensity units for CDP questionnaires into those for regular reports based on the Energy Conservation Act, and the work of converting the emission intensity units of one emission report into those of another. This means that companies and organizations that are the reporting entities have to spend a lot of time and effort converting into the emission intensity units for different emission reports.

According to operation 6 (P052), an information processing system can be provided that includes: first information (e.g., an emission report based on the Energy Conservation Act) including at least information related to greenhouse gas emissions by business entities that constitute the upstream or downstream of the supply chain; an acquisition unit that acquires second information indicating at least attributes of the business entities; an information generation unit that generates third information (e.g., a CDP report) based on information related to emissions by the second business entity that matches or is similar to the second information corresponding to the first business entity; an information conversion unit that converts unit information (e.g., kilowatts) in the first information into unit information (e.g., gigajoules) in the third information; and a presentation unit that presents the third information. Note that when the first information is a certain type of emission report (e.g., an emission report based on the Energy Conservation Act), the third information is preferably a different type of emission report (e.g., a CDP report) from the certain type, but the third information may also be a new emission report of a certain type (e.g., a new emission report based on the Energy Conservation Act).

In this way, the task of converting from an emission unit of one emission report to an emission unit of another emission report can be automated, making the task of converting emission units more efficient. In particular, the task of converting the emission unit of a kilowatt used in periodic reports based on the Energy Conservation Act to the emission unit of a gigajoule used in responses to CDP questionnaires can be automated, making it possible to more efficiently respond to CDP questionnaires.

Figure 10 is a diagram explaining process 3 (operation 7) of generating and presenting the third information (new information).

The management server 200 acquires emission information including at least information related to greenhouse gas emissions by business entities that constitute the upstream or downstream of the supply chain for each activity for which emissions are to be calculated (for example, each of the raw materials procured by the company) (S1001). The management server 200 also acquires second information indicating at least the attributes of the business entities (S1002). Next, the management server 200 stores the acquired emission information and the second information in the storage unit 230 (S1003). Next, the management server 200 determines whether or not instruction information has been input (S1004). The input of instruction information means that the user inputs instruction information from the user terminal 100. Examples of the input method are character input and voice input. If there is no instruction input (S1004: NO), the management server 200 loops the process of S1004 until instruction information is input. On the other hand, if there is (was) an instruction input (S1004: YES), the management server 200 acquires instruction information (S1005). The instruction information input in S1004 is stored in the storage unit 230, and in S1005, this stored information is read and acquired. Next, the management server 200 generates third information (new information) based on the instruction information (S1006). Next, the management server 200 presents the third information (S1007).

Operation 7 (P064) is an information processing system characterized by having an acquisition unit that acquires emission information (e.g., CDP report) including at least information related to greenhouse gas emissions by business entities that are upstream or downstream of the supply chain (e.g., information on the contents to be included in the CDP report), a memory unit that stores the acquired emission information, an input unit that inputs instruction information (information corresponding to the first business entity, e.g., question information, instruction information for the information generation unit), and an information generation unit that generates new information (e.g., questionnaire, new email address, code) based on the instruction information (information corresponding to the first business entity) (information related to emissions that matches or is similar to part of it).

For example, the generation unit (information generation unit) refers to and uses the acquired information on the content to be included in the CDP report based on the instruction information (Please create a questionnaire for Supplier A and Supplier B regarding the information to be included in the CDP report. The questionnaire content should be for obtaining information regarding ●●●, ▲▲▲, and XXX. Please send the created questionnaire to Supplier A and Supplier B on dd/mm/yyyy.), and generates a questionnaire (new information) to confirm the information to be included in the CDP report from that information. The generation unit generates new information based on information related to emissions (information on the content to be included in the CDP report) that matches or is similar to part of the instruction information (Please create a questionnaire for the information to be included in the CDP report). "Partly matches or is similar" indicates that part of the instruction information and part of the information to be included in the CDP report are the same or related.

Based on the instruction information (please register a new user with the user name C), the generation unit refers to and uses email address information (userA@zb.jp or userB@zb.jp) indicating user A already stored in the storage unit 230 as a reference, and generates a new email address (userC@zb.jp) from that information. The generation unit generates new information based on information stored in the storage unit 230 that matches or is similar to part of the instruction information (please register a new user with the user name C) (userA@zb.jp or userB@zb.jp as information related to discharge). "Matching or similar to part of" means that part of the instruction information and part of the user information stored in the storage unit 230 are the same or related. Here, an example is shown in which the users' email domain names match.

The generation unit also generates code (program) for executing the instruction content based on the instruction information (Please delete the data entered on mm/dd/yyyy. Please delete all data entered one month prior to today.), and for changing (adding, deleting, modifying, etc.) the discharge-related information (information entered on mm/dd/yyyy and information entered one month prior to today.). The generation unit also generates code (program) for deleting the information entered in January based on information stored in the storage unit 230 that matches or is similar to a part of the instruction information (Please delete the data entered on mm/dd/yyyy. Please delete all data entered one month prior to today.). In this way, when the instruction information entered from the input unit is an instruction in natural language, the generation unit (information generation unit, generation unit 260) generates the instruction as computer language, that is, code or program, as new information. Based on the instruction information, the analysis unit 280 analyzes the information related to discharge stored in the memory unit 230, and the generation unit generates new information based on the analysis results of the analysis unit 280.

The management server 200 also includes an execution unit 290 that executes a code (program) as new information. The execution unit 290 executes a predetermined process based on the code as the generated new information. For example, if the generation unit generates a code to delete the information input on yyyy, mm, dd, the execution unit 290 executes the code, and performs a process of searching, acquiring, and deleting the information input on yyyy, mm, dd. If the instruction information is an instruction to calculate data such as "calculate the emission amount of the data input on yyyy, mm, dd, dd," the generation unit generates a code to calculate the information input on yyyy, mm, dd, and the execution unit 290 executes the code, calculates the emission amount of the information input on yyyy, mm, dd, and performs a process of presenting it. Note that the calculation unit 210 may execute the process instead of the execution unit 290. The presentation process may be performed by the output unit 240. Furthermore, when the instruction information is an instruction to visualize data such as "Create a graph of the data entered on yyyy/mm/dd", the generation unit generates code to graph the information entered on yyyy/mm/dd, and the execution unit 290 executes the code to create and present a graph of the information entered on yyyy/mm/dd. The presentation process may be performed by the output unit 240. In order to execute the input data deletion process, emission amount calculation process based on the input data, and graph creation process of the input data, the data entered on yyyy/mm/dd may be searched and acquired from external software that has been linked via the API linking function.

Figure 11 is a diagram explaining process 4 (operation 8) of generating and presenting the third information (new information). Note that operation 8 (P064) is an operation of generating a code as the new information shown in operation 7.

The management server 200 acquires emission information including at least information related to greenhouse gas emissions by business entities that constitute the upstream or downstream of the supply chain for each activity for which emissions are to be calculated (for example, each of the raw materials procured by the company) (S1101). The management server 200 also acquires second information indicating at least the attributes of the business entities (S1102). Next, the management server 200 stores the acquired emission information and the second information in the storage unit 230 (S1103). Next, the management server 200 determines whether or not instruction information has been input (S1104). The input of instruction information means that the user inputs instruction information from the user terminal 100. Examples of the input method are character input and voice input. If there is no instruction input (S1104: NO), the management server 200 loops the process of S1004 until instruction information is input. On the other hand, if there is (was) an instruction input (S1104: YES), the management server 200 acquires instruction information (S1105). The instruction information input in S1104 is stored in the storage unit 230, and in S1105, this stored information is read and acquired. Next, the management server 200 generates code for executing the contents of the instruction as third information (new information) based on the instruction information (S1106). Next, the management server 200 executes a predetermined process based on the generated code (S1107). Next, the management server 200 presents the results of the predetermined process executed based on the code (S1108).

The second information may be information indicating customer attributes. Examples of information indicating customer attributes include industry, sales, sales by business, market segment, number of employees, business region, business content, products and services sold, manufactured and provided, etc. The second information may be information on sustainability initiatives. Examples of information on sustainability initiatives include goals related to climate change, internal strategies and structures, numerical targets, etc. The second information may be information on external factors such as competitive information and information related to customer trends. These pieces of information may be the first information. In this way, by providing many types of first information and second information, it is possible to easily create the third information.

The input unit 220, output unit 240, acquisition unit 250, calculation unit 210, generation unit 260, estimation unit 270, analysis unit 280, and execution unit 290 of the management server 200 may be executed by a system (mechanical system) having an artificial intelligence that learns by itself. This system may also be tuned to learn acquired information such as information indicating the scope, information indicating the category, and information indicating the reason. In this way, documents published by the WBCSD and the Ministry of the Environment and an internal customer database can be loaded into the management server 200, and when a customer inputs a prerequisite (industry, product, service, etc.), an optimal answer for the customer can be generated from the learned information group and an answer can be automatically given. It is also possible to load information in multiple languages. Questions can also be entered and answered in multiple languages. By making the system multilingual, anyone can easily obtain the information they want to know.

<Disclosures>
The third function also includes the following configuration.
[Item C1 (P030)]
an emission coefficient storage unit that stores, for each business entity, an emission coefficient for calculating greenhouse gas emissions; a scale information storage unit that stores, for each business entity, scale information indicating at least one of sales scale and asset scale; an acquisition unit that acquires an activity amount of a first business entity that is upstream or downstream in a supply chain; an emission calculation unit that calculates the emission amount of the first business entity by multiplying the activity amount by the emission coefficient corresponding to the first business entity; and a presentation unit that, when the emission coefficient corresponding to the first business entity is not registered, reads out the scale information corresponding to the first business entity from the scale information storage unit, refers to the scale information storage unit, identifies a second business entity corresponding to the scale information that matches or is similar to the read-out scale information, reads out the emission coefficient corresponding to the identified second business entity from the emission coefficient storage unit, and presents the read-out emission coefficient.
[Item C2]
An information processing system according to item C1, wherein the sales scale and the asset scale are numerical values, and the presentation unit identifies the second business entity corresponding to the scale information stored in the scale information storage unit whose difference from the read-out scale information is within a predetermined range.
[Item C3]
The information processing system according to item C1, wherein the emission coefficient storage unit stores the emission coefficient in association with the business entity and the activity by the business entity, the scale information storage unit stores the scale information in association with the activity, the emission calculation unit acquires the emission coefficient corresponding to the first business entity and the activity related to the activity amount, and the presentation unit refers to the scale information storage unit to identify a second business entity corresponding to the scale information that matches or is similar to the scale information of the first business entity and the activity, and reads out the emission coefficient corresponding to the identified second business entity and the activity from the emission coefficient storage unit.
[Item C4 (P044)]
An information processing system comprising: an acquisition unit that acquires first information including at least information related to greenhouse gas emissions by business entities upstream or downstream of a supply chain; second information indicating at least attributes of the business entities; an information generation unit that generates third information based on information related to the emissions of a second business entity that matches or is similar to the second information corresponding to the first business entity; and a presentation unit that presents the third information.
[Item C5 (P045)]
An information processing system comprising: an acquisition unit that acquires first information including at least information related to greenhouse gas emissions by business entities that are upstream or downstream in a supply chain; second information indicating at least attributes of the business entities; a memory unit that stores the acquired first information and the second information; an input unit that inputs information corresponding to the first business entity; an information generation unit that generates third information based on information related to the emissions of a second business entity that matches or is similar to the information corresponding to the first business entity; and a presentation unit that presents the third information.
[Item C6 (P047)]
An information processing system comprising: an acquisition unit that acquires emission information including at least information on a type of greenhouse gas emissions by business entities that are upstream or downstream in a supply chain; a memory unit that stores the acquired emission information; an input unit that inputs information corresponding to a first business entity; an information generation unit that generates information on a type corresponding to the first business entity based on information on the emission type that matches or is similar to the information corresponding to the first business entity; and a presentation unit that presents the information on the type corresponding to the first business entity.
[Item C7 (P054)]
An information processing system, wherein the input unit of item C6 is an input unit for inputting information corresponding to the first business entity by voice.
[Item C8 (P052)]
An information processing system comprising: an acquisition unit that acquires first information including at least information related to greenhouse gas emissions by business entities upstream or downstream of a supply chain; second information indicating at least attributes of the business entities; an information generation unit that generates third information based on information related to the emissions of a second business entity that matches or is similar to the second information corresponding to the first business entity; an information conversion unit that converts unit information in the first information into unit information in the third information; and a presentation unit that presents the third information.
[Item C9 (P063)]
An information processing system comprising: an acquisition unit that acquires first information including information related to greenhouse gas emissions by business entities upstream or downstream in a supply chain and second information indicating attributes of the business entities; an information generation unit that generates third information based on information related to emissions by a second business entity that coincides with or is similar to the second information corresponding to the first business entity; and a presentation unit that presents the third information.
[Item C10]
An information processing system according to item C9, further comprising: an input unit for inputting instruction information; and the information generating unit is capable of generating new information based on the instruction information.
[Item C11 (P064)]
An information processing system comprising: an acquisition unit that acquires emission information including at least information related to greenhouse gas emissions by business entities upstream or downstream in a supply chain; a memory unit that stores the acquired emission information; an input unit that inputs instruction information; and an information generation unit that generates new information based on the instruction information.
[Item C12]
An information processing system according to item C11, further comprising: an analysis unit that analyzes the discharge information stored in the memory unit based on the instruction information; and the information generation unit generates the new information based on a result of the analysis.
[Item C13]
The information processing system according to item C12, further comprising: an execution unit that executes a predetermined process based on the new information.

<<Target setting function of carbon tax (fourth function)>>
Next, although some of the configurations have been described in the above-described embodiments, an example of a configuration that can be further applied to the above-described embodiments of the first to third functions will be described in detail below as an embodiment of the fourth function.

An example of the software configuration of the management server 200 in the fourth function will be described using FIG. 3. Note that the illustrated configuration is an example, and other configurations may be used. The management server 200 includes a memory unit 230 (emission amount memory unit), an acquisition unit 250 (information acquisition unit), a calculation unit 210 (derivation unit, reduction amount calculation unit), an output unit 240 (information presentation unit), and an input unit 220 (information input unit).

The emission amount memory unit constituting the memory unit 230 is similar to the memory unit described in the embodiment of the second function. In this embodiment, the emission amount memory unit stores the results of calculating the company's carbon dioxide emission amount as information specifying the emission amount.

The information acquisition unit constituting the acquisition unit 250 acquires the reference scenario data. The reference scenario data is composed of multiple scenario data. The multiple scenario data are first scenario data, second scenario data, third scenario data, etc. The first scenario data is, for example, scenario data in the case where greenhouse gas emissions continue as they are now, and the temperature rises by about 4 degrees by the year 2100 (or 2050, etc.). The second scenario data is, for example, scenario data in the case where greenhouse gas emissions are reduced to almost zero. The third scenario data is, for example, scenario data in the case where greenhouse gas emissions are reduced by a predetermined amount, and the temperature rise is 2 degrees or less by the year 2100 (or 2050, etc.). Each scenario data indicates the carbon price (coefficient) for each year from the present to 2100. Note that the climate change scenario set by WEO2022 may be acquired as the reference scenario data. When a climate change scenario is acquired, the first scenario data is created based on STEPS (The Stated Policies Scenario), the second scenario data is created based on NZE (Net Zero Emissions by 2050 Scenario), and the third scenario data is created based on APS (The Announced Pledges Scenario).

The derivation unit constituting the calculation unit 210 derives (calculates) the first carbon tax based on the emission amount and the carbon price (coefficient) stored in the emission amount storage unit. The first carbon tax is derived based on the amount of carbon contained in the emission amount. The derivation method differs from country to country. For example, it is derived by multiplying the emission amount by the carbon price per ton, such as N yen/ton in Japan and M dollars/ton in the United States. The derivation unit can also derive the second carbon tax for a specified period. The specified period can be short term (about 2 or 3 years), medium term (about 5 to 10 years), long term (about 30 years), etc. The second carbon tax is derived (calculated) based on the emission amount and scenario data stored in the emission amount storage unit. For example, when deriving a long-term second carbon tax using the first scenario data, the second carbon tax at the start of the scenario (current time) uses the first carbon tax. The second carbon tax at the end of the scenario (30 years later) is derived based on the emission amount and the data of the first scenario data 30 years later. The second carbon tax for each year from the start of the scenario to the end of the scenario is derived based on the emission amount and the data of each year of the first scenario data. In this way, in this example, a simulation of the long-term second carbon tax can be performed and presented to the user. The derivation unit can also derive the second carbon tax based on the amount of reduction. In this example, a simulation of the carbon tax can also be performed by multiplying the amount of reduction by the carbon price of the scenario data.

The reduction amount calculation unit constituting the calculation unit 210 calculates the reduction amount based on the emission amount and the target reduction ratio of the emission amount by the business entity. The target reduction ratio is the same as in the embodiment of the first function.

The information presentation unit presents information on the first carbon tax, the second carbon tax (simulation results), and the reduction amount. For the second carbon tax, the results of a simulation based on one scenario data may be presented, or the results of multiple simulations based on multiple scenario data may be presented. The information presentation unit transmits the information to be presented to the user terminal 100, and displays the information on the user terminal 100. The information transmitted to the user terminal 100 can also be edited and processed on the user terminal 100. The information presentation unit may present potential risks. There are two types of risks: acute risks and chronic risks. Acute risks are risks caused by sudden events. Sudden events include, for example, avalanches, cold waves, frost, cyclones, hurricanes, typhoons, droughts, heat waves, floods (coastal, river, heavy rainfall, groundwater), glacial lake outbursts, heavy rainfall (rain, hail, snow, ice), landslides, storms (including blizzards, dust, and sandstorms), subsidence, tornadoes, and wildfires. Chronic risks are risks resulting from long-term changes in weather patterns. Chronic risks include, for example, changing heavy rainfall patterns (rain, hail, hail, snow, ice), changing temperatures (air, freshwater, and saltwater), changing wind patterns, coastal erosion, heat stress, ocean acidification, permafrost thaw, heavy rainfall and/or hydrological changes, saltwater intrusion, sea level rise, soil degradation, soil erosion, solifluction, temperature fluctuations, and water shortages. These risks result in increased response costs, reduced asset values, asset impairment, and reduced sales due to reduced production capacity. By presenting the risks, users can become aware of what types of risks are involved.

The information input unit inputs information on the target reduction ratio of the emission amount by the business entity input from the user terminal 100 to the management server 200.

Figure 12 is a diagram explaining the process (operation 9) of calculating and presenting the carbon tax.

The management server 200 stores the greenhouse gas emissions by the business entity (S1201). Next, the management server 200 calculates the first carbon tax based on the emissions (S1202). Next, the management server 200 selects scenario data (S1203). The selected scenario data may be one or more. Next, the management server 200 calculates the second carbon tax for a predetermined period using the selected scenario data (S1204). Next, the management server 200 accepts input of the reduction target rate of the emissions by the business entity (S1205). Next, the management server 200 calculates the reduction amount based on the emissions and the reduction target rate (S1206). Next, the management server 200 calculates the second carbon tax based on the reduction amount. The management server 200 outputs the first carbon tax and the second carbon tax showing each calculation result to be presented to the user. The second carbon tax may be presented in a graph with the X-axis representing the fiscal year.

Due to the recent global warming phenomenon, abnormal weather has been observed all over the world. Weather disasters are also becoming more frequent. According to the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, if global warming continues, weather disasters may become more frequent and severe. In order to prevent such abnormal weather and weather disasters, Western countries are leading the way in promoting the transition to a carbon-neutral society, and efforts are being made in Japan to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. One example of this effort is the introduction of a carbon pricing system, which can be predicted to implement policies that put a price on carbon and change the behavior of carbon dioxide emitters (mainly companies). If a carbon pricing system is introduced, a "carbon tax" that taxes carbon dioxide emissions according to the amount of carbon dioxide emitted may be created. If a carbon tax is created, it will have a significant impact on the finances of companies that are the main emitters of carbon dioxide. For this reason, companies will have to estimate the carbon tax that will be levied on their own carbon dioxide emissions and consider the carbon tax when conducting business activities. However, there is currently no information processing system that can simulate the carbon tax that will be levied on companies in the future.

According to operation 9, it is possible to provide an information processing system that calculates a company's carbon dioxide emissions using an information processing system for calculating and visualizing carbon dioxide emissions, and simulates a carbon tax based on this calculation result and a carbon price corresponding to the reference scenario data. In detail, it is possible to provide an information processing system that simulates a carbon tax by multiplying the carbon price (carbon pricing) calculated in each scenario of the first scenario data, the second scenario data, and the third scenario data by the company's carbon dioxide emissions.

This configuration allows companies to recognize risk factors such as future carbon tax burdens, and makes it easy to formulate business plans linked to climate change-related targets. In addition, by taking risk factors such as future carbon tax burdens into account when considering capital investment plans, etc., companies can increase the priority of decarbonization investments, which can promote decarbonization investments within companies.

The acquisition unit 250, calculation unit 210, output unit 240, and input unit 220 of the management server 200 may be executed by a system (mechanical system) with artificial intelligence that learns by itself. Such machine learning can predict the factors that will increase or decrease the carbon tax.

<Disclosures>
The fourth function also includes the following configuration.
[Item D1 (P051)]
An information processing system comprising: a memory unit (emission amount memory unit) that stores greenhouse gas emissions by a business entity and specified scenario data; and a derivation unit that derives a carbon tax (second carbon tax) based on the emissions and the specified scenario data, wherein the derivation unit is capable of deriving a carbon tax for a specified period.
[Item D2]
An information processing system according to item D1, comprising an input unit (information input unit) that accepts input of the business entity's reduction target ratio of the emissions, and a reduction amount calculation unit that calculates a reduction amount based on the emissions and the reduction target ratio, wherein the derivation unit is capable of deriving the carbon tax based on the reduction amount.
[Item D3]
An information processing system according to item D2, characterized in that the input unit is capable of accepting input of a reference point and a target point, and the reduction amount calculation unit is capable of acquiring the emissions at the reference point from the emission amount memory unit, and calculating the reduction amount at the target point based on the acquired emissions and the reduction target ratio.

<<Blockchain function (5th function)>>
Next, although some of the configurations have been described in the above-described embodiments, an example of a configuration that can be further applied to the above-described embodiments of the first to fourth functions will be described in detail below as an embodiment of the fifth function.

An example of the software configuration of the management server 200 in the fifth function will be described using FIG. 3. Note that the illustrated configuration is one example, and other configurations may be used. The management server 200 includes a memory unit 230 (emission amount memory unit, blockchain), an acquisition unit 250 (information acquisition unit), an analysis unit 280, and an output unit 240 (information presentation unit). In this embodiment, an example is shown in which the blockchain is provided within the management server 200, but the blockchain may also be provided outside the management server 200. Even if provided externally, the blockchain information can be acquired by the management server 200.

The emission amount storage unit constituting the storage unit 230 is the same as the storage unit described in the embodiment of the second function. In this embodiment, the emission amount storage unit stores the results of calculating the carbon dioxide emission amount of the company and other companies as information indicating the emission amount (first information). A blockchain manages data in units of blocks, and stores data by linking them like a chain. Each block of the blockchain stores the first information. Also, each block stores a hash value (second information) representing the contents of the previous block. For example, if the first block stores information indicating the first emission amount (first information A) and the first hash value (second information A), and the second block stores information indicating the second emission amount (first information B) and the second hash value (second information B), the first hash value used in the first block is used as a certificate required for generating the next block, the second block. In other words, the first hash value becomes information related to the second hash value. Here, if the data of the information indicating the second emission amount in the second block is tampered with, the derived second hash value will be a different value (an abnormal value), and it will be necessary to change the hash values of all blocks. For this reason, it is difficult to tamper with the information managed by the blockchain, so a highly reliable information processing system can be provided.

The information acquisition unit constituting the acquisition unit 250 acquires the first information. The first information is information indicating the emission amount in the embodiment of the third function, etc. The information acquisition unit also acquires the second information. The second information is, for example, a hash value representing the contents of the immediately preceding block, but may be any information indicating information in the blockchain. The second information is information associated with the first information. In other words, the first information and the second information are related information. If the second information shown in the embodiment of the third function is stored in the blockchain, the second information in the embodiment of the third function can be the second information. In this case, it is preferable to use information in which the second information in the embodiment of the third function is associated with a hash value as the second information. The second information can also be information that can confirm when, where, and from which business entity the information was acquired, rather than a hash value.

The analysis unit 280 analyzes information indicating the emission amount of the downstream business entity based on the acquired hash value. "Downstream" refers to a business entity downstream of the first business entity (supplier) and another supplier that is a second business entity. The first business entity acquires information indicating the emission amount from the second business entity that is a downstream business entity, and the analysis unit 280 can analyze whether or not this information indicating the emission amount has been tampered with. The information indicating the emission amount is information managed by the blockchain. The hash value is also information managed by the blockchain, and is information related to the information indicating the emission amount. Therefore, the analysis unit 280 can analyze and confirm that the information indicating the emission amount acquired from the downstream business entity is normal information that has not been tampered with by analyzing the hash value corresponding to the information indicating the emission amount. The analysis unit 280 can also analyze which business entity the information indicating the emission amount belongs to.

The information presentation unit presents information on the results of the analysis. For example, if the information indicating the acquired emission amount is abnormal as a result of the analysis, information is output to display, for example, "The acquired information indicating the emission amount is not normal" on the user terminal 100. On the other hand, if the information indicating the acquired emission amount is normal, the normality is not presented. If the information indicating the acquired emission amount is normal, information may be output to display, for example, "The acquired information indicating the emission amount is normal" on the user terminal 100. If the result of the analysis of which business entity the information indicating the emission amount is information of is not a normal second business entity, information is output to display, for example, "The acquired information indicating the emission amount is not normal" on the user terminal 100. If the information is normal, the normality is not presented, but information may be output to display, for example, "The acquired information indicating the emission amount is normal" on the user terminal 100.

If the analysis reveals an abnormality but the acquired information indicating the emissions has not been tampered with, for example, if the analysis reveals that the second business entity has output information indicating erroneous emissions to the first business entity, this will be presented. In this case, it may also be possible to output (communicate) to the second business entity that the information indicating the emissions output to the first business entity was erroneous.

A generation unit 260 may also be provided to generate a blockchain. The blocks that make up the blockchain store the first information of the second business entity and a hash value corresponding to the first information. A blockchain can be constructed by acquiring the first information of multiple second business entities and using the first information that is normal as a result of analysis. The second information B can be information related to the second information A, while the first information B can be information that is not related to the first information A. Here, "related information" refers to, for example, one piece of information having a relationship with the other piece of information by a function or the like, but is not limited to this. By making the information related at least between the second pieces of information only, it is possible to provide a degree of freedom in the first information to be stored.

Figure 13 is a diagram explaining the process (operation 10) of analyzing and outputting the first information.

The management server 200 acquires first information including at least information related to greenhouse gas emissions by business entities that constitute the upstream or downstream of the supply chain for each activity for which emissions are to be calculated (for example, each of the raw materials procured by the company) (S1301). The management server 200 also acquires second information indicating information in the blockchain (S1302). Next, the management server 200 stores the acquired first information and second information in the storage unit 230 (S1303). Next, the management server 200 analyzes the first information of the business entities that constitute the downstream based on the second information (S1304). Next, the management server 200 determines whether the result of the analysis is abnormal (S1305). If the result of the analysis is abnormal (S1305: YES), the management server 200 presents that there is an abnormality and ends the processing of operation 10 (S1306). On the other hand, if the result of the analysis is not abnormal (S1305: NO), the management server 200 ends the processing of operation 10.

Concerns have arisen about the reliability of the first information of upstream or downstream business entities. For example, in the case of a first business entity that manufactures smartphone products, the first information (emissions amount and emission unit) of the components that make up the smartphone, such as cameras and chips, is obtained from a second business entity. However, even if the obtained first information has been tampered with, there is no means to confirm the tampering, and a problem occurs in that accurate greenhouse gas emissions cannot be calculated because the tampered and fraudulent information has been registered as information of the first business entity. The embodiment of the fifth function has been proposed to solve such problems.

According to operation 10, it is possible to provide an information processing system that includes an acquisition unit that acquires first information including information related to greenhouse gas emissions by business entities that are upstream or downstream in the supply chain and second information indicating information in the blockchain, an analysis unit that analyzes the first information of business entities that are downstream based on the second information, and a presentation unit that presents the results of the analysis.

This configuration makes it possible to track the calculation process of greenhouse gas emissions by business entities upstream or downstream in the supply chain (which business entity calculated it, when and how) and the editing history of the greenhouse gas emissions data by the business entity, making it possible to confirm (guarantee) the reliability of the information indicating the acquired emissions, and to provide information indicating the emissions that consists only of normal information.

The output unit 240, acquisition unit 250, generation unit 260, and analysis unit 280 of the management server 200 may be executed by a system (mechanical system) with artificial intelligence that can learn by itself.

<Disclosures>
The fifth function also includes the following configuration.
[Item E1 (P065)]
An information processing system comprising: an acquisition unit that acquires first information including information related to greenhouse gas emissions by business entities upstream or downstream in a supply chain and second information indicating information in a blockchain; an analysis unit that analyzes the first information of downstream business entities based on the second information; and a presentation unit that presents the results of the analysis.
[Item E2]
An information processing system according to item E1, characterized in that the first information includes at least first information A and first information B which is the information following the first information A, the second information includes at least second information A and second information B which is the information following the second information A, and the second information A and the second information B are related information, while the first information A and the first information B are unrelated information.

<<Evidence function (6th function)>>
Next, although some of the configurations have been described in the above-described embodiments, an example of a configuration that can be further applied to the above-described embodiments of the first to fifth functions will be described in detail below as an embodiment of the sixth function.

An example of the software configuration of the management server 200 in the sixth function will be described using FIG. 3. Note that the illustrated configuration is an example, and other configurations may be used. The management server 200 includes a storage unit 230 (evidence data storage unit, corresponding database), an acquisition unit 250 (evidence acquisition unit, basic data acquisition unit), a calculation unit 210 (emission amount calculation unit), and an output unit 240 (evidence output unit).

The document acquisition unit constituting the acquisition unit 250 acquires document data that displays basic data for calculating greenhouse gas emissions. The basic data can be, for example, at least one of the amount of activity and the emission coefficient.

Evidence data related to activity amounts is data that represents evidence, such as invoices, receipts, and contracts. Evidence related to Scope 1 (direct emissions) of the GHG (GreenHouse Gas) Protocol could include, for example, receipts for filling up at a gas station, and invoices for gas or coal. Evidence related to Scope 2 (indirect emissions) could include, for example, electricity receipts and contracts. Evidence related to Scope 3 (emissions by related companies) for Category 1 (purchased goods and services) could include, for example, purchase orders, invoices, contracts, and receipts related to the procurement of raw materials and parts, or procurement system data and parts lists.

Furthermore, examples of supporting data on emissions include primary data on the emission intensity of raw materials obtained from suppliers (which may be calculated independently by the supplier or verified by a third party).

The evidence data may be, for example, image data. The image data may be, for example, data captured by a camera (not shown) provided on the user terminal 100. The evidence data may be, for example, a document such as a PDF file, or a structured file such as an XML file.

The evidence acquisition unit may, for example, accept upload of evidence data from the user terminal 100, or may acquire evidence data attached to a message such as an email or a chat message sent from the user terminal 100. In addition, if the user can directly operate the management server 200, the management server 200 may be equipped with a camera and a scanner, and the evidence may be photographed using the camera and scanner of the management server 200. The evidence acquisition unit may register the acquired evidence data in the evidence data storage unit.

The evidence data storage unit constituting the storage unit 230 stores evidence data. The evidence data storage unit can store evidence data, for example, in association with an evidence ID that identifies the evidence and a user ID that indicates the user who registered the evidence. The evidence data storage unit can be implemented as a relational database or an object database, or can be implemented as a file system (in this case, the evidence ID can be a path and file name).

The basic data acquisition unit constituting the acquisition unit 250 reads basic data from the supporting document data. The basic data acquisition unit can read basic data from image data, for example, by OCR processing. The basic data acquisition unit can also extract basic data from text included in a document, for example.

The emission calculation unit constituting the calculation unit 210 calculates the emission amount based on the basic data. For example, if the basic data is information indicating the activity amount of a company, the management server 200 is provided with an emission coefficient storage unit that stores the emission coefficient related to the activity of the company, and the emission amount can be calculated by multiplying the read activity amount by the emission coefficient. Also, if the basic data is an emission coefficient of a company, the activity amount of the company (for example, in the case of emissions related to Scope 1, it can be the amount of fuel burned by the user, in the case of emissions related to Scope 2, it can be the amount of electricity used by the user, and in the case of emissions related to Scope 3, it can be the amount of products purchased by the user from the company, the amount of products sold by the user, or the delivery ton-kilometers of the products sold by the user) can be obtained by, for example, accessing an accounting system or accepting input from the user, and the obtained activity amount can be multiplied by the read emission coefficient to calculate the emission amount. Also, if the basic data includes both an emission coefficient and an activity amount, the emission amount can be calculated by multiplying the read emission coefficient and activity amount. Also, if the basic data is an emission amount, the emission amount read from the supporting data can be used as is.

The correspondence database constituting the storage unit 230 stores information identifying emissions and information identifying supporting data in association with each other. The correspondence database can also store information identifying basic data in association with each other. The correspondence database stores emission amount identifying information, a basic data ID identifying the basic data, and a supporting document ID indicating the supporting document in association with each other. The emission amount identifying information can include time information such as the year, month, and day. The emission amount identifying information can also include information (such as a user ID) that identifies the greenhouse gas output entity (such as a company) related to the emissions. The emission amount identifying information can also include the products and services that are the subject of the calculation.

The evidence output unit constituting the output unit 240 outputs evidence data. The evidence output unit can accept the designation of emission amount identification information. For example, the evidence output unit can accept the designation of time information such as the year, month, or day. The evidence output unit can also accept the designation of the subject of emissions in addition to or instead of the time information. The evidence output unit can also accept information identifying the product or service to be calculated in addition to or instead of the time information and/or the subject of emissions. The evidence output unit can identify the evidence ID corresponding to the accepted emission amount identification information from the corresponding database, and read and output the evidence data corresponding to the identified evidence ID from the evidence data storage unit.

The evidence output unit can output evidence data in response to a request from a third-party certification body (auditing body), for example. In addition, in response to a request from a user who calculates emissions related to the GHG Protocol, it can also identify evidence data related to the basic data that is the basis for calculating the emissions from a corresponding database, and transmit the identified evidence data together with the emissions to the third-party certification body (information processing device).

The evidence output unit can also accept the designation of basic data in addition to the emission amount identification information. In this case, the evidence output unit can identify a evidence ID corresponding to the emission amount identification information and the basic data ID indicating the designated basic data from the corresponding database, and read and output the evidence data corresponding to the identified evidence ID from the evidence data storage unit.

<Operation>
Next, the flow of the emission amount calculation process in the information processing system of the sixth function will be described.

The management server 200 accepts supporting data from the user terminal 100, reads basic data from the supporting data using OCR processing or the like, and calculates greenhouse gas emissions using the basic data.

The management server 200 stores the supporting data in the supporting data storage unit, and registers in the correspondence database the emission amount identification information that identifies the emission amount, the basic data ID that indicates the basic data, and the supporting data ID in association with each other.

When receiving multiple types of basic data to calculate emissions, there may be cases where the basic data is received without receiving supporting data.

Next, we will explain the flow of the process of outputting evidential data in the information processing system of the sixth function.

The management server 200 accepts the emission amount specification information and the basic data ID from the user terminal 100. The basic data ID may be omitted. The management server 200 identifies the supporting document ID corresponding to the accepted emission amount specification information and basic data ID from the corresponding database, reads out the supporting document data corresponding to the identified supporting document ID from the supporting document data storage unit, and outputs (sends to the user terminal 100) the read supporting document data.

As described above, the information processing system with the sixth function can manage supporting data related to the basic data used to calculate greenhouse gas emissions in association with the emissions and the basic data. Therefore, in the case of audits, third-party certification, etc., supporting data corresponding to the emissions and the basic data used to calculate them can be easily presented.

In the embodiment of the sixth function, the system is a client-server configuration, but for example, the user terminal 100 can also have the functions of the management server 200.

In addition, in the embodiment of the sixth function, the basic data is read from the supporting evidence data by processing such as OCR, but for example, when the basic data is modified by the user terminal 100, the basic data may be input from the user terminal 100 and learned. For example, the range of the basic data described in the supporting evidence data and the contents of the basic data may be received from the user terminal 100, and the learning model for performing OCR may be updated by machine learning using the supporting evidence data, the range, and the contents as training data. This can improve the reading accuracy by so-called AIOCR.

In the embodiment of the sixth function, the basic data is read from the supporting data, but for example, the basic data may be received from the user terminal 100, the amount of emissions may be calculated using the basic data received from the user terminal 100, the supporting data related to the basic data may be received from the user terminal 100, and the management server 200 may associate the basic data with the supporting data. In this case, the management server 200 may be provided with a learning model storage unit that stores a learning model that has been machine-learned using the basic data and the supporting data as training data, and the learning model may be used to infer the type of basic data (basic data ID) from the supporting data received from the user terminal 100, and the supporting data may be associated with the basic data. The management server 200 may link the basic data ID indicating the inferred basic data with the supporting data ID indicating the supporting data in a correspondence database.

In addition, in the embodiment of the sixth function, the correspondence database corresponds the emission amount, basic data, and voucher, but it may also correspond between the emission amount (emission amount specific information) and the voucher (voucher ID), or between the basic data (basic data ID) and the voucher (voucher ID).

The acquisition unit 250, calculation unit 210, and output unit 240 of the management server 200 may be executed by a system (mechanical system) with artificial intelligence that can learn by itself.

<Disclosures>
The sixth function also includes the following configuration.
[Item F1 (P015)]
An information processing system comprising: a supporting document acquisition unit that acquires supporting document data displaying basic data for calculating greenhouse gas emissions; a basic data acquisition unit that reads out the basic data from the supporting document data; a supporting document data storage unit that stores the supporting document data; an emission amount calculation unit that calculates the emissions based on the basic data; a correspondence database that links and stores information identifying the emissions and information identifying the supporting document data; and a supporting document output unit that accepts designation of information identifying the emissions, identifies the supporting document data corresponding to the specified emissions from the correspondence database, and reads out and outputs the identified supporting document data from the supporting document data storage unit.
[Item F2]
An information processing system according to item F1, characterized in that the evidential data is image data, and the basic data acquisition unit reads the basic data from the image data by OCR processing.
[Item F3]
An information processing system as described in item F1, characterized in that the correspondence database stores information identifying the emission amount, information identifying the supporting data, and information identifying the basic data in linked relation to each other, and the supporting data output unit accepts designation of the emission amount and the basic data, identifies the supporting data corresponding to the emission amount and the basic data from the correspondence database, and reads out and outputs the identified supporting data from the supporting data storage unit.
[Item F4 (P015D1)]
an information processing system comprising: a supporting document acquisition unit that acquires supporting data displaying basic data for calculating greenhouse gas emissions; a basic data acquisition unit that accepts input of the basic data; a supporting document data storage unit that stores the supporting document data; an emission amount calculation unit that calculates the emissions based on the basic data; a correspondence database that links and stores information identifying the basic data or information identifying the emissions and information identifying the supporting document data; and a supporting document output unit that accepts designation of information identifying the basic data or information identifying the emissions, identifies the supporting document data corresponding to the designated basic data or the emissions from the correspondence database, and reads out and outputs the identified supporting document data from the supporting document data storage unit.

<<Evidence function for accounting data (7th function)>>
Next, although some of the configurations have been described in the above-described embodiments, an example of a configuration that can be further applied to the above-described embodiments of the first to sixth functions will be described in detail below as an embodiment of the seventh function.

<System Overview>
In an embodiment of the seventh function, data that serves as evidence is managed, particularly data that is included in accounting data. Although not shown, the information processing system of the seventh function is configured to include a management server 200, a user terminal 100, and an accounting system. The management server 200 is communicatively connected to the user terminal 100 and the accounting system via a communication network.

The management server 200 is a computer that calculates greenhouse gas emissions. The management server 200 may be a general-purpose computer such as a workstation or a personal computer, or may be logically realized by cloud computing.

The user terminal 100 is a computer used by a user, such as a smartphone, tablet computer, or personal computer. The user operates the user terminal 100 to access the management server 200 and calculate the amount of greenhouse gas emissions.

An accounting system is a computer system that manages accounting data. An accounting system may be composed of one or more computers. Accounting data may include so-called financial statement data and accounting record data that forms the basis of the financial statements (such as voucher data, invoice data, contract data, general ledger data, and journal entry data). Accounting data may also include audit evidence data used in accounting audits. An accounting system stores at least financial statement data and can output financial statement data upon request.

An example of the software configuration of the management server 200 in the seventh function will be described using FIG. 3. Note that the illustrated configuration is an example, and other configurations may be used. The management server 200 includes a memory unit 230 (accounting data memory unit, audit data memory unit, corresponding database, emission coefficient memory unit), an acquisition unit 250 (accounting data acquisition unit, basic data acquisition unit), a calculation unit 210 (emission amount calculation unit), and an output unit 240 (emission amount output unit, accounting data output unit).

The accounting data acquisition unit acquires accounting data including basic data for calculating greenhouse gas emissions. The basic data can be, for example, at least one of activity amount and emission coefficient.

Accounting data related to activity amounts are, for example, accounting record data such as invoices, receipts, and contracts. Examples of accounting record data that serve as evidence for scope 1 (direct emissions) of the GHG (Green House Gas) protocol include receipts for filling up at gas stations and invoices for gas and coal. Examples of accounting record data that serve as evidence for scope 2 (indirect emissions) include electricity receipts and contracts. Examples of accounting record data that serve as evidence for scope 3 (emissions by related companies) for category 1 (purchased goods and services) include purchase orders, invoices, contracts, and receipts for the procurement of raw materials and parts, or data and parts lists for procurement systems. It is also possible to use items included in financial statement data such as balance sheets and profit and loss statements as basic data instead of accounting record data, in which case the financial statement data can be the accounting data that corresponds to the basic data.

Furthermore, accounting data as evidence related to emission coefficients may include, for example, primary data on the emission intensity of raw materials obtained from a supplier (which may be calculated independently by the supplier or may be verified by a third party). For example, audit evidence data that is not included in accounting record data and is used in a carbon accounting audit may be considered as accounting data.

The accounting data may be, for example, a document such as a PDF file, or a structured file such as XML. The accounting data may also be image data.

The accounting data acquisition unit constituting the acquisition unit 250 can accept input of information identifying accounting data (e.g., accounting year and name of accounting data, etc.) from the user terminal 100, access the accounting system, transmit information identifying the accounting data to the accounting system, and receive accounting data in response from the accounting system. In addition, the accounting data acquisition unit can, for example, accept uploads of accounting data from the user terminal 100, or acquire accounting data attached to messages such as emails and chat messages sent from the user terminal 100.

The accounting data acquisition unit can register the acquired accounting data in the accounting data storage unit. Note that the accounting data acquisition unit may access the accounting system to acquire accounting data recorded in the accounting system as necessary, rather than registering the data in the accounting data storage unit. When accounting data specified from the user terminal 100 is not registered in the accounting system, the accounting data acquisition unit can register the data in the accounting data storage unit received from the user terminal 100.

The accounting data storage unit constituting the storage unit 230 stores accounting data. The accounting data storage unit can store accounting data in association with, for example, accounting data identification information that identifies the accounting data and a user ID that indicates the user who registered the accounting data. The accounting data identification information can be, for example, the accounting year and the name of the accounting data. The accounting data storage unit can be implemented as a relational database or an object database, or can be implemented as a file system. When storing accounting data received from the user terminal 100 when the specified accounting data is not registered in the accounting system, the accounting data storage unit will store accounting data that is not managed by the accounting system (outside-system data).

The audit data storage unit constituting the storage unit 230 stores audit data indicating that an accounting audit has been conducted on financial statements related to the accounting data. The audit data can be, for example, data on an audit report prepared by an auditing corporation (such as an audit report in electronic data format or scanned data of a paper audit report). The audit data storage unit can store the audit data in association with, for example, audit data identification information that identifies the audit data and a user ID that indicates the user. The audit data identification information can be, for example, a fiscal year. The audit data storage unit can be implemented as a relational database, an object database, or the like, or can be implemented as a file system.

The corresponding database constituting the storage unit 230 stores information that identifies emissions and information that identifies accounting data in association with each other. The corresponding database can also store information that identifies audit data in association with each other. The corresponding database stores emission amount identification information, basic data ID that identifies basic data (e.g., content of activity amount), accounting data identification information that indicates accounting data, and audit data identification information that identifies audit data in association with each other. The emission amount identification information can include time information such as the year, month, and day. The emission amount identification information can also include information (e.g., user ID) that identifies the greenhouse gas output entity (company, etc.) related to the emissions. The emission amount identification information can also include the products and services that are the subject of the calculation.

The emission coefficient storage unit constituting the storage unit 230 stores emission coefficients. The emission coefficient storage unit can store emission coefficients in association with information (basic data ID) that identifies an activity. The basic data ID can be, for example, the type of activity amount.

The basic data acquisition unit constituting the acquisition unit 250 acquires data (basic data) necessary for calculating emissions. The basic data can be, for example, an activity amount and an emission coefficient. Here, accounting data is acquired as the activity amount (the accounting data acquired by the accounting data acquisition unit is read from the accounting data storage unit). The emission coefficient can be read from, for example, an emission coefficient storage unit. The emission coefficient may also be received from the user terminal 100.

The emission calculation unit constituting the calculation unit 210 calculates the emission amount based on the basic data. Here, the emission calculation unit can read out the amount of activity included in the accounting data, perform unit conversion, and calculate the emission amount by multiplying the amount of activity by the corresponding emission coefficient. In the case of emissions related to Scope 1, for example, the emission calculation unit can extract the purchase price of the fuel from the accounting data related to the purchased fuel, and calculate the emission amount by multiplying the purchase price by the emission coefficient corresponding to the fuel. In addition, in the case of emissions related to Scope 2, the emission calculation unit can calculate the emission amount by, for example, extracting the electricity charge from the accounting data related to electricity among the utility bills, and multiplying the electricity charge by the emission coefficient of the electricity. In addition, in the case of emissions related to Scope 3, the emission calculation unit can calculate the emission amount related to the product by, for example, extracting the purchase price of a specific product from the accounting data related to the purchase of the product, and multiplying the extracted purchase price by the emission coefficient corresponding to the product. In the case where the unit of the emission coefficient is different from the unit of the accounting data, the emission calculation unit can perform unit conversion on the amount of activity in the accounting data before multiplying by the emission coefficient.

The emission output unit constituting the output unit 240 outputs the calculated emission amount. For example, the emission output unit may output the total value of all emissions, may output the total value of emissions for each scope related to the GHG Protocol, or may output the total value of emissions for each Scope 3 category.

The accounting data output unit constituting the output unit 240 can output accounting data (or information identifying accounting data). The accounting data output unit can accept the designation of emission amount identification information. For example, the accounting data output unit can accept the designation of time information such as the year, month, or day. The accounting data output unit can also accept the designation of the subject of emissions in addition to or instead of the time information. The accounting data output unit can also accept information identifying the product or service to be calculated in addition to or instead of the time information and/or the subject of emissions. The accounting data output unit can identify accounting data identification information corresponding to the accepted emission amount identification information from a corresponding database, and retrieve and output accounting data identified by the identified accounting data identification information from the accounting data storage unit or the accounting system.

The accounting data output unit can also output audit data in addition to or instead of accounting data. The accounting data output unit can identify audit data specific information corresponding to the received emission amount specific information from a corresponding database, and read and output audit data corresponding to the identified audit data specific information from the audit data storage unit.

The accounting data output unit can output accounting data and/or audit data in response to a request from a third-party certification body (audit body), for example. In addition, in response to a request from a user who calculates emissions related to the GHG Protocol, it can also identify accounting data related to the basic data that is the basis for calculating the emissions from a corresponding database, and transmit the identified accounting data together with the emissions to the third-party certification body (information processing device).

The accounting data output unit can also accept the designation of basic data in addition to the emission amount identification information. In this case, the accounting data output unit can identify accounting data identification information and/or audit data identification information corresponding to the basic data ID indicating the emission amount identification information and the designated basic data from the corresponding database, and obtain and output accounting data and/or audit data corresponding to the identified accounting data identification information and/or audit data identification information.

<Operation>
Next, the flow of the emission amount calculation process in the information processing system of the seventh function will be described.

The management server 200 acquires the accounting data specified by the user terminal 100. The management server 200 may, for example, accept the specification of accounting data from the user terminal 100 and access the accounting system to acquire the specified accounting data, or may receive accounting data from the user terminal 100. The management server 200 acquires the emission coefficient of the activity related to the accounting data. The management server 200 may, for example, read out the emission coefficient corresponding to the basic data ID indicating the activity related to the accounting data from the emission coefficient storage unit.

The management server 200 calculates emissions by multiplying the amount of activity extracted from the accounting data by the emission coefficient. The management server 200 accepts input of audit data for financial statements related to the accounting data and registers it in the audit data storage unit. The management server 200 registers information that associates emissions, basic data, accounting data, and audit data in a correspondence database.

Next, we will explain the flow of the accounting data output process in the information processing system of the seventh function.

The management server 200 accepts emission amount identification information from the user terminal 100, reads accounting data identification information and audit data identification information corresponding to the accepted emission amount identification information from the corresponding database, and acquires and outputs accounting data and/or audit data identified by the read accounting data identification information and/or audit data identification information. The accounting data is acquired, for example, by accessing an accounting system, and accounting data that cannot be acquired from the accounting system can be acquired from the accounting data storage unit. The audit data can be acquired from the audit data storage unit.

As described above, the information processing system of the seventh function can manage accounting data and/or audit data related to the basic data used to calculate greenhouse gas emissions in association with the emissions. Therefore, in the case of audits, third-party certification, etc., it is possible to easily present the emissions and the accounting data and/or audit data corresponding to the basic data used to calculate the emissions.

In the embodiment of the seventh function, the system is a client-server configuration, but for example, the user terminal 100 can also have the functions of the management server 200.

The acquisition unit 250, calculation unit 210, and output unit 240 of the management server 200 may be executed by a system (mechanical system) with artificial intelligence that can learn by itself.

<Disclosures>
The seventh function also includes the following configuration.
[Item G1 (P016)]
an information processing system comprising: a data acquisition unit that acquires basic data for calculating greenhouse gas emissions; an emission calculation unit that calculates the emissions based on the basic data; a correspondence database that stores information identifying the basic data or information identifying the emissions, in association with information identifying accounting data which is at least one of accounting record data, financial statement data, and audit evidence data indicating the basic data; and an accounting data output unit that accepts designation of the information identifying the basic data or information identifying the emissions, and reads out and outputs information identifying the accounting data corresponding to the designated basic data or the emissions from the correspondence database.
[Item G2]
An information processing system according to item G1, comprising a memory unit that stores external data, which is the accounting data that is not recorded in an external accounting system, and the accounting data output unit accesses the accounting system to obtain, among the accounting data corresponding to the specified basic data or the specified emissions, data that is recorded in the accounting system, and obtains, from the memory unit, data that is not recorded in the accounting system, and outputs the obtained accounting data.
[Item G3]
An information processing system according to item G1, comprising an audit data storage unit that stores audit data indicating that an accounting audit has been conducted on financial statements related to the accounting data, wherein the correspondence database stores information identifying the basic data or information identifying the emissions, information identifying the accounting data, and information identifying the audit data in association with each other, and the accounting data output unit reads out and outputs the information identifying the accounting data corresponding to the specified basic data or emissions and the information identifying the audit data from the correspondence database.

<<Exchange function for basic unit (8th function)>>
Next, although some of the configurations have been described in the above-described embodiments, an example of a configuration that can be further applied to the above-described embodiments of the first to seventh functions is described in detail below as an embodiment of the eighth function.

<System Overview>
The management server 200 is communicably connected to other management servers 200 via a communication network 300. In the example of Fig. 1, the management server 200 is one management server 200, and although not shown, a management server 200 connected to the one management server 200 is another management server 200, and the two management servers 200 are communicably connected to each other.

The management server 200 is a computer (information processing device) that outputs greenhouse gas emission status (emission coefficient (emissions unit), activity amount, emission amount). The greenhouse gas emissions by a company can be calculated by multiplying the activity amount of the company (for example, the number of products produced) by the emission unit for that company. The management server 200 can also transmit its own emission unit (which may include activity amount and emission amount) to other management servers 200 (information processing devices), and can obtain other people's emission unit from the other management servers 200. This makes it possible to calculate emissions for the entire supply chain, including the company itself.

In this embodiment, each company exchanges the emission unit values (primary data) calculated for its own company, allowing more realistic emissions to be calculated.

An example of the software configuration of the management server 200 in the eighth function will be described with reference to FIG. 3. The management server 200 includes a memory unit 230 (emissions intensity unit memory unit, product information memory unit, product usage information memory unit), an acquisition unit 250 (emissions intensity unit acquisition unit, activity amount acquisition unit, company information acquisition unit), a calculation unit 210 (emissions amount calculation unit, emissions intensity unit calculation unit, product-specific emissions calculation unit), and an output unit 240 (emissions amount output unit, emissions intensity unit transmission unit, data ratio output unit).

The emission intensity memory unit constituting the memory unit 230 stores coefficients (called emission intensity units) for calculating greenhouse gas emissions in association with companies. The emission intensity memory unit can store emission intensity units and primary data ratios in association with company IDs indicating companies and product IDs indicating products (including services; the same applies below) provided by the companies. Primary data is data collected by the companies themselves, obtained from direct measurements, or obtained from calculations based on direct measurements in the first source of information. Data other than primary data is secondary data. For example, secondary data is data that has been standardized (statistically processed) from the emissions of multiple companies that provide the same type of product. The primary data ratio is the proportion of emissions calculated using primary data to the total amount of calculated emissions.

The product information storage unit constituting the storage unit 230 stores information about products (product information). The product information can include various information about the product, such as the product name, associated with a product ID that indicates the product. The product information storage unit is assumed to register product information about all products that the company provides to other companies.

The product usage information storage unit constituting the storage unit 230 stores information (product usage information) about other products (hereinafter referred to as product usage) used to provide the product. The product usage is, for example, raw materials used to produce the product. The product usage information can include a product ID indicating the product, a product usage ID indicating the product usage, a company ID indicating the company that provides the product usage, and the amount of product usage (amount used) used for one product.

The emission intensity acquisition unit constituting the acquisition unit 250 acquires emission intensity calculated by a company (associated company) that corresponds to at least one of the upstream and downstream of the supply chain. The associated company is a company that provides products in a category defined in Scope 3 of the GHG Protocol. The emission intensity acquisition unit may accept an input of the emission intensity from a user, but in this embodiment, the emission intensity is acquired from another management server 200. The management server 200 can provide a primary data ratio together with the emission intensity. The emission intensity acquisition unit can update the emission intensity storage unit with the acquired emission intensity and primary data ratio. The emission request unit acquisition unit can update the emission intensity and primary data ratio corresponding to the company ID indicating the associated company related to the other management server 200 from which the emission intensity was acquired and the product ID indicating the product purchased from the associated company to the acquired one. When the emission intensity of the secondary data is registered in the emission intensity storage unit, the emission intensity acquisition unit can set the primary data ratio to "0".

The activity amount acquisition unit constituting the acquisition unit 250 acquires the activity amount related to the products used by the related company. The activity amount can be, for example, the amount of products provided by the related company, such as the number of products, the amount of energy, or the distance traveled by logistics. The activity amount acquisition unit can acquire the activity amount related to the related company from the management server 200 of the related company. The activity amount acquisition unit may be configured to accept input of the activity amount of the related company from the user. In addition, the activity amount acquisition unit may access, for example, an accounting system, a sales management system, an inventory management system, etc., and acquire the number (amount) of products purchased from the related company as the activity amount.

The emission amount calculation unit constituting the calculation unit 210 reads out the emission unit values corresponding to the related company and product from the emission unit value storage unit, and multiplies the activity amount of the related company (e.g., the amount of product used) by the read emission unit value to calculate the emission amount related to the product used by the related company. The usage amount used to calculate the emission amount may be the activity amount of the related company (e.g., the number of products purchased) obtained by the activity amount acquisition unit by accessing, for example, an accounting system, a sales management system, or an inventory management system, or may be received by the activity amount acquisition unit from the management server 200 of the related company.

The emission output section constituting the output unit 240 can output the emission amount for each associated company. The emission output section can output the emission amount for each associated company and product used. The emission output section can also output the emission intensity for each associated company. The emission output section can output the emission intensity for a plurality of associated companies that provide the same product in a comparable manner. The emission output section can output the emission intensity for an associated company that provides a product and an associated company that provides a substitute for that product in a comparable manner. The emission output section may also output the emission intensity for associated companies with which there is no transaction. In other words, it can also output the emission intensity for associated companies that are other providers of the product used, associated companies that provide substitutes, etc. in a comparable manner.

The company information acquisition unit constituting the acquisition unit 250 acquires the company's emissions and/or activity amounts. The company information acquisition unit can, for example, accept input of the emissions and/or activity amounts. The company information acquisition unit may calculate the emissions using a known method. The company information acquisition unit may acquire activity amounts (such as the number of company products sold) from, for example, an accounting system, a sales management system, an inventory management system, etc. The company information acquisition unit can acquire the emissions and/or activity amounts for each product. In addition, the company information acquisition unit acquires the amount of the company's emissions calculated based on primary data (referred to as the company's primary data emissions). Of the company's direct or indirect emissions (scope 1 and scope 2), for example, when the scope 2 emissions are calculated based on secondary data related to electricity charges, the company information acquisition unit can calculate the company's primary data emissions by excluding the emissions related to the use of electricity in scope 2 from the total emissions of scope 1 and scope 2.

When a product is used in multiple products, the company information acquisition unit acquires the amount of the product used for each product (for example, this can be acquired from an accounting system, sales management system, inventory management system, etc.), the activity amount acquisition unit calculates the activity amount of the product used for each product by apportioning the activity amount of the product used according to the usage amount for each product, and the emissions calculation unit multiplies the apportioned activity amount of the product used for each product by the emissions unit of the product used to calculate the emissions related to the product used by the associated company.

In addition, when the activity amount acquisition unit acquires the activity amounts related to multiple products used by the related enterprise collectively, the company information acquisition unit acquires the usage amount used for the multiple products used procured from the related enterprise (for example, this can be acquired from an accounting system, sales management system, inventory management system, etc.), and calculates the activity amount of the product and the product used corresponding to the product by apportioning the activity amount according to the usage amount of each product used acquired, and the emission calculation unit can calculate the emission amount related to the product used by the related enterprise by multiplying the activity amount corresponding to the product and the product used by the emission unit of the product used.

The emission intensity calculation unit that constitutes the calculation unit 210 calculates the company's emission intensity, which is the company's emission intensity, based on the company's acquired emissions and activity volume.

The emission unit transmission unit constituting the output unit 240 can transmit the company's emission unit to another management server 200 (a system of an associated company). The emission unit transmission unit may transmit the company's emission unit in response to a request from another management server 200, or may transmit the company's emission unit periodically or each time the company's emission unit is calculated.

The data ratio output unit constituting the output unit 240 can output the primary data ratio related to the emission amount related to the company's product. The data ratio output unit can calculate the primary data ratio. For example, the data ratio output unit can calculate the emission amount related to the product used multiplied by the primary data ratio of the product used for each product used in a certain product (referred to as the primary data emission amount), add the emission amount (scopes 1 and 2) emitted by the company for the product and the total of the calculated primary data emission amount for all the products used to calculate the total emission amount based on the primary data, and divide the calculated total value by the emission amount related to the product (total of scopes 1 to 3) to calculate the primary data ratio related to the product. For example, the data ratio output unit can obtain the product ID, usage amount, and company ID corresponding to the product ID indicating the company's product from the product information storage unit, obtain the primary data ratio corresponding to the company ID and the product ID used from the emission intensity storage unit, and calculate the primary data emission amount by multiplying the emission amount of the product used (which may be the value obtained by multiplying the usage amount by the emission intensity, or may be configured to accept the input of the emission amount) by the primary data ratio. In addition, if the data ratio output unit calculates the emissions emitted by the company using secondary data, it can add only the company's primary data emissions to the total primary data emissions of the products used.

The emission unit acquisition section constituting the acquisition unit 250 can also acquire emissions emitted by an associated company that provides a product used in one or more products from the management server 200 of the associated company. In this case, the emission unit acquisition section can calculate the emission amount for each product by apportioning the emissions based on a predetermined standard. For multiple products that use the same product, the emission unit acquisition section can apportion the emissions of the product used based on the production volume of the product, etc. The emission unit acquisition section can calculate the emission unit for the product used by the associated company by dividing the emission amount for each product by the usage amount of the product.

The product-specific emission calculation unit constituting the calculation unit 210 calculates the emission amount related to the product (called PCF (Product Carbon Footprint)). If the emission intensity acquisition unit is able to acquire the emission intensity, the product-specific emission calculation unit can calculate the first product-specific emission amount related to the used product by multiplying the emission intensity by the usage amount of the product used. If the emission intensity acquisition unit is unable to acquire the emission intensity and is able to acquire the emission amount related to all the used products provided to the company, the product-specific emission calculation unit can calculate the second product-specific emission amount by apportioning the emission amount according to a predetermined standard. The product-specific emission calculation unit can calculate the total value of the first product-specific emission amount (emission amount accumulated using the emission intensity), the second product-specific emission amount (emission amount calculated by apportioning the emission amount of the organization unit), and the company's direct or indirect emission amount (emission amount related to the product among the emission amount acquired by the company information acquisition unit), and divide the calculated total value by the activity amount (e.g., the production amount of the product) to calculate the PCF.

<Operation>
FIG. 14 is a diagram for explaining the flow of processing for displaying the emission intensity for each associated company.

The management server 200 acquires the emission intensity from the management server 200 of the related company (S1401). If the management server 200 is unable to acquire the emission intensity (S1402: NO), it acquires the emission amount for all the products used provided to the company by the related company (S1403). If the emission amount can be acquired (S1404: YES), the management server 200 calculates the emission amount for each product used by dividing the emission amount by a predetermined standard (for example, the production volume of each of the company's products) (S1405), and calculates the emission intensity by dividing the emission amount by the usage amount of the product used (S1406). On the other hand, if the management server 200 is unable to acquire the emission amount (S1404: NO), it acquires secondary data related to the products used (S1407). The management server 200 displays the emission intensity for each related company in a comparable manner (S1408). This allows the company to grasp the emission intensity for each related company upstream or downstream in the supply chain, and it becomes possible to grasp the related companies that are working to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Figure 15 is a diagram explaining the process flow for calculating the PCF.

When the management server 200 obtains the amount of emissions related to all the products used that are provided to the company by the related companies for each of the products used by the company (S1501: YES), it calculates the amount of emissions by product by apportioning the amount of emissions by a predetermined standard (for example, the production volume of each of the company's products) (S1502). When the amount of emissions is not obtained (S1501: NO), it calculates the amount of emissions by product by multiplying the amount of emissions by the emission intensity (primary data or secondary data) by the amount of use (S1503). The management server 200 can calculate the PCF by summing up the amount of emissions by product (S1504) and dividing the total amount of emissions by the activity amount (production volume, sales volume, etc.) related to the product (S1505). This makes it possible to calculate the PCF using any available data, whether it is the amount of emissions calculated using the emission intensity calculated by LCA (Life Cycle Assessment) or the like (emissions calculated by the accumulation method) or the amount of emissions calculated by dividing the total amount of emissions by the number of products, sales, etc. (emissions calculated by the apportionment method).

The acquisition unit 250, calculation unit 210, and output unit 240 of the management server 200 may be executed by a system (mechanical system) with artificial intelligence that can learn by itself.

<Disclosures>
The eighth function also includes the following configuration.
[Item H1 (P009)]
An information processing system comprising: an emission unit acquisition unit that acquires a first emission unit for calculating a first amount of greenhouse gas emissions and a primary data ratio related to the first emission unit, calculated by an associated company that is a company that is at least one of an upstream and downstream company in a supply chain; an emission unit memory unit that stores the first emission unit and the primary data ratio for each associated company; a company information acquisition unit that acquires the company's second emission amounts; an activity amount acquisition unit that acquires the usage amount of products provided by the associated company and used in the company's products; and a data ratio output unit that outputs the first and second emissions and the primary data ratio related to the products calculated based on the primary data ratio.
[Item H2]
An information processing system according to item H1, wherein the data ratio output unit calculates a primary data ratio for the product by multiplying the first emission amount, which is the amount of usage multiplied by the first emission unit, by the primary data ratio, adding the result to the second emission amount, and dividing the result by the first and second emission amounts.
[Item H3]
An information processing system according to item H1, characterized in that the company information acquisition unit acquires, together with the second emission amount, the company's own primary data emission amount calculated based on primary data by the company, and the data ratio output unit calculates a primary data ratio related to the product based on the first and second emission amounts and the primary data ratio, and the company's own primary data emission amount.
[Item H4]
An information processing system according to item H1, comprising: an emission intensity calculation unit that calculates the company's own emission intensity, which is the emission intensity of the company, based on the acquired company's emissions and activity amount; and a transmission unit that transmits the company's emission intensity to a system of the associated company.
[Item H5]
2. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein the activity amount acquisition unit acquires the activity amount of the related company from a system of the related company.
[Item H6]
an emission unit acquisition unit that acquires an emission unit for calculating a first emission amount of a greenhouse gas, the emission unit being calculated at an associated company that is a company that is at least either upstream or downstream in a supply chain; an emission unit memory unit that stores the emission unit for each associated company; an activity amount acquisition unit that acquires a first activity amount of the associated company related to a product used in the company's products; a company information acquisition unit that acquires the company's second emission amount and second activity amount related to the company's products; and an emission calculation unit that acquires the emission unit corresponding to the associated company from the emission unit memory unit, multiplies the acquired emission unit by the first activity amount of the associated company to calculate the first emission amount, and calculates the emission amount related to the product by apportioning the sum of the first and second emission amounts by the second activity amount.
[Item H7]
The information processing system according to item H6, wherein when the used product is also used in another product, the emission calculation unit calculates a third emission amount, which is the emission amount of the used product related to the product, by prorating the first emission amount in accordance with a ratio of the used product to the product, and calculates the emission amount related to the product by prorating a sum of the second and third emissions by the second activity amount.
[Item H8]
The information processing system according to item H7, wherein the emission calculation unit calculates the third emission amount when the used product is also used in other products, and calculates the first emission amount when the used product is not used in other products, and calculates the emission amount related to the product by apportioning the total value of the first to third emissions by the second activity amount.
[Item H9]
An information processing system comprising: an emission unit acquisition unit that acquires an emission unit for calculating greenhouse gas emissions calculated by an associated company that is a company that is at least either upstream or downstream in a supply chain from the system of the associated company; an emission unit memory unit that stores the emission unit for each associated company; and an output unit that outputs the emission unit for each associated company, wherein when the emission unit acquisition unit acquires the greenhouse gas emissions related to products used for one or more products of the company from the system of the associated company that provides the products used, the emission unit acquisition unit calculates the emission amount by product by apportioning the emission amount based on a predetermined standard, and divides the emission amount by product by the usage amount of the products used to calculate the emission unit corresponding to the associated company and the products used.
[Item H10]
An information processing system according to item H9, comprising: a company information acquisition unit that acquires the company's emissions and activity amount; an emission intensity calculation unit that calculates the company's emission intensity, which is the emission intensity of the company, based on the acquired company's emissions and activity amount; and a transmission unit that transmits the company's emission intensity to a system of the associated company.
[Item H11]
The information processing system according to item H9, further comprising an activity amount acquisition unit that acquires an activity amount of the related company from a system of the related company.

<<Activity estimation function (9th function)>>
Next, although some of the above-mentioned embodiments have been described in detail, an example of a configuration that can be further applied to the above-mentioned embodiments of the first to eighth functions is an embodiment of the ninth function, which will be described in detail below.

<System Overview>
The information processing system relating to the ninth function will be described below. The information processing system of the ninth function is intended to manage the amount of greenhouse gas emissions by an emitter such as a company. This information processing system accepts the input of the amount of activity of the emitter or other emitters located upstream or downstream in the supply chain of the emitter, and calculates the amount of emissions by multiplying it by an emission factor. This information processing system manages which emission factor should be used for which amount of activity, and allows the amount of emissions to be calculated simply by inputting the amount of activity. In addition, the information processing system of the ninth function is intended to calculate the amount of greenhouse gas emissions in the construction industry and visualize the calculation results. In the construction industry, construction transactions generally proceed in the following order: (1) proposal/bidding → (2) order/contract → (3) design → (4) construction (construction) → (5) completion/delivery → (6) completion. (1) At the proposal/bidding stage, the business operator who undertakes the construction work always presents an estimate (hereinafter simply referred to as "estimate") for the construction work cost to the client who is the client or the business operator who is the prime contractor for the construction work. This estimate can also be used to calculate the amount of greenhouse gas emissions generated during construction work. When using an estimate to calculate greenhouse gas emissions, it is necessary to classify the items listed on the estimate and assign an emission intensity unit to each classified item. There are various formats for estimates, and different formats are used by different construction companies (or by the department in charge, even for the same company). In addition, estimates contain many estimated items. For this reason, there is an issue that it takes a lot of man-hours to classify the items listed on the estimate and assign an emission intensity unit (CO2 emission coefficient) to each classified item. The information processing system of the ninth function is intended to solve such issues.

An example of the software configuration of the management server 200 in the ninth function will be described with reference to FIG. 3. The management server 200 includes a memory unit 230 (emission coefficient memory unit, vector information memory unit, activity amount memory unit, emission amount memory unit), an input unit 220 (activity amount input unit, emission coefficient input unit), an estimation unit 270 (activity estimation unit), an acquisition unit 250 (emission coefficient acquisition unit), a calculation unit 210 (emission amount calculation unit), an analysis unit 280 (counting unit), and an output unit 240 (emission coefficient presentation unit).

The emission coefficient memory unit constituting the memory unit 230 stores information including emission coefficients for calculating greenhouse gas emissions (hereinafter referred to as emission coefficient information). The emission coefficients may be primary data (data collected by the emitter itself, obtained from direct measurement, or data obtained from calculations based on direct measurement in the first information source) or secondary data (data other than primary data, for example, data standardized (statistically processed) from the emissions of multiple companies that provide the same type of product).

The emission coefficient storage unit can store emissions in association with activities. The emission coefficient storage unit can store information that identifies an activity (activity specification information), the scope of the activity, and an emission coefficient in association with each other. The emission coefficient storage unit can store activity specification information, the scope of the activity, the category of the activity, and an emission coefficient in association with each other. Note that the scope and category of the activity are assumed to be the scope and category of the GHG Protocol. Also, the category may be omitted.

The activity identification information can be in any format as long as it is information for identifying an activity. For example, if an ID (activity ID) that uniquely identifies an activity is set in the data input to the management server 200 (hereinafter referred to as imported data), the activity ID can be used as the activity identification information.

The vector information storage unit constituting the storage unit 230 stores information for identifying an activity. In this embodiment, the information for identifying an activity is vector information in which words are vectorized. The vector information storage unit stores the vector information and the activity identification information in association with each other.

The activity amount memory unit constituting the memory unit 230 stores the amount of activity. The activity amount memory unit can store a company ID, information specifying the time when the activity was performed (time information), activity specification information, attribute information, and activity amount in association with each other. The time information can be set to any period such as a fiscal year, year, month, date, or date and time range. The attribute information can be various items related to the activity (for example, any items such as a supplier of goods, related department, or person in charge).

The emission amount memory unit constituting the memory unit 230 stores the calculated greenhouse gas emission amount. The emission amount memory unit can store the company ID, time information, scope, category, and emission amount in association with each other. The scope and category can be the scope and category registered in the classification memory unit constituting the memory unit 230.

The activity amount input unit constituting the input unit 220 accepts the input of the activity amount. The activity amount is, for example, the number of products produced (pieces), the number of products purchased (pieces), the weight x distance transported by logistics (ton-kilometers), the amount of fuel consumed (liters), and the amount (yen). The amount includes material costs, transportation costs, labor costs, and the like. The activity amount input unit accepts input of time information and the activity amount from the user along with various attribute information related to the activity. The activity amount input unit may receive import data from the user terminal 100. The import data may be, for example, data exported from an ERP system or the like (export data), data converted from the export data, receipts and estimates obtained from an OCR, and the like. The import data may be, for example, CSV data, JSON data, or XML data. For example, in CSV data, it is known which item is which type of data, and the type of activity can be identified by what value is entered in which item of the CSV data in the activity identification information. Additionally, for JSON data, XML data, etc., the type of item of the set data may be tagged or set as an attribute.

After the estimate received from the business operator contracting the construction work is input by the input unit 220 (e.g., after reading it by OCR), the analysis unit 280 can analyze and classify the items (estimate items) (e.g., classifying them into items that are absolutely necessary for construction work, such as material costs, transportation costs, and labor costs). The analysis unit 280 can be an analysis unit using machine learning, and the items (estimate items) can be classified by machine learning. In addition, drawing data such as BIM/CIM at the design stage and estimates can be acquired by the acquisition unit 250 from the business operator contracting the construction work, and this drawing data and estimate data can be input by the input unit 220. The items may be scopes and/or categories.

The activity estimation unit constituting the estimation unit 270 identifies an activity based on items related to the amount of activity. The activity estimation unit estimates activity specification information by machine learning based on the items. In this embodiment, the activity estimation unit creates vector information by vectorizing the received items, refers to the vector information storage unit, selects vector information (first vector information) stored in the vector information storage unit according to the distance from the created vector information (second vector information), and can read out activity specification information corresponding to the selected first vector information from the vector information storage unit. The activity estimation unit can, for example, identify a predetermined number (which may be one) in order of the smallest distance between the first and second vector information. When the estimation unit 270 (activity estimation unit) estimates activity specification information, it can also estimate an emission coefficient corresponding to the activity specification information.

The emission coefficient acquisition unit constituting the acquisition unit 250 acquires an emission coefficient related to an activity. The emission coefficient acquisition unit can read out an emission coefficient corresponding to the company ID and activity specification information from the emission coefficient storage unit. When the emission coefficient is managed by an external system, the emission coefficient acquisition unit may access the external system to acquire the emission coefficient.

The emission coefficient input unit constituting the input unit 220 accepts the input of an emission coefficient. The emission coefficient input unit identifies the company ID indicating the emission entity to which the user belongs (for example, it can accept the input of a company ID. In addition, the management server 200 has a user information storage unit that stores user information related to the user, and the company ID can be set in the user information and acquired from the user information storage unit), accepts input of activity specification information and an emission coefficient from the user, and registers the company ID, activity specification information, and emission coefficient in the emission coefficient storage unit. If an emission coefficient corresponding to the type of activity amount related to the import data is not stored in the emission coefficient storage unit, the emission coefficient input unit can, for example, notify the user terminal 100 of that fact and accept the emission coefficient from the user terminal 100.

The emission calculation unit constituting the calculation unit 210 calculates the emission amount based on the emission coefficient and the amount of activity. The emission calculation unit can calculate the emission amount for each piece of information received from the user (e.g., each record included in the import data). The emission calculation unit can calculate the emission amount by multiplying the amount of activity by the emission coefficient corresponding to the activity-specific information identified based on the items related to the amount of activity.

If the units in which the activity amount is expressed match the units assumed by the emission factor (tCO2/unit), the emission calculation unit can calculate the emission amount by multiplying the activity amount by the emission factor. If the units do not match, the emission calculation unit can also calculate the emission amount after performing unit conversion.

The emission calculation unit can register the calculated emission amount in the emission amount storage unit. The emission calculation unit can register the company ID, time information such as the current date or time, the scope and category of the calculated emission amount, and the calculated emission amount in the emission amount storage unit in association with each other.

The counting unit constituting the analysis unit 280 counts the emissions. The counting unit can count the emissions calculated by the emission amount calculation unit by scope. The counting unit can count the emissions calculated by the emission amount calculation unit by category. The scope and category corresponding to the company ID and activity specification information can be read from the distribution memory. Note that the counting may be performed by another functional unit such as the calculation unit 210, rather than the analysis unit 280.

The activity specific information presentation unit constituting the output unit 240 presents the estimated activity specific information to the user. In detail, the management server 200 outputs the estimated activity specific information to the user terminal 100. In addition, the emission coefficient presentation unit constituting the output unit 240 presents the estimated emission coefficient to the user. In detail, the management server 200 outputs information on the estimated emission coefficient to the user terminal 100. The information presented may be one or multiple. If there is only one estimated information, one piece of information is presented. If there is multiple estimated information, all information may be presented, or information on the top five (not limited to five) analysis scores based on the results of the analysis may be presented, or one piece of information with the highest analysis score based on the results of the analysis may be presented.

Figure 16 is a diagram explaining the process of identifying activities.

The management server 200 accepts activity amounts and items related to activity amounts from the outside (S1601). For example, it can accept uploads of CSV data from the user terminal 100, accept inputs into forms, and accept data such as acquired receipts and estimates by reading them using OCR. The management server 200 vectorizes the accepted items to create vector information (S1602), and identifies activity-specific information corresponding to the vector information stored in the vector information storage unit that is close to the vectorized vector information (one or more). When the management server 200 identifies multiple activity-specific information, it proposes (presents) the activity-specific information to the user through the output unit 240 (S1604). It may be configured to have the user select one of the multiple activity-specific information (or accept input of other activity-specific information). Furthermore, when multiple pieces of activity-specific information are identified, the management server 200 may propose (present) emission coefficients corresponding to the activity-specific information to the user through the output unit 240 and allow the user to select one (or accept input of other emission coefficients). The management server 200 reads the emission coefficient corresponding to the selected activity-specific information from the emission coefficient storage unit (S1605), and calculates the emission amount by multiplying the activity amount by the emission coefficient (S1606). The management server 200 registers the calculated emission amount in the emission storage unit (S1607). The management server 200 may also tally up and output the emission amounts registered in the emission storage unit (S1608).

Figure 17 is a diagram explaining the process of classifying activities.

The management server 200 accepts activity amounts and items related to activity amounts from the outside (S1701). For example, it can accept uploading of CSV data from the user terminal 100, accept input to a form, or accept data such as acquired receipts and estimates by reading them using OCR. The management server 200 vectorizes the accepted items to create vector information (S1702), and identifies activity specific information corresponding to the vector information stored in the vector information storage unit that is close to the vectorized vector information (one or more). The management server 200 also classifies items that are close to the vectorized vector information (S1704). For example, the items can be classified into items such as material costs, transportation costs, and labor costs based on the contents described in the estimate. When the management server 200 identifies multiple activity specific information, it proposes (presents) the activity specific information corresponding to the classified items to the user through the output unit 240 (S1705). The management server 200 may have the user select one of the multiple pieces of activity specifying information (or accept input of other activity specifying information). In addition, when the management server 200 has specified multiple pieces of activity specifying information, the management server 200 may propose (present) emission coefficients corresponding to the activity specifying information to the user through the output unit 240 and have the user select one (or accept input of other emission coefficients). The management server 200 reads out the emission coefficient corresponding to the selected activity specifying information from the emission coefficient storage unit (S1706), and calculates the emission amount by multiplying the activity amount by the emission coefficient (S1707). The management server 200 registers the calculated emission amount in the emission storage unit (S1708). In addition, the management server 200 can tally up and output the emission amount registered in the emission storage unit (S1709). In addition, the management server 200 analyzes and identifies items recommended for reduction from the activity amount, and presents a solution (S1710). The function of providing a solution will be described in the tenth to fifteenth functions. In addition, the management server 200 presents candidates for the emission intensity (CO2 emission coefficient) to be assigned after classifying the items described in the estimate. For example, as candidates for material costs, emission intensity (CO2 emission coefficient) corresponding to typical building materials used in construction work, such as steel frame, reinforcing bar, concrete, glass, aluminum, etc. may be presented as candidates. Note that the type of emission intensity (CO2 emission coefficient) corresponding to the building material may be changed and presented depending on the type of building, and the priority order of the presented emission intensity (CO2 emission coefficient) may be changed.

In this way, activities can be estimated from data on activity levels, facilitating data entry. Furthermore, when calculating greenhouse gas emissions using estimates, the amount of work required to classify the items listed on the estimate and to assign emissions units to each classified item can be reduced. This makes it easier to calculate greenhouse gas emissions in the construction industry.

In this embodiment, the activity is identified according to the distance of the vector information, but the vector information may be set as a prompt and given to a large-scale language model (LLM) to estimate the activity. Also, a learning model can be created by machine learning using items as input data and activity specification information as teacher data. In this case, the activity estimation unit can estimate the activity specification information by giving the accepted items to the learning model. Also, the output unit 240 can visualize the emission amount. Also, the analysis unit 280 can analyze and identify items recommended for reduction from the amount of activity and propose reduction solutions.

The input unit 220, estimation unit 270, acquisition unit 250, calculation unit 210, analysis unit 280, and output unit 240 of the management server 200 may be executed by a system (mechanical system) with artificial intelligence that learns by itself.

<Disclosures>
The ninth function also includes the following configuration.
[Item I1 (P059)]
1. An information processing system comprising: an emission coefficient storage unit that stores an emission coefficient for calculating an amount of greenhouse gas emissions in association with activity specification information that specifies an activity that emits greenhouse gases; an activity amount input unit that accepts input of an activity amount and items related to the activity amount; an activity estimation unit that estimates the activity specification information by machine learning based on the items; and an emission calculation unit that calculates the emission amount by multiplying the activity amount by the emission coefficient corresponding to the estimated activity specification information.
[Item I2]
The information processing system according to item I1 includes a vector information storage unit that stores first vector information, which is obtained by vectorizing the items, and the activity specification information in association with each other, and the activity estimation unit vectorizes the received items to create second vector information, selects the first vector information according to a distance from the created second vector information, and reads out the activity specification information corresponding to the selected first vector information from the vector information storage unit.
[Item I3]
The information processing system according to item I2, wherein the activity estimation unit estimates the activity specification information by providing a prompt including the first and second vector information to a large-scale language model.
[Item I4]
An information processing system according to item I1, comprising a learning model storage unit that stores a learning model created by machine learning using the items and the activity specification information as training data, and the activity estimation unit provides the received items to the learning model to estimate the activity specification information.
[Item I5 (P066)]
An information processing system comprising: an emission coefficient memory unit that stores an emission coefficient for calculating greenhouse gas emissions; an activity amount input unit that accepts input of an activity amount relating to an activity that emits greenhouse gases (e.g., an amount in an estimate) and an item related to the activity amount (e.g., an item in the estimate such as a material cost or transportation cost item); an estimation unit that estimates the emission coefficient using machine learning based on the item; and an emission coefficient presentation unit that presents the estimated emission coefficient.
[Item I6]
The information processing system according to item I5, further comprising a vector information storage unit that corresponds and stores first vector information that vectorizes the items and activity specification information that specifies the activities, wherein the estimation unit creates second vector information by vectorizing the received items, selects the first vector information according to a distance from the created second vector information, and estimates the emission coefficient corresponding to the selected first vector information.

<<Solution matching function (10th function)>>
Next, although some of the above-mentioned embodiments have been described, an example of a configuration that can be further applied to the above-mentioned embodiments of the first to ninth functions is an embodiment of the tenth function, which will be described in detail below. As background technology, solutions that reduce carbon dioxide are being introduced. There is a problem in that it is difficult to grasp what solutions are available. The tenth function aims to provide a technology that can support the reduction of greenhouse gases.

<System Overview>
An example of an information processing system relating to the tenth function, which provides solutions, will be described below using greenhouse gas emissions as an example. The information processing system of this example provides information (hereinafter referred to as solution information) on emission reduction means (also called solutions) to users who are emitters of greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, fluorocarbons, etc.). A solution provider registers the solution information, and users can view the solution information. Users can also contact the provider regarding the solution.

An example of the software configuration of the management server 200 in the tenth function will be described with reference to FIG. 3. The management server 200 includes a storage unit 230 (solution storage unit, user information storage unit, emission amount information storage unit), an acquisition unit 250 (emission amount information acquisition unit, performance acquisition unit), an analysis unit 280 (extraction unit), an output unit 240 (provision unit), an execution unit (solution unit) and a billing processing unit 290.

The solution storage unit constituting the storage unit 230 stores solution information. The solution storage unit can store solution information in association with provider identification information (provider ID) that identifies a provider that provides a reduction means. The solution information can include cost information for determining the cost of the reduction means and reduction information for determining the expected reduction amount of greenhouse gases when the reduction means is adopted. In this example, the solution information can include information for identifying the solution (solution ID), provider ID, solution name, solution description, price, reduction amount, and introduction conditions. The solution name is the name of the reduction means (solution). The solution description is a description of the solution, and can include, for example, text data, image data, audio data, etc. The price may be information for determining the amount related to the user's adoption of the solution. As the price, a unit price related to the provision unit of the solution may be set, or an estimated value of a standard introduction cost may be set. The price may be specified by a range such as a price range. The reduction amount may be information indicating the expected reduction amount of greenhouse gases by the introduction of the solution. The reduction amount may be set as a standard amount of greenhouse gases reduced per company when the solution is introduced, or as a standard value of the reduction amount per unit when the device is introduced, or may be a function that calculates the reduction amount according to various activity amounts. The introduction conditions may set conditions for the emitter that introduces the solution. The introduction conditions may specify, for example, the business or activity content or activity amount that is the target of the solution. The introduction conditions may also specify the scope and/or category to be reduced. The solution storage unit stores not only solution information for environmental information, but also solution information for social information and solution information for governance information.

The user information storage unit constituting the storage unit 230 stores information (hereinafter referred to as user information) about users (dischargers). The user information can include information (user ID) that identifies the user (or discharger), the name of the user (or discharger) (user name), information about the business conducted by the discharger (business information), and information about the equipment used in the business (equipment information). The user information storage unit stores not only user information about environmental information, but also user information about social information and user information about governance information.

The emission information storage unit constituting the storage unit 230 stores information on the amount of greenhouse gas emissions by the emitter (hereinafter referred to as emission information). The emission information can include an aggregated value of the amount of emissions by the emitter. The emission information can include attributes of the emitter. The attributes of the emitter can include the emitter's business, number of employees, region, etc. The attributes of the emitter can also include accounting information such as sales, purchases, and labor costs. The emission information can include additional information related to the activity related to the emission. The additional information can include, for example, activity amount (actual value, aggregated value of actual value, forecast value, etc.). The additional information can also include information for estimating the activity amount. The information for estimating the activity amount can include, for example, floor area, roof area, number of products that can be produced, etc. In this embodiment, the emission information includes information identifying the emitter (e.g., company ID), activity amount, additional information, and emission amount. The emission amount and activity amount can be a specified aggregation period (e.g., year and month), and an aggregated value of the emission amount and activity amount for each scope and category related to the GHG protocol. The additional information may have different setting items depending on the emission entity. The emission information storage unit is the same as the emission storage unit for other functions.

The emission information acquisition unit constituting the acquisition unit 250 acquires emission information. The emission information acquisition unit can receive emission information from the user terminal 100. The emission information acquisition unit may be configured to access another system to acquire emission information. The management server 200 may also be equipped with an emission calculation unit that acquires, for example, the activity amount and emission coefficient related to the emitter and calculates the emission amount by multiplying the acquired activity amount and emission coefficient, and can also acquire various information used to calculate the emission amount, such as the emission amount and activity amount calculated by the emission calculation unit, as emission information. The acquisition unit 250 acquires not only emission information, but also information related to society and information related to governance.

The extraction unit constituting the analysis unit 280 acquires solution information that matches the emission amount information. The extraction unit can match the emission amount and additional information with the solution information. The extraction unit can extract user information of the emission entity and/or emission amount information that satisfies the introduction condition included in the solution information. The extraction unit can preferentially extract a predetermined number of scopes and categories in descending order of emission amount from the emission amount by scope and category included in the emission amount information, and can search for solution information in which the emission amount and/or corresponding additional information related to the scope and category satisfies the introduction condition, for example. The extraction unit can calculate the unit cost per unit reduction amount determined based on the reduction amount determined based on the reduction information and the cost determined by the cost information, and extract a predetermined number of solution information in descending order of unit cost from the solution information that matches the emission amount information. The extraction unit also extracts solution information that matches information on society and solution information that matches information on governance.

The provision unit that constitutes the output unit 240 can provide the extracted solution information to the user.

The performance acquisition unit constituting the acquisition unit 250 acquires information indicating the solution adopted by the emitter and information including the amount of reduction achieved by the solution (hereinafter referred to as performance information). The management server 200 may be provided with a performance information storage unit that stores the performance information.

The billing processing unit constituting the execution unit (solution unit) 290 performs processing (billing) to charge the provider for using the system. The billing processing unit can bill the provider who provided the solution according to the amount of reduction included in the performance information. The billing processing unit may also bill the emitter that adopted the solution according to the amount of reduction included in the performance information. The billing processing unit may, for example, determine the billing amount so that it is higher when the amount of reduction is large. The billing processing unit may, for example, determine the billing amount so that it is lower when the amount of reduction is large. The execution unit 290 also processes solution information for information related to society and solution information for information related to governance.

Figure 18 is a diagram explaining the process of providing solution information. The management server 200 acquires solution information from the provider and registers it in the solution storage unit (S1801), and acquires emission information from the emission entity and registers it in the emission information storage unit (S1802). For each piece of emission information, the management server 200 extracts solution information that matches the emission amount (S1803), and provides the extracted solution information to the emission entity that is the provider of the emission information (S1804). The management server 200 acquires performance information (S1805), and can charge according to the reduction amount included in the performance information (S1806).

In this way, the information processing system of this embodiment can match solution information with the emitter (emissions amount information).

Conditions for solution information can be set in the emission information, and the management server 200 can narrow down the solution information that matches the emission information to only those that satisfy the emission information conditions.

The management server 200 can display a list of solution information on the user terminal 100. The management server 200 can display the list of solution information in the order in which it was registered.

The management server 200 can manage the solution information viewed by the user terminal 100, and can provide the solution information with a priority according to the number of views. For example, the management server 200 can display the solution information sorted in order of the number of views. The management server 200 can also transmit only a predetermined number of solution information to the user terminal 100 in order of the number of views.

The management server 200 can display a list of only a portion of the solution information on the user terminal 100, accept selection (tap or click) of solution information from the user terminal 100, and manage the selection of solution information. The management server 200 can provide solution information with a priority according to the number of selections. For example, the management server 200 can display the solution information sorted in order of the number of selections. Furthermore, the management server 200 can transmit only a predetermined number of solution information to the user terminal 100 in order of the number of selections.

The management server 200 can obtain and manage evaluations of solutions from users. For example, a list of evaluation values obtained from users and/or aggregate values (e.g., average values or total values) can be set in the solution information. The management server 200 can provide solution information with a priority according to the aggregate value of the evaluation values. For example, the management server 200 can display the solution information sorted in order of evaluation value. Furthermore, the management server 200 can transmit only a predetermined number of solution information to the user terminal 100 in order of evaluation value.

In addition, the management server 200 can provide solution information preferentially if an additional fee is paid by the provider.

The management server 200 may also include an application processing unit that accepts an application for a solution. The management server 200 may provide a reward to a user for the application for the solution.

In addition, when a contract for a solution is concluded, the management server 200 can charge the provider a specified percentage of the contract fee. In addition, the management server 200 can be equipped with a notification unit that notifies the user and/or the provider when a contract is concluded.

The acquisition unit 250, analysis unit 280, output unit 240, and execution unit (solution unit) 290 of the management server 200 may be executed by a system (mechanical system) with artificial intelligence that can learn by itself.

<Disclosures>
The tenth function also includes the following configuration:
[Item J1 (P039)]
An information processing system comprising: an acquisition unit that acquires environmental information including emission information regarding the amount of greenhouse gas emissions by an emission entity that emits greenhouse gases, social information, and governance information from a user who is an emission entity that emits greenhouse gases; a solution storage unit that stores at least solution information regarding means of reducing the greenhouse gases; an extraction unit that extracts the solution information that matches the emission information; and a provision unit that provides the extracted solution information to the user.
[Item J2]
An information processing system according to item J1, characterized in that conditions for the releasing entity are set in the solution information, and the extraction unit extracts the releasing entity that satisfies the conditions included in the solution information.
[Item J3]
An information processing system according to item J2, characterized in that the emission information is accompanied by additional information relating to activities related to the emission amount, and the extraction unit matches the emission amount and the additional information with the solution information.
[Item J4]
An information processing system according to item J1, characterized in that the emission information includes the greenhouse gas emissions aggregated for each scope and category related to a GHG protocol, and the extraction unit preferentially extracts the solution information corresponding to the scope and the category in which the emissions are large.
[Item J5]
An information processing system according to item J1, wherein the solution information includes cost information for determining the cost of the reduction means and reduction information for determining an expected amount of reduction of the greenhouse gas when the reduction means is adopted, and the extraction unit calculates a unit cost per unit reduction amount determined based on the reduction amount determined based on the reduction information and the cost determined by the cost information, and extracts a predetermined number of the solution information that matches the emission information in order of the unit cost.
[Item J6]
An information processing system according to item J1, characterized in that the solution information includes an expected reduction amount, and a predetermined number of the solution information are extracted according to the reduction amount.
[Item J7]
An information processing system according to item J1, characterized in that it comprises: a performance acquisition unit that acquires information indicating the solution adopted by the emission entity and the amount of reduction achieved by the solution; and a billing processing unit that charges the provider in accordance with the amount of reduction.

<<Solution matching function (11th function)>>
Next, although some of the above-mentioned embodiments have been described, an example of a configuration that can be further applied to the above-mentioned embodiments of the first to tenth functions is an embodiment of the eleventh function, which will be described in detail below. As background technology, solutions for reducing carbon dioxide are being introduced. There is a problem that it is difficult to grasp what carbon dioxide reduction solutions are available. The eleventh function aims to provide a technology that can easily grasp reduction solutions for greenhouse gases including carbon dioxide and support the reduction of greenhouse gases.

<System Overview>
The information processing system relating to the eleventh function will be described below. The information processing system of this embodiment provides information (hereinafter referred to as solution information) on emission reduction means (also called solutions) to users who are emitters of greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, fluorocarbons, etc.). A provider registers solution information for a solution, and users can view the solution information. Users can also contact the provider regarding the solution.

An example of the software configuration of the management server 200 in the eleventh function will be described with reference to FIG. 3. The management server 200 includes a storage unit 230 (solution storage unit, user information storage unit), an output unit 240 (provision unit, user information transmission unit), an input unit 220, an analysis unit 280 (search unit), an execution unit (solution unit) and a billing processing unit 290.

The solution storage unit constituting the storage unit 230 stores solution information. The solution storage unit can store solution information in association with provider identification information (provider ID) that identifies a provider that provides a reduction means. In this embodiment, the solution information can include information for identifying the solution (solution ID), provider ID, solution name, solution description, price, reduction amount, and introduction conditions. The solution name is the name of the reduction means (solution). The solution description is a description of the solution, and can include, for example, text data, image data, and voice data. The price can be information for determining the amount involved when a user adopts the solution. As the price, a unit price related to the provision unit of the solution may be set, or an estimated value of a standard introduction cost may be set. The price may be specified by a range such as a price range. The reduction amount can be information indicating the amount of greenhouse gas reduction expected by introducing the solution. As the reduction amount, a standard amount of greenhouse gas reduced per company when the solution is introduced may be set, or a standard value of the reduction amount per unit when the device is introduced may be set, or a function that calculates the reduction amount according to various activity amounts. The introduction conditions can be set for the waste producers who will be introducing the solution. For example, the introduction conditions can specify the business or activity that will be the target of the solution, as well as the amount of activity.

The user information storage unit constituting the storage unit 230 stores information about users (dischargers) (hereinafter referred to as user information). The user information can include information identifying the user (or discharger) (user ID), the name of the user (or discharger) (user name), information about the business conducted by the discharger (business information), information about the equipment used in the business (equipment information), and the like.

<Functional department>
The providing unit constituting the output unit 240 provides solution information to a user. The providing unit can provide the solution information in response to a request from the user terminal 100. The providing unit can, for example, read out all or part of the solution information stored in the solution storage unit and transmit it to the user terminal 100. The providing unit can, for example, create screen information (which can be described, for example, in HTML) for depicting the solution name, solution description, price, reduction amount, and the like of the solution information, and transmit the screen information to the user terminal 100. For example, when the management server 200 calculates or manages the emission amount of the emission subject, the providing unit may display the solution information together with the output of the emission amount.

The input unit 220 can accept input of solution-specific information (e.g., a solution ID) that identifies solution information from the user. The providing unit can read out the solution information indicated by the accepted solution ID from the solution storage unit and transmit it to the user terminal 100. For example, the providing unit can display a list of solution names, the input unit 220 can accept the specification of a solution from the list, and the providing unit can provide solution information related to the specified solution. The input unit 220 can accept input of solution-related keywords from the user.

The search unit constituting the analysis unit 280 searches for solution information. The search unit can search the solution storage unit for solution information that matches the keywords received by the input unit 220. The search unit can search for solution information in which the keywords are included in the solution name, solution description, implementation conditions, etc., for example. The search unit can provide the search results to the user (for example, send them to the user terminal 100).

The user information transmission unit constituting the output unit 240 provides user information to a provider. The user information transmission unit can provide user information of the user to the provider of a solution specified by the user. For example, when the user information transmission unit receives a solution ID from the user terminal 100, it can obtain solution information corresponding to the received solution ID from the solution storage unit and transmit the user information corresponding to the user to the provider indicated by the provider ID included in the obtained solution information. The destination of the user information can be, for example, the management server 200, which is provided with a provider information storage unit and can manage the provider's contact information (such as an email address or a message destination address) in association with the provider ID.

The billing processing unit constituting the execution unit 290 can perform processing to bill the provider that provided the user information for a referral fee. The billing processing unit can also perform processing to bill the provider identified by the provider identification information corresponding to the solution information stored in the solution storage unit for a listing fee.

<Operation>
FIG. 19 is a diagram for explaining the process of providing solution information. The management server 200 reads all or part of the solution information from the solution storage unit, and transmits a list of solutions based on the read solution information to the user terminal 100 (S1901). The management server 200 can read only solution information whose introduction conditions included in the solution information are satisfied by the user information corresponding to the accessing user. The list of solutions can include, for example, a list of solution IDs and solution names. In addition, a part of the solution description corresponding to the solution name can be added to the list of solutions. In addition, the list of solutions may include a price corresponding to the solution name. The list of solutions may include a reduction amount corresponding to the solution name. The list of solutions may be provided by sorting, for example, in order of price (e.g., from lowest to highest). The list of solutions may be provided by sorting, for example, in order of reduction amount (e.g., from highest to lowest).

The management server 200 determines whether or not a keyword has been received from the user terminal 100 (S1902), and if so (S1902: YES), it can search the solution storage unit for solution information that matches the keyword and send a list of solutions based on the searched solution information to the user terminal 100 (S1903). On the other hand, if the management server 200 has not received a keyword from the user terminal 100 in S1902 (NO), it transitions to S1904.

The management server 200 determines whether or not a solution specification (e.g., a solution ID) has been accepted from the user terminal 100 (S1904), and if so (S1904: YES), it reads solution information corresponding to the specified solution ID from the solution storage unit (S1905), reads user information corresponding to the user of the user terminal 100 from the user information storage unit, and can provide the read user information to the provider indicated by the provider ID included in the solution information (S1906). On the other hand, if the management server 200 has not accepted a solution specification from the user terminal 100 in S1904 (NO), it terminates this process.

In this way, the information processing system of this embodiment can inform users of the solutions offered by providers.

The management server 200 can visualize the amount of emissions by each emitter. For example, the management server 200 can acquire the amount of activity and the emission factor, and calculate the amount of emissions by multiplying the amount of activity by the emission factor. The management server 200 can tally up the calculated emissions, for example, by scope and category defined in the GHG Protocol, create screen information for displaying the tally results, and send it to the user terminal 100. The management server 200 can create screen information to display a list of solutions together with the tally results.

In addition, the operator can analyze the results of the emissions calculation as described above, and input the designation of the solution (multiple solutions are possible) that is deemed appropriate for reducing these emissions into the management server 200, and the solution information selected by the operator can be transmitted to the user terminal 100.

The solution information may include the posting date. The management server 200 can sort the list of solutions in order of the posting date. The solution information may also include the last update date and time. The management server 200 can prioritize inclusion in the list of solutions where the last update date and time is within a specified period.

The management server 200 can include in the solution information the number of views by users of the solution information. For example, when the management server 200 transmits a list of solutions to the user terminal 100, it can increment the number of views included in the solution information related to the solution included in the list. For example, when a solution is specified by a user, the management server 200 can increment the number of views of the solution information corresponding to the specified solution. The management server 200 can create a solution list by reading out a predetermined number of solution information in order of most or least number of views. For example, it may display something like "Currently viewed by XX users." The management server 200 may include the number of views of the solution information in the solution list.

The management server 200 may be configured to manage the number of applications for a solution. When an application for a solution is accepted, the management server 200 may be configured to transmit user information to the provider. The management server 200 may also be provided with an application history storage unit that stores the application history of the solution (information that associates the solution ID, the user ID, and the application date and time). The management server 200 may count the number of application histories corresponding to the solution for a specified period (e.g., the past month), calculate the number of applications, and include the number of applications in the list of solutions.

The management server 200 may be configured to manage word-of-mouth evaluations of solutions. The management server 200 is configured to receive word-of-mouth evaluations (scores, likes, etc.) of solution information viewed from the user terminal 100, and to store the received word-of-mouth evaluations. The management server 200 may preferentially present solutions with good word-of-mouth evaluations to the user. For example, a list of solutions may be created in order of the aggregated word-of-mouth evaluation values. The management server 200 may also allow the user to specify multiple (or even two) pieces of solution information, and display the specified solution information for comparison.

The management server 200 may manage the user's past browsing history and output all the solutions stored as the browsing history or application history.

The conditions for introducing solution information can be set to specify the industry and location. In this case, solutions that suit the user's industry and location can be presented to the user.

The management server 200 can manage multiple companies with capital ties. The management server 200 can identify providers with capital ties to the user, extract solution information related to the identified providers, and provide it to the user. Alternatively, the solution information of providers with capital ties to the user may be displayed in a subordinated manner.

The solution information may include a designation of how the solution information is to be displayed. The management server 200 may preferentially display solution information related to providers who are willing to pay an additional fee. The management server 200 may provide a reward to a user who applies for a solution via the management server 200. When a solution contract is concluded between a user and a provider, the management server 200 may perform a process of charging the provider a predetermined percentage of the contract amount. When a solution contract is concluded between a user and a provider, the management server 200 may transmit a message indicating this to the operator of the information processing system.

The output unit 240, the input unit 220, the analysis unit 280, the output unit 240, and the execution unit 290 of the management server 200 may be executed by a system (mechanical system) with artificial intelligence that can learn by itself.

<Disclosures>
The eleventh function also includes the following configuration.
[Item K1 (P037)]
An information processing system comprising: a storage unit that stores solution information relating to greenhouse gas reduction means; and a providing unit that provides the solution information to an emitter that emits the greenhouse gas.
[Item K2]
An information processing system according to item K1, comprising: an input unit that accepts input of keywords from the outputting entity; and a search unit that searches the memory unit for solution information that matches the keywords and provides the outputting entity with the search results.
[Item K3]
An information processing system according to item K1, characterized in that the memory unit stores the solution information in association with provider identification information that identifies a provider that provides the reduction means, and includes an input unit that accepts input of solution identification information that identifies the solution information from the discharge entity, and a user information transmission unit that acquires from the memory unit the provider identification information corresponding to the solution information identified by the solution identification information, and transmits information regarding the discharge entity to the provider identified by the acquired provider identification information.
[Item K4]
An information processing system according to item K3, further comprising a billing processing unit for performing processing to bill the provider that transmitted the information regarding the waste discharge subject for a referral fee.
[Item K5]
An information processing system according to item K1, characterized in that the memory unit stores the solution information in association with provider identification information that identifies a provider that provides the reduction means, and the information processing system is provided with a billing processing unit that performs processing to bill the provider identified by the provider identification information that corresponds to the solution information stored in the memory unit for a listing fee.

<<Solution matching function (12th function)>>
Next, although some of the above-mentioned embodiments have been described, an example of a configuration that can be further applied to the above-mentioned embodiments of the first to eleventh functions is an embodiment of the twelfth function, which will be described in detail below. As background technology, solutions that reduce carbon dioxide are being introduced. There is a problem in that it is difficult to grasp what solutions are available. The twelfth function aims to provide a technology that can support the reduction of greenhouse gases.

<System Overview>
The information processing system relating to the twelfth function will be described below. The information processing system of this embodiment provides information (hereinafter referred to as solution information) on emission reduction means (also called solutions) to users who are emitters of greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, fluorocarbons, etc.). The users register information on the emissions of the emitters, and a solution provider proposes solution information suitable for the emitters and provides it to the users.

An example of the software configuration of the management server 200 in the twelfth function will be described with reference to FIG. 3. The management server 200 includes a memory unit 230 (emissions amount information memory unit, destination memory unit, performance information memory unit), an acquisition unit 250 (emissions amount information acquisition unit, solution information acquisition unit, execution information acquisition unit, advice acquisition unit), an output unit 240 (emissions amount information provision unit, solution information provision unit, execution information provision unit, advice provision unit), a calculation unit 210 (reduction amount calculation unit), and an execution unit (solution unit) 290 (billing processing unit).

The emission information storage unit constituting the storage unit 230 stores information on the amount of greenhouse gas emissions by the emitter (hereinafter referred to as emission information). The emission information can include an aggregated value of the amount of emissions by the emitter. The emission information can include attributes of the emitter. The attributes of the emitter can include the emitter's business, number of employees, region, etc. The attributes of the emitter can also include accounting information such as sales, purchases, and labor costs. The emission information can include additional information related to the activity related to the emission. The additional information can include, for example, activity amount (actual value, aggregated value of actual value, forecast value, etc.). The additional information can also include information for estimating the activity amount. The information for estimating the activity amount can include, for example, floor area, roof area, number of products that can be produced, etc. In this embodiment, the emission information includes information identifying the emitter (e.g., company ID), activity amount, additional information, and emission amount. The emission amount and activity amount can be a specified aggregation period (e.g., year and month), and an aggregated value of the emission amount and activity amount for each scope and category related to the GHG protocol. The additional information may have different settings depending on the emitter.

The destination memory unit constituting the memory unit 230 stores information including information identifying a provider capable of providing emissions information for each emitter (hereinafter referred to as destination information). The destination information can include information identifying the emitter (e.g., a company ID) and information identifying the provider (e.g., a provider ID). It is also possible to specify a different disclosure range for each destination information and destination. For example, the destination information can include a provider ID identifying the destination provider and the disclosure range of emissions information for that provider ID in association with each other.

The performance information storage unit constituting the storage unit 230 stores information including greenhouse gas emissions for each emitter (hereinafter referred to as performance information). The performance information can include information identifying the emitter (e.g., a company ID) and the performance value of the greenhouse gas emissions. The performance value can be the aggregate value of the emissions for a specified aggregation period (e.g., year and month) and for each scope related to the GHG Protocol (scope and category for Scope 3).

<Functional department>
The emission information acquisition unit constituting the acquisition unit 250 acquires emission information. The emission information acquisition unit can receive emission information from the user terminal 100. The emission information acquisition unit may acquire emission information by accessing another system. The management server 200 may include an emission calculation unit that acquires, for example, an activity amount and an emission coefficient related to an emission subject, and calculates an emission amount by multiplying the acquired activity amount and emission coefficient, and may acquire various information used in calculating an emission amount, such as the emission amount and activity amount calculated by the emission calculation unit, as emission information.

The emission information acquisition unit can acquire emission information relating to emissions before the implementation of greenhouse gas reduction measures (hereinafter referred to as pre-implementation emissions) and register it in the emission storage unit, and acquire emission information relating to emissions after the implementation of the reduction measures (hereinafter referred to as post-implementation emissions) and register performance information including the acquired emissions in the performance information storage unit.

The emission amount information providing unit constituting the output unit 240 provides the emission amount information to the provider. The emission amount information providing unit may provide the emission amount information to all providers, or may provide the emission amount information according to the provider that sent the request. Also, the emission entity side may be able to control the destination to which the emission amount information is provided. When destination information corresponding to the company ID included in the emission amount information is registered in the destination storage unit, the emission amount information providing unit may provide the emission amount only to the provider specified in the destination information. Also, when a disclosure range is specified in the emission amount information, the emission amount information providing unit may provide only the disclosure range of the emission amount information.

The solution information acquisition unit constituting the acquisition unit 250 acquires information on reduction measures (hereinafter referred to as solution information) from the provider. The solution information may include cost information for determining the cost of the reduction measures, and reduction information for determining the amount of greenhouse gas reduction expected when the reduction measures are adopted. The solution information may also include, for example, the name, description, and implementation method of the reduction measures, and information identifying the types of greenhouse gases that can be reduced.

The solution information providing unit constituting the output unit 240 can provide the solution information to the user (transmit it to the user terminal 100). The solution information providing unit may transmit the acquired solution information to the user terminal 100 each time the solution information providing unit acquires the solution information, or the management server 200 may be provided with a solution information storage unit that stores the solution information acquired during a predetermined period for each issuing entity (e.g., company ID), and one or more pieces of solution information stored in the solution information storage unit may be provided.

In addition, when providing multiple solution information for one waste generator, the solution information providing unit can provide the solution information in a priority order according to the reduction information included in the solution information. For example, the solution information providing unit can provide a list of solution information sorted in order of reduction amount (e.g., largest to smallest) determined based on the reduction information. The solution information providing unit may also provide only a predetermined number of solution information in order of the determined reduction amount. The solution information providing unit can provide a list of solution information sorted in order of cost (e.g., lowest to largest) determined by the cost information. The solution information providing unit can calculate the unit cost per unit reduction amount from the reduction amount based on the reduction information and the cost based on the cost information, and can provide solution information with this unit cost attached, provide solution information sorted in order of unit cost (e.g., lowest to largest), or provide only a predetermined number of solution information in order of unit cost.

The execution information acquisition unit constituting the acquisition unit 250 acquires execution information indicating the execution status of the reduction measures by the emitter. The execution information can include information for identifying the emitter (e.g., a company ID) and information for identifying the reduction amount (actual value and/or predicted value). In this embodiment, the execution information is actual information, and the reduction amount is calculated based on actual information at multiple points in time.

The execution information providing unit constituting the output unit 240 can provide the execution information to the provider of the reduction means. The execution information providing unit can, for example, transmit the execution information to the user terminal 100 of the provider. In this embodiment, performance information before and after execution of the reduction means is provided as the execution information. When destination information is registered in the destination storage unit, the execution information providing unit can transmit the execution information (performance information) only to the provider specified in the destination information.

The advice acquisition unit constituting the acquisition unit 250 can acquire advice corresponding to the execution information from the provider. The advice acquisition unit can receive, for example, advice information for the execution information from the provider's user terminal 100. The advice information can include, for example, text data, image data, etc.

The advice providing unit that constitutes the output unit 240 can transmit advice information to the user who is the emitter.

The reduction amount calculation unit constituting the calculation unit 210 estimates the amount of greenhouse gas reduction resulting from the adoption of the solution, based on the pre-implementation emissions and post-implementation emissions stored in the performance information storage unit. The reduction amount calculation unit can calculate an estimated value of the reduction amount by subtracting the pre-implementation emissions from the post-implementation emissions. The reduction amount calculation unit can also provide the estimated value of the reduction amount to the provider and/or the user. The advice acquisition unit can obtain advice information about this reduction amount from the provider's user terminal 100, and transmit it to the user terminal 100 of the user who is the emitter.

The billing processing unit constituting the execution unit 290 can perform processing (billing) to charge the provider for the use of the system. The billing processing unit can charge the provider according to the amount of reduction. For example, the billing processing unit may periodically charge a registration fee to providers that can receive emission amount information.

<Operation>
20 is a diagram for explaining the process of providing solution information. The management server 200 receives destination information from the user terminal 100 and registers it in the destination storage unit (S2001). The management server 200 receives emission amount information from the user terminal 100 (S2002). The management server 200 can store the emission amount information in the memory 202 or the storage device 203 for a predetermined period of time.

The management server 200 determines whether the destination information corresponding to the company ID indicating the user's emission entity is registered in the destination storage unit (S2003), and if it is registered (S2003: YES), transmits the emission information only to the provider specified in the destination information (S2004). If the destination information has a disclosure range set, the management server 200 can provide only the emission amount included in the disclosure range. On the other hand, if the destination information is not registered in the destination storage unit in S2003 (NO), the management server 200 transmits the emission information to all or some of the providers (S2005). Next, the management server 200 accepts input of solution information from the provider who provided the emission information (S2006), and transmits the accepted solution information to the user terminal 100 (S2007).

In this way, the greenhouse gas emission status of the emitters can be provided to the provider, and the provider can provide solution information regarding reduction measures to the emitter users.

Figure 21 is a diagram explaining the process of managing the execution status of the reduction means. The management server 200 acquires performance information before and after the execution of the reduction means from the user terminal 100 and registers it in the performance information storage unit (S2101). It is also possible to acquire information from the user terminal 100 when the reduction means is executed. The management server 200 provides the performance information before and after the execution to the provider specified in the destination information (S2102). The management server 200 receives advice information from the user terminal 100 of the provider that provided the execution information (S2103), and transmits the received advice information to the user terminal 100 of the user who is the emission subject (S2104). The management server 200 can also estimate the reduction destination by the solution based on the performance information before and after the execution of the reduction means, for example, by subtracting the emission amount after the execution from the emission amount before the execution (S2105). The management server 200 can transmit the estimated reduction amount to the user and/or the provider specified in the destination information (S2106).

In this way, the information processing system of this embodiment can provide emission information regarding the emission amount of the emitter to the provider, and can also obtain information regarding reduction methods (solutions) for reducing the emissions from the provider and transmit the information to the user terminal 100.

In the above embodiment, the destination storage unit manages providers that can provide emission amount information, but it may also manage providers that are prohibited from providing emission amounts. In this case, the emission amount information providing unit and the execution information providing unit can prevent the emission amount information and performance information from being provided to the provider identified by the destination information.

<User visualization data display method>
The management server 200 can also display new solution information preferentially on the user terminal 100. The management server 200 may also display updated solution information preferentially. The management server 200 can change the priority of emission information and/or solution information according to the industry, location, capital structure, listing classification, etc. of the emitter and/or provider. The management server 200 can also display solution information of a provider that has a capital relationship with the emitter preferentially. The management server 200 can also cause the provider to register solution information, match the solution information with the emission information, and provide the provider with emission information that matches the solution preferentially. The management server 200 can display the emission subject's reduction target and its performance correspondingly. The management server 200 can also receive the designation of the scope and/or category that the emitter desires to reduce from among the emission information, and highlight items related to the scope and/or category that the emitter desires to reduce for the provider. The management server 200 can also highlight the category that the user wishes to reduce on the user terminal 100 of the provider. The management server 200 can also include a provision history storage unit that stores the provision history of the emission amount information, and can enable the user to view the provision history. The management server 200 can also manage the fact that the provider has given a "like" to the emission entity, and provide the emission amount information only to the provider that has given the "like". The management server 200 can also include a specification of the type of business or type of solution of the provider that the user wishes to provide to the user, and can provide only solution information related to providers and solutions that match the user's wishes in the provision destination information.

<Screening of visualized data by providers>
Furthermore, the management server 200 can narrow down the emission information to those matching the conditions such as the industry, location, capital structure, listing classification, and financial information of the emitter, in response to a designation from the provider. Furthermore, the management server 200 can include a type in the emission information, accept a designation of the type from the provider, and provide emission information corresponding to the accepted type. Furthermore, the management server 200 can narrow down the emission information according to the user's registration date or the registration or update date of the emission information in response to a designation from the provider. Furthermore, the management server 200 can accept a designation of a keyword from the provider, and search for emission information matching the accepted keyword.

<Solution proposals by providers>
Furthermore, when the management server 200 receives a request from the user terminal 100 requesting a solution proposal, the management server 200 can set a tag indicating that the provider desires a solution proposal in the emission amount information. The management server 200 can display emission amount information according to the tag to the provider. The management server 200 may also be provided with a function for transmitting and receiving messages between users, and may transmit and receive direct messages between the provider and the user. In this case, the management server 200 can set an upper limit on the number of times direct messages can be sent, and the upper limit may be increased when a fee is charged. The management server 200 may also prevent the provider from viewing all of the emission amount information, and an operator of the management server 200 may mediate communication with the provider and/or the user. The management server 200 may also be provided with a function for adding proposals such as discounts and additional services to the solution information and transmitting the proposals to the user terminal 100. In this case, the proposals can be designated and received from the user terminal 100 of the provider. Furthermore, the management server 200 may include an evaluation value storage unit that receives an input of an evaluation value of a solution and/or a provider from a user and stores an evaluation value for each solution and/or provider. The management server 200 may aggregate the evaluation values and attach the aggregated evaluation values to the solution information. Furthermore, the management server 200 may include an evaluation value storage unit that receives an input of a user's evaluation value from a provider and stores an evaluation value for each user. The management server 200 may aggregate the evaluation values of a solution and/or a provider and attach the aggregated evaluation values to the solution information.

<Display the number of people viewing the visualized data to the user.>
Furthermore, the management server 200 can provide the user with information on the number of pieces of emission amount information provided to the provider, along with information on the status of viewing, such as "Provider X has viewed your company's data."

The output unit 240, acquisition unit 250, calculation unit 210, and execution unit 290 of the management server 200 may be executed by a system (mechanical system) with artificial intelligence that can learn by itself.

<Disclosures>
The twelfth function also includes the following configuration.
[Item L1 (P038)]
An information processing system comprising: an emission information acquisition unit that acquires emission information regarding the amount of greenhouse gas emissions by an emission entity from a user of the emission entity that emits greenhouse gas; an emission information provision unit that provides the emission information to a provider that offers means for reducing the greenhouse gas; a solution information acquisition unit that acquires solution information regarding the reduction means from the provider; and a solution information provision unit that provides the solution information to the user.
[Item L2]
An information processing system according to item L1, comprising a destination memory unit that manages information identifying the provider that provides the emission information in correspondence with the emission entity, and the emission information providing unit refers to the destination memory unit to obtain the provider that corresponds to the emission entity that is the source of the emission information, and provides the emission information to the obtained provider.
[Item L3]
Item L1. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein the emission amount information includes additional information related to an activity related to the emission amount.
[Item L4]
An information processing system according to item L3, comprising a destination memory unit that manages information identifying the provider that provides the emission information in correspondence with the emission entity, and the emission information providing unit provides the emission amount to the provider identified by referring to the destination memory unit.
[Item L5]
An information processing system according to item L1, characterized in that it comprises an execution information acquisition unit that acquires execution information indicating the execution status of the reduction means by the emission entity, and an execution information providing unit that provides the execution information to the provider of the reduction means.
[Item L6]
An information processing system according to item L5, comprising: an advice acquisition unit that receives advice information regarding the execution information from the provider; and an advice providing unit that transmits the advice information to the user of the emission subject.
[Item L7]
The information processing system described in item L1 includes an actual information storage unit that stores the emissions, the emission information acquisition unit acquires emission information regarding a first amount of emissions before the reduction means is implemented, and the emission information acquisition unit acquires emission information regarding a second amount of emissions after the reduction means is implemented, the information processing system including a reduction amount calculation unit that calculates a reduction amount of the greenhouse gas based on the first and second amounts of emissions, and a billing processing unit that charges the provider according to the reduction amount.
[Item L8]
An information processing system according to item L1, characterized in that the solution information includes cost information for determining the cost of the reduction means and reduction information for determining an amount of greenhouse gas reduction expected when the reduction means is adopted, and the solution information providing unit calculates a unit cost per unit reduction amount determined based on the reduction amount determined based on the reduction information and the cost determined by the cost information, and proposes the solution information in order of the unit cost.

<<Solution matching function (13th function)>>
Next, although some of the above-mentioned embodiments have been described, an example of a configuration that can be further applied to the above-mentioned embodiments of the first to twelfth functions is an embodiment of the thirteenth function, which will be described in detail below. As background technology, waste treatment is evaluated. There is a problem that it is difficult to grasp what kind of recycled materials can be procured from waste. The thirteenth function aims to provide information on recycled materials.

<System Overview>
The information processing system relating to the thirteenth function will be described below. The information processing system of this embodiment is intended to match an entity (hereinafter referred to as a provider) that provides recycled materials (materials that are collected from used products or waste from manufacturing processes and processed so that they can be used as materials or raw materials for new products) with an entity that intends to procure recycled materials (for example, manufacturers of products, parts, materials, raw materials, etc., and retailers of materials; hereinafter referred to as a procurement entity). In the information processing system of this embodiment, the provider registers information about recycled materials (hereinafter referred to as recycled material information), and a user of the procurement entity can obtain the registered recycled material information and consider procuring it.

An example of the software configuration of the management server 200 in the thirteenth function will be described with reference to FIG. 3. The management server 200 includes a memory unit 230 (recycled material information memory unit, user information memory unit), an output unit 240 (provision unit, user information transmission unit), an input unit 220, an analysis unit 280 (search unit), an execution unit (solution unit) and a billing processing unit 290.

The recycled material information storage unit constituting the storage unit 230 stores recycled material information. The recycled material information storage unit can store recycled material information in association with provider identification information (provider ID) that identifies the provider providing the recycled material. In this embodiment, the recycled material information can include the type of recycled material, information indicating the specific recycled material provided by the provider indicated by the provider ID (recycled material ID), provider ID, recycled material name), description of the recycled material, quality, process, price, implementation record, environmental index, supplyability, circularity index, etc.

The type of recycled material may be, for example, plastic, glass, or iron. The recycled material name is the name of the recycled material. The description is an explanation of the recycled material, and may include, for example, text data, image data, or audio data. The quality may include, for example, information indicating the composition and durability of the recycled material. The process may be information indicating the process of recycling the recycled material. The price may be information for determining the amount involved when the user adopts the recycled material. The price may be set as a unit price for the unit of recycled material provided, or may be set as an estimate of the standard implementation cost. The price may be specified by a range such as a price band. The implementation record is information regarding the recipients of the recycled material, and may be free description using, for example, text information or images.

Environmental indicators are values that express the burden related to various environmental issues. Environmental indicators include, for example, (1) greenhouse gas emission indicators related to climate change (CO2 emissions, CH4 emissions, N2O emissions, CFC emissions, etc.), (2) ozone-depleting substance (ODP) consumption indexes related to ozone layer destruction (CFC and halon consumption, etc.), (3) nitrogen and phosphorus emissions to the hydrosphere and soil, and nutrient balance (fertilizer consumption and nitrogen and phosphorus from livestock, etc.) related to eutrophication, (4) acidification substance emission indicators related to acidification (NOx, SOx emissions, etc.), (5) heavy metal emissions and organic compound emissions (pesticides consumption, etc.) related to hazardous substance status, (6) SOx, NOx, and VOC emissions in urban areas related to urban environmental quality (urban traffic density, urban vehicle ownership, urbanization degree (urban population growth rate, urban land use), etc.), (7) alteration of biological habitats from their natural state and land conversion related to biodiversity (road network density, soil cover change, etc.), and (8) landscape (9) waste generation (domestic waste, industrial waste, hazardous waste, nuclear waste) (e.g., hazardous waste movement), (10) water resource utilization intensity (extraction fee/available resource amount), (11) forest resource utilization intensity (actual harvesting amount/production capacity), (12) fishery resource utilization volume, (13) soil degradation (erosion/desertification) erosion risk: potential and actual land utilization for agriculture (land use change), (14) material resource utilization intensity, (15) socio-economic sectoral and general indicators (not limited to specific environmental issues), such as population growth rate/density, GDP growth rate and composition, private and government final consumption expenditure, industrial production, energy supply composition, road traffic volume, vehicle ownership, agricultural production, etc. Supplyability can be the amount of recycled material available from the provider (annual or monthly supply amount). Supplyability can also include information indicating the availability of a supply quantity (this can be an explanation in the form of text, etc.), as well as information indicating alternative materials to the recycled material, etc.

Circularity indicators are indicators that show a company's circularity, and can be, for example, CTIs (Circular Transition Indicators).

The user information storage unit constituting the storage unit 230 stores information about the user (hereinafter referred to as user information). The user information can include information (user ID) that identifies the user (or procurement entity or provider), the name of the user (user name), information about the products made by the procurement entity or provider (product information), and information about the materials used in the manufacture of the products (material information).

<Functional department>
The providing unit constituting the output unit 240 provides recycled material information to a user. The providing unit can provide recycled material information in response to a request from the user terminal 100. The providing unit can, for example, read out all or part of the recycled material information stored in the recycled material information storage unit and transmit it to the user terminal 100. The providing unit can, for example, create screen information (which can be written, for example, in HTML, etc.) for depicting the recycled material name, description, price, quality, process, implementation record, environmental index, supplyability, circularity index, and the like of the recycled material information, and transmit the screen information to the user terminal 100.

The input unit 220 can accept input of recycled material identification information (e.g., recycled material ID or recycled material name) that identifies recycled material information from the user. The providing unit can read out recycled material information identified by the accepted recycled material identification information from the recycled material information storage unit and transmit it to the user terminal 100. For example, the providing unit may display a list of recycled material names, the input unit 220 may accept the specification of a recycled material from the list, and the providing unit may provide recycled material information related to the specified recycled material. The input unit 220 can accept input of keywords related to the recycled material from the user. The input unit 220 can also accept input of numerical values or numerical ranges. The input unit 220 may accept a combination of keywords, numerical values, numerical ranges, etc.

The search unit constituting the analysis unit 280 can search for recycled material information. The search unit can search the recycled material information storage unit for recycled material information that matches the keywords received by the input unit 220. The search unit can search for recycled material information in which the keywords are included in the recycled material name, description, quality, process, implementation record, etc., for example. The search unit can also search for recycled material information that matches a numerical value. The search unit can also search for recycled material information in which the supply amount included in the supply property matches the input numerical value, is within a predetermined range from the input numerical value, or is within the input numerical value range, for example. The search unit can also search for recycled material information that matches the keywords and also matches the numerical value. The search unit can provide the search results to the user (for example, transmit them to the user terminal 100).

The user information transmission unit constituting the output unit 240 provides user information to a provider. The user information transmission unit can provide user information of the user to a provider of recycled materials specified by the user. For example, when the user information transmission unit receives a recycled material ID from the user terminal 100, it can obtain recycled material information corresponding to the received recycled material ID from the recycled material information storage unit, and transmit the user information corresponding to the user to the provider indicated by the provider ID included in the obtained recycled material information. The destination of the user information can be, for example, the management server 200, which is provided with a provider information storage unit and can manage the provider's contact information (such as an email address or a message destination address) in association with the provider ID.

The billing processing unit constituting the execution unit 290 can perform processing to bill the provider that provided the user information for a referral fee. The billing processing unit can also perform processing to bill the provider identified by the provider identification information corresponding to the recycled material information stored in the recycled material information storage unit for a listing fee.

<Operation>
FIG. 22 is a diagram for explaining the process of providing solution information. The management server 200 reads out all or part of the recycled material information from the recycled material information storage unit, and transmits a list of recycled materials based on the read recycled material information to the user terminal 100 (S2201). For example, the management server 200 may provide only recycled material information in which the type of material included in the material information included in the user information corresponding to the user matches or is similar to the type included in the recycled material information. The list of recycled materials may include, for example, a list of recycled material IDs and recycled material names. In addition, the list of recycled materials may also include a part of the description, quality, process, etc. of the recycled material. In addition, the price of the recycled material may be included in the list of recycled materials. The list of recycled materials may include an environmental index or a circularity index. The list of recycled materials may be provided sorted, for example, in order of price (for example, from cheapest to cheapest).

The management server 200 determines whether or not a keyword and/or a numerical value (numerical range) has been received from the user terminal 100 (S2202), and if so (YES), it can search the recycled material storage unit for recycled material information that matches the keyword and/or numerical value (numerical range), and transmit a list of recycled materials based on the searched recycled material information to the user terminal 100 (S2203). On the other hand, if no keyword and/or numerical value (numerical range) has been received in S2202 (NO), the management server 200 transitions the process to S2204.

The management server 200 determines whether or not a designation of a recycled material (recycled material specific information) has been received from the user terminal 100 (S2204), and if so (YES), reads out recycled material information identified by the designated recycled material specific information from the recycled material storage unit (S2205), reads out user information corresponding to the user of the user terminal 100 from the user information storage unit, and can provide the read out user information to the provider indicated by the provider ID included in the recycled material information (S2206). On the other hand, if the management server 200 has not received a designation of a recycled material (recycled material specific information) from the user terminal 100 in S2204 (NO), it terminates this process.

In this way, the information processing system of this embodiment can inform users of the recycled materials offered by the provider.

For example, a consultant can understand the manufacturing of a user's product, identify recycled materials that can be used in the manufacturing of the product, input the specification of the identified recycled material (several recycled materials are possible) into the management server 200, and transmit the recycled material information selected by the consultant to the user terminal 100.

The recycled material information may include the posting date. The management server 200 can sort the list of recycled materials in order of posting date.

The recycled material information may include the last updated date and time. The management server 200 may prioritize inclusion in the list of recycled materials those whose last updated date and time are within a specified period.

The management server 200 can include in the recycled material information the number of views by users of the recycled material information. For example, when the management server 200 transmits a list of recycled materials to the user terminal 100, it can increment the number of views included in the recycled material information relating to the recycled material included in the list. For example, when a recycled material is specified by a user, the management server 200 can increment the number of views of the recycled material information corresponding to the specified recycled material. The management server 200 can read out a predetermined number of pieces of recycled material information in order of most or least number of views to create a list of recycled materials. For example, it may display something like "Currently viewed by XX users." The management server 200 may include the number of views of the recycled material information in the list of recycled materials.

The management server 200 may be configured to manage the number of procurement applications for recycled materials. When a procurement application for recycled materials is received, the management server 200 may be configured to transmit user information to the provider. The management server 200 may also be equipped with an application history storage unit that stores the procurement application history for recycled materials (information that associates a recycled material ID, a user ID, and an application date and time). The management server 200 may count the number of application histories corresponding to the recycled material for a specified period (e.g., the past month), calculate the number of applications, and include the number of applications in the list of recycled materials.

The management server 200 may manage word-of-mouth evaluations of recycled materials. The management server 200 receives word-of-mouth evaluations (scores, likes, etc.) of recycled material information viewed from the user terminal 100, and stores the received word-of-mouth evaluations. The management server 200 can preferentially present recycled materials with good word-of-mouth evaluations to the user. For example, a list of recycled materials can be created in order of the aggregated word-of-mouth evaluations. The management server 200 may also allow the user to specify multiple (or even two) pieces of recycled material information, and display the specified pieces of recycled material information for comparison.

The management server 200 may manage the user's past browsing history and output all of the recycled materials stored as the browsing history or application history.

The recycled material information can include introduction conditions, and the introduction conditions can be set to specify the type of business and location. In this case, recycled materials that suit the user's type of business and location can be presented to the user.

The management server 200 can manage multiple companies with capital ties. The management server 200 can identify providers with capital ties to the user, extract recycled material information related to the identified providers, and provide it to the user. Alternatively, the recycled material information of providers with capital ties to the user may be displayed in a subordinated manner.

Recycled material information may also include specifications for how the recycled material information is to be displayed.

The management server 200 may preferentially display recycled material information related to providers who pay an additional fee.

The management server 200 may provide a reward to users who apply for recycled materials via the management server 200.

The management server 200 may perform a process to charge the provider a specified percentage of the contract amount when a contract for procurement of recycled materials is concluded between the user and the provider.

When a contract for procurement of recycled materials is concluded between a user and a provider, the management server 200 may send a message to that effect to the operator of the information processing system.

The output unit 240, input unit 220, analysis unit 280, and execution unit 290 of the management server 200 may be executed by a system (mechanical system) with artificial intelligence that can learn by itself.

<Disclosures>
The thirteenth function also includes the following configuration.
[Item M1 (P040)]
An information processing system comprising: a storage unit that stores recycled material information relating to recycled materials; and a providing unit that provides the recycled material information to a procurement entity that procures the recycled materials.
[Item M2]
An information processing system as described in item M1, comprising: an input unit that accepts input of keywords from the procurement entity; and a search unit that searches the memory unit for recycled material information that matches the keywords and provides the search results to the procurement entity.
[Item M3]
An information processing system as described in item M1, characterized in that the memory unit stores the recycled material information in correspondence with provider identification information that identifies a provider providing the recycled material, and includes an input unit that accepts input of recycled material identification information that identifies the recycled material information from the procurement entity, and a procurement entity information transmission unit that acquires from the memory unit the provider identification information corresponding to the recycled material information identified by the recycled material identification information, and transmits information regarding the procurement entity to the provider identified by the acquired provider identification information.
[Item M4]
An information processing system according to item M3, characterized in that it includes a billing processing unit that performs processing to bill the provider that transmitted the information regarding the procurement entity for an introduction fee.
[Item M5]
An information processing system according to item M1, characterized in that the memory unit stores the recycled material information in association with provider identification information that identifies a provider providing the recycled material, and the information processing system is provided with a billing processing unit that performs processing to bill the provider identified by the provider identification information that corresponds to the recycled material information stored in the memory unit for a listing fee.

<<Solution matching function (14th function)>>
Next, although some of the above-mentioned embodiments have been described, an example of a configuration that can be further applied to the above-mentioned embodiments of the first to thirteenth functions is an embodiment of the fourteenth function, which will be described in detail below. As background technology, waste treatment is evaluated. There is a problem in that it is difficult to grasp what kind of recycled materials can be procured from waste. The fourteenth function aims to provide information on recycled materials.

<System Overview>
The information processing system relating to the fourteenth function will be described below. The information processing system of this embodiment is intended to match an entity (hereinafter referred to as a provider) that provides recycled materials (materials that are collected from used products or waste from manufacturing processes and processed so that they can be used as materials or raw materials for new products) with an entity that intends to procure recycled materials (for example, manufacturers of products, parts, materials, raw materials, etc., and retailers of materials; hereinafter referred to as a procurement entity). In the information processing system of this embodiment, a procurement entity that uses recycled materials registers procurement information including conditions for the recycled materials to be procured, and a provider can view the registered procurement information and propose information on recycled materials that the provider can provide (hereinafter referred to as recycled material information).

An example of the software configuration of the management server 200 in the 14th function will be described with reference to FIG. 3. The management server 200 includes a memory unit 230 (procurement information memory unit, destination memory unit, performance information memory unit), an acquisition unit 250 (procurement information acquisition unit, recycled material information acquisition unit, performance information acquisition unit, advice acquisition unit), an output unit 240 (procurement information provision unit, recycled material information provision unit, performance information provision unit, advice provision unit), and an execution unit (solution unit) 290 (billing processing unit).

The procurement information storage unit constituting the storage unit 230 stores information (hereinafter referred to as procurement information) regarding recycled materials procured by the procurement entity. The procurement information may include the type of recycled material to be procured, the amount procured per specified unit period (e.g., month or year), and quality conditions. The quality may include, for example, the composition and durability of the recycled material. The quality may also include the number of times the recycled material has been recycled. The procurement information may include attributes of the procurement entity. The attributes of the procurement entity may include the procurement entity's business, number of employees, region, and the like. The attributes of the procurement entity may also include accounting information such as sales, purchase amount, and labor costs. The procurement information may include the amount of greenhouse gas emissions or information for calculating the emissions related to the production of the recycled material.

The destination memory unit constituting the memory unit 230 stores information (hereinafter referred to as destination information) including information identifying a provider capable of providing recycled material information for each procurement entity. The destination information can include information identifying the procurement entity (e.g., a company ID) and information identifying the provider (e.g., a provider ID). The destination information can also specify a different disclosure scope for each destination. For example, the destination information can include a provider ID identifying the destination provider and the disclosure scope of procurement information for that provider ID in association with each other.

The performance information storage unit constituting the storage unit 230 stores information (hereinafter referred to as performance information) regarding the performance of procuring recycled materials for each procurement entity. The performance information can include information identifying the procurement entity (e.g., a company ID), the type of recycled material, information identifying the recycled material (e.g., recycled material ID), and the amount of recycled material procured. The performance information can include the performance value of greenhouse gas emissions related to the production of the procured recycled material. The performance value of the emissions can be, for example, the aggregate value of emissions for a specified aggregation period (e.g., year and month) and for each scope related to the GHG protocol (scope and category for Scope 3). The performance information can include the product quality before the procurement of the recycled material (e.g., the results of strength and durability tests, etc.).

<Functional department>
The procurement information acquisition unit constituting the acquisition unit 250 acquires procurement information. The procurement information acquisition unit can receive procurement information from the user terminal 100. The procurement information acquisition unit may access another system to acquire the procurement information. The procurement information acquisition unit can register the acquired procurement information in the procurement information storage unit.

The procurement information providing unit constituting the output unit 240 provides the procurement information to the provider. The procurement information providing unit may provide the procurement information to all providers, or may provide the procurement information depending on the provider that has sent the request. Also, the procurement entity may be able to control the destination to which the procurement information is provided. If destination information corresponding to the company ID included in the procurement information is registered in the destination storage unit, the procurement information providing unit may provide the procurement information only to the provider specified in the destination information. Also, if a disclosure range is specified in the procurement information, the procurement information providing unit may provide only the disclosure range of the procurement information.

The recycled material information acquisition unit constituting the acquisition unit 250 acquires from the provider information on the recycled material provided by the provider (hereinafter referred to as recycled material information). The recycled material information may include the type of recycled material, information indicating a specific recycled material provided by the provider indicated by the provider ID (recycled material ID), provider ID, recycled material name), description of the recycled material, quality, process, price, implementation record, environmental index, supplyability, circularity index, etc.

The type of recycled material may be, for example, plastic, glass, or iron. The recycled material name is the name of the recycled material. The description is an explanation of the recycled material, and may include, for example, text data, image data, or audio data. The quality may include, for example, information indicating the composition and durability of the recycled material. The process may be information indicating the process of recycling the recycled material. The price may be set as a unit price related to the supply unit of the recycled material, or an approximate value of the standard implementation cost may be set. The price may be specified by a range such as a price band. The implementation record is information regarding the supply destination of the recycled material, and may be, for example, free description using text information, images, etc.

Environmental indicators are values that express the burden related to various environmental issues. Environmental indicators include, for example, (1) greenhouse gas emission indicators related to climate change (CO2 emissions, CH4 emissions, N2O emissions, CFC emissions, etc.), (2) ozone-depleting substance (ODP) consumption indexes related to ozone layer destruction (CFC and halon consumption, etc.), (3) nitrogen and phosphorus emissions to the hydrosphere and soil, and nutrient balance (fertilizer consumption and nitrogen and phosphorus from livestock, etc.) related to eutrophication, (4) acidification substance emission indicators related to acidification (NOx, SOx emissions, etc.), (5) heavy metal emissions and organic compound emissions (pesticides consumption, etc.) related to hazardous substance status, (6) SOx, NOx, and VOC emissions in urban areas related to urban environmental quality (urban traffic density, urban vehicle ownership, urbanization degree (urban population growth rate, urban land use), etc.), (7) alteration of biological habitats from their natural state and land conversion related to biodiversity (road network density, soil cover change, etc.), and (8) landscape (9) waste generation (domestic waste, industrial waste, hazardous waste, nuclear waste) (e.g., hazardous waste movement), (10) water resource utilization intensity (extraction fee/available resource amount), (11) forest resource utilization intensity (actual harvesting amount/production capacity), (12) fishery resource utilization volume, (13) soil degradation (erosion/desertification) erosion risk: potential and actual land utilization for agriculture (land use change), (14) material resource utilization intensity, (15) socio-economic sectoral and general indicators (not limited to specific environmental issues), such as population growth rate/density, GDP growth rate and composition, private and government final consumption expenditure, industrial production, energy supply composition, road traffic volume, vehicle ownership, agricultural production, etc. Supplyability can be the amount of recycled material available from the provider (annual or monthly supply amount). Supplyability can also include information indicating the availability of a supply quantity (this can be an explanation in the form of text, etc.), as well as information indicating alternative materials to the recycled material, etc.

Circularity indicators are indicators that show a company's circularity, and can be, for example, CTIs (Circular Transition Indicators).

The recycled material information providing section constituting the output section 240 can provide the recycled material information to the user (transmit it to the user terminal 100). The recycled material information providing section may transmit the acquired recycled material information to the user terminal 100 each time the recycled material information acquisition section acquires recycled material information, or the management server 200 may be provided with a recycled material information storage section that stores recycled material information acquired during a specified period for each procurement entity (e.g., company ID), and the recycled material information providing section may provide one or more pieces of recycled material information stored in the recycled material information storage section.

In addition, when providing multiple pieces of recycled material information for one procurement entity, the recycled material information providing unit can provide the recycled material information in a priority order determined for the recycled material. For example, the recycled material information providing unit can determine the priority order according to the quality included in the recycled material information. Also, the recycled material information providing unit can determine the priority order according to the price included in the recycled material information. For example, the recycled material information providing unit can provide a list in which the recycled material information is sorted in order of priority (e.g., highest to lowest). Also, the recycled material information providing unit may provide only a predetermined number of pieces of recycled material information in order of priority (e.g., highest to lowest). Also, the recycled material information providing unit can provide a list in which the recycled material information is sorted in order of price (e.g., lowest to highest).

The performance information acquisition unit constituting the acquisition unit 250 acquires performance information indicating the procurement performance of recycled materials by the procurement entity. The performance information acquisition unit can register the acquired performance information in the performance information storage unit.

The performance information providing unit constituting the output unit 240 can provide performance information to the provider of the recycled material. The performance information providing unit can, for example, transmit the performance information to the user terminal 100 of the provider. When destination information is registered in the destination storage unit, the performance information providing unit can transmit the performance information only to the provider specified in the destination information.

The advice acquisition unit constituting the acquisition unit 250 can acquire advice corresponding to the performance information from the provider. The advice acquisition unit can receive, for example, advice information for the performance information from the provider's user terminal 100. The advice information can include, for example, text data, image data, etc.

The advice providing unit that constitutes the output unit 240 can transmit advice information to the procurement entity user.

The billing processing unit constituting the execution unit 290 can perform processing (billing) to charge the provider for the use of the system. For example, the billing processing unit may periodically charge a registration fee to providers that can receive procurement information.

<Operation>
23 is a diagram for explaining the process of providing procurement information. The management server 200 receives the recipient information from the user terminal 100 and registers it in the recipient storage unit (S2301). The management server 200 receives the procurement information from the user terminal 100 (S2302). The management server 200 can store the procurement information in the memory 202 or the storage device 203 for a predetermined period of time.

The management server 200 determines whether the destination information corresponding to the company ID indicating the user's procurement entity is registered in the destination storage unit (S2303), and if it is registered (YES), transmits the procurement information only to the provider specified in the destination information (S2304). If the destination information has a disclosure range set, the management server 200 can provide only what is included in the disclosure range in the procurement information. On the other hand, if the destination information is not registered in the destination storage unit in S2303 (NO), the management server 200 transmits the procurement information to all or some of the providers (S2305). Next, the management server 200 accepts input of recycled material information from the provider who provided the procurement information (S2306), and transmits the accepted recycled material information to the user terminal 100 (S2307).

In this way, the procurement entity can provide procurement information to the provider, and in response receive recycled material information about recycled materials from the provider, which can then be provided to the procurement entity's user.

In the above embodiment, the destination storage unit manages providers that can provide procurement information, but it may also manage providers that are prohibited from providing procurement information. In this case, the procurement information providing unit and the performance information providing unit can prevent the procurement information and performance information from being provided to providers identified by the destination information.

How data is displayed to users
The management server 200 can also preferentially display new recycled material information on the user terminal 100. The management server 200 can also preferentially display updated recycled material information. The management server 200 can also change the priority of the procurement information and/or recycled material information depending on the industry, location, capital structure, listing classification, etc. of the procurement entity and/or the provider. The management server 200 can also preferentially display recycled material information of a provider that has a capital relationship with the procurement entity. The management server 200 can also preferentially provide the provider with procurement information that matches the recycled material to the provider by matching the recycled material information with the procurement information. The management server 200 can also include a provision history storage unit that stores the provision history of the procurement information, and can enable the user to view the provision history. The management server 200 can also manage the fact that the provider has given a "like" to the procurement entity, and provide procurement information only to the provider that has given a "like". In addition, the management server 200 can include in the destination information specifications such as the type of provider the user desires and conditions for recycled materials, so that the user can be provided with only recycled material information relating to providers and recycled materials that match the user's desires.

<Screening by Provider>
Furthermore, management server 200 can narrow down procurement information to those matching conditions such as the procurement entity's industry, location, capital structure, listing classification, and financial information, in response to specifications from the provider. Management server 200 can receive specifications for the type of recycled material from the provider, and provide procurement information corresponding to the received type. Management server 200 can also narrow down procurement information according to the user's registration date or the registration or update date of the procurement information in response to specifications from the provider. Management server 200 can also receive specifications for keywords from the provider, and search for procurement information matching the received keywords.

<Recycling material proposals by providers>
Furthermore, when the management server 200 receives a request from the user terminal 100 requesting a proposal for recycled materials, the management server 200 can set a tag indicating that a proposal for recycled materials is desired in the procurement information. The management server 200 can display procurement information corresponding to the tag to the provider. The management server 200 may also be provided with a function for transmitting and receiving messages between users, and may transmit and receive direct messages between the provider and the user. In this case, the management server 200 may set an upper limit on the number of times direct messages can be sent, and may increase the setting of the upper limit when a charge is made. The management server 200 may also prevent the provider from viewing all of the procurement information, and an operator of the management server 200 may mediate communication with the provider and/or the user. The management server 200 may also be provided with a function for adding proposals such as discounts and additional services to the recycled material information and transmitting the proposals to the user terminal 100. In this case, the proposals can be designated and received from the user terminal 100 of the provider. Furthermore, the management server 200 may include an evaluation value storage unit that receives input of evaluation values of recycled materials and/or providers from users and stores evaluation values for each recycled material and/or provider. The management server 200 may aggregate the evaluation values and attach the aggregated evaluation values to the recycled material information. Furthermore, the management server 200 may include an evaluation value storage unit that receives input of user evaluation values from providers and stores evaluation values for each user. The management server 200 may aggregate evaluation values of recycled materials and/or providers and attach the aggregated evaluation values to the recycled material information.

<Display the number of viewers to the user.>
Furthermore, management server 200 can provide the user with the number of pieces of procurement information provided to the provider as information on the viewing status, such as "Provider X has viewed your company's data."

The output unit 240, acquisition unit 250, and execution unit 290 of the management server 200 may be executed by a system (mechanical system) with artificial intelligence that can learn by itself.

<Disclosures>
The fourteenth function also includes the following configuration.
[Item N1 (P041)]
An information processing system comprising: a procurement information acquisition unit that acquires procurement information regarding the recycled materials to be procured from a user who is a procurement entity procuring the recycled materials; a procurement information provision unit that provides the procurement information to a provider that provides the recycled materials; a recycled material information acquisition unit that acquires recycled material information regarding the recycled materials provided by the provider from the provider; and a recycled material information provision unit that provides the recycled material information to the user.
[Item N2]
An information processing system as described in item N1, characterized in that it comprises a destination memory unit that manages information identifying the provider that provides the procurement information in correspondence with the procurement entity, and the procurement information providing unit refers to the destination memory unit to obtain the provider that corresponds to the procurement entity that is the source of the procurement information, and provides the procurement information to the obtained provider.
[Item N3]
An information processing system according to item N1, characterized in that the procurement information includes conditions regarding the quality of the recycled material.
[Item N4]
An information processing system as described in item N3, comprising a destination memory unit that manages information identifying the provider that provides the procurement information in correspondence with the procurement entity, and the procurement information providing unit provides the procurement information to the provider identified by reference to the destination memory unit.
[Item N5]
An information processing system according to item N1, characterized in that it comprises a performance information acquisition unit that acquires performance information indicating the procurement entity's procurement performance of the recycled material, and a performance information providing unit that provides the performance information to the provider.
[Item N6]
An information processing system according to item N5, comprising: an advice acquisition unit that receives advice information regarding the execution information from the provider; and an advice providing unit that transmits the advice information to the user of the emission subject.

<<Solution matching function (15th function)>>
Next, although some of the above-mentioned embodiments have been described, an example of a configuration that can be further applied to the above-mentioned embodiments of the first to fourteenth functions is an embodiment of the fifteenth function, which will be described in detail below. As background technology, waste disposal is evaluated. There is a problem in that it is difficult to grasp what kind of recycled materials can be procured from waste. The fifteenth function aims to provide information on recycled materials.

<System Overview>
The information processing system relating to the fifteenth function will be described below. The information processing system of this embodiment is intended to match an entity (hereinafter referred to as a provider) that provides recycled materials (materials that are collected from used products or waste from manufacturing processes and processed so that they can be used as materials or raw materials for new products) with an entity that intends to procure recycled materials (for example, manufacturers of products, parts, materials, raw materials, etc., and retailers of materials; hereinafter referred to as a procurement entity). In the information processing system of this embodiment, a procurement entity that uses recycled materials registers procurement information including conditions for the recycled materials to be procured, and a provider of recycled materials registers recycled material information for the recycled materials provided by the provider, and the procurement information and recycled material information are matched.

An example of the software configuration of the management server 200 in the 15th function will be described with reference to FIG. 3. The management server 200 includes a memory unit 230 (recycled material information memory unit, user information memory unit, procurement information memory unit), an acquisition unit 250 (emissions information acquisition unit, extraction unit, performance acquisition unit), an output unit 240 (provision unit), an execution unit (solution unit) 290 (billing processing unit).

The recycled material information storage unit constituting the storage unit 230 stores recycled material information. The recycled material information storage unit can store recycled material information in association with provider identification information (provider ID) that identifies the provider providing the recycled material. In this embodiment, the recycled material information can include the type of recycled material, information indicating the specific recycled material provided by the provider indicated by the provider ID (recycled material ID), provider ID, recycled material name), description of the recycled material, quality, process, price, implementation record, environmental index, supplyability, circularity index, etc.

The type of recycled material may be, for example, plastic, glass, or iron. The recycled material name is the name of the recycled material. The description is an explanation of the recycled material, and may include, for example, text data, image data, or audio data. The quality may include, for example, information indicating the composition and durability of the recycled material. The process may be information indicating the process of recycling the recycled material. The price may be set as a unit price related to the supply unit of the recycled material, or may be set as an approximate value of the standard implementation cost. The price may be specified by a range such as a price band. The implementation record is information regarding the supply destination of the recycled material, and may be, for example, free description using text information, images, etc.

Environmental indicators are values that express the burden related to various environmental issues. Environmental indicators include, for example, (1) greenhouse gas emission indicators related to climate change (CO2 emissions, CH4 emissions, N2O emissions, CFC emissions, etc.), (2) ozone-depleting substance (ODP) consumption indexes related to ozone layer destruction (CFC and halon consumption, etc.), (3) nitrogen and phosphorus emissions to the hydrosphere and soil, and nutrient balance (fertilizer consumption and nitrogen and phosphorus from livestock, etc.) related to eutrophication, (4) acidification substance emission indicators related to acidification (NOx, SOx emissions, etc.), (5) heavy metal emissions and organic compound emissions (pesticides consumption, etc.) related to hazardous substance status, (6) SOx, NOx, and VOC emissions in urban areas related to urban environmental quality (urban traffic density, urban vehicle ownership, urbanization degree (urban population growth rate, urban land use), etc.), (7) alteration of biological habitats from their natural state and land conversion related to biodiversity (road network density, soil cover change, etc.), and (8) landscape (9) waste generation (domestic waste, industrial waste, hazardous waste, nuclear waste) (e.g., hazardous waste movement), (10) water resource utilization intensity (extraction fee/available resource amount), (11) forest resource utilization intensity (actual harvesting amount/production capacity), (12) fishery resource utilization volume, (13) soil degradation (erosion/desertification) erosion risk: potential and actual land utilization for agriculture (land use change), (14) material resource utilization intensity, (15) socio-economic sectoral and general indicators (not limited to specific environmental issues), such as population growth rate/density, GDP growth rate and composition, private and government final consumption expenditure, industrial production, energy supply composition, road traffic volume, vehicle ownership, agricultural production, etc. Supplyability can be the amount of recycled material available from the provider (annual or monthly supply amount). Supplyability can also include information indicating the availability of a supply quantity (this can be an explanation in the form of text, etc.), as well as information indicating alternative materials to the recycled material, etc.

Circularity indicators are indicators that show a company's circularity, and can be, for example, CTIs (Circular Transition Indicators).

The user information storage unit constituting the storage unit 230 stores information (hereinafter referred to as user information) relating to the user (procurement entity or provider). The user information may include information (user ID) identifying the user (or procurement entity or provider), the name of the user (or procurement entity or provider) (user name), information relating to the business conducted by the procurement entity or provider (business information), information relating to the equipment used in relation to the business (equipment information), etc.

The procurement information storage unit constituting the storage unit 230 stores information (hereinafter referred to as procurement information) regarding recycled materials procured by the procurement entity. The procurement information may include the type of recycled material to be procured, the amount procured per specified unit period (e.g., month or year), and quality conditions. The quality may include, for example, the composition and durability of the recycled material. The quality may also include the number of times the recycled material has been recycled. The procurement information may include attributes of the procurement entity. The attributes of the procurement entity may include the procurement entity's business, number of employees, region, and the like. The attributes of the procurement entity may also include accounting information such as sales, purchase amount, and labor costs. The procurement information may include the amount of greenhouse gas emissions or information for calculating the emissions related to the production of the recycled material.

<Functional department>
The procurement information acquisition unit constituting the acquisition unit 250 acquires procurement information. The procurement information acquisition unit can receive procurement information from the user terminal 100. The procurement information acquisition unit may access another system to acquire the procurement information. The procurement information acquisition unit can register the acquired procurement information in the procurement information storage unit.

The extraction unit constituting the acquisition unit 250 acquires recycled material information that matches the procurement information. For example, the extraction unit can match the type of recycled material included in the procurement information with the type of recycled material included in the recycled material information. Furthermore, the extraction unit can match recycled material information that includes quality information that satisfies the quality conditions included in the procurement information, using the procurement information as a criterion. The extraction unit can determine a priority according to the quality included in the recycled material information. The extraction unit can also determine a priority according to the price included in the recycled material information. For example, the extraction unit can sort the recycled material information in order of priority (e.g., from highest to lowest). The extraction unit can extract procurement information that matches the type of recycled material information and whose quality satisfies the quality conditions, using the recycled material information as a criterion. If a procurement price is set in the procurement information, it can also be sorted in order of procurement price (e.g., from highest to lowest).

The provision unit constituting the output unit 240 can provide the extracted recycled material information to the user of the procurement entity. The provision unit can also provide procurement information that matches the recycled material information to the user of the provider indicated by the provider ID of the recycled material information.

The performance acquisition unit constituting the acquisition unit 250 acquires information including information indicating recycled materials adopted by the procurement entity (hereinafter referred to as performance information). The management server 200 may be provided with a performance information storage unit that stores the performance information.

The billing processing unit constituting the execution unit 290 performs processing (billing) to charge the provider for the use of the system. The billing processing unit may also perform processing (billing) to charge the procurement entity that actually procured the recycled material for the use of the system based on performance information.

<Operation>
24 is a diagram for explaining the process of providing solution information. The management server 200 acquires recycled material information from the provider and registers it in the recycled material information storage unit (S2401), and acquires procurement information from the procurement entity and registers it in the procurement information storage unit (S2402). The management server 200 extracts recycled material information that matches the procurement information for each piece of procurement information (S2403), and provides the extracted recycled material information to the procurement entity that is the provider of the procurement information (S2404). The management server 200 acquires performance information (S2405), and can perform charging according to the performance information (S2406).

In this way, the information processing system of this embodiment can match recycled material information with procurement entities (procurement information).

In addition, conditions other than quality for the recycled material information can be set in the procurement information, and the management server 200 can narrow down the recycled material information that matches the procurement information to only that which satisfies the conditions of the procurement information.

The management server 200 can display a list of recycled material information on the user terminal 100. The management server 200 can display the list of recycled material information in the order in which it was registered.

The management server 200 can manage the recycled material information viewed by the user terminal 100, and can provide the recycled material information with a priority according to the number of views. For example, the management server 200 can display the recycled material information sorted in order of the number of views. The management server 200 can also transmit only a predetermined number of pieces of recycled material information to the user terminal 100 in order of the number of views.

The management server 200 can display a list of only a portion of the recycled material information on the user terminal 100, accept selection (tap or click) of recycled material information from the user terminal 100, and manage the selection of recycled material information. The management server 200 can provide recycled material information with a priority according to the number of selections. For example, the management server 200 can display the recycled material information sorted in order of the number of selections. Furthermore, the management server 200 can transmit only a predetermined number of pieces of recycled material information to the user terminal 100 in order of the number of selections.

The management server 200 can obtain and manage evaluations of recycled materials from users. For example, a list of evaluation values obtained from users and/or aggregate values (e.g., average values or total values) can be set in the recycled material information. The management server 200 can provide recycled material information with a priority according to the aggregated evaluation values. For example, the management server 200 can display recycled material information sorted in order of evaluation value. Furthermore, the management server 200 can transmit only a predetermined number of pieces of recycled material information to the user terminal 100 in order of evaluation value.

In addition, the management server 200 can provide recycled material information preferentially if an additional fee is paid by the provider.

The management server 200 may also include an application processing unit that accepts applications for recycled materials. The management server 200 may provide a reward to a user for applying for recycled materials.

In addition, when a contract for recycled materials is concluded, the management server 200 can charge the provider a specified percentage of the contract fee. In addition, the management server 200 can be equipped with a notification unit that notifies the user and/or the provider when a contract is concluded.

The output unit 240, acquisition unit 250, and execution unit 290 of the management server 200 may be executed by a system (mechanical system) with artificial intelligence that can learn by itself.

<Disclosures>
The fifteenth function also includes the following configuration:
[Item O1 (P042)]
An information processing system comprising: a procurement information acquisition unit that acquires procurement information regarding the recycled materials to be procured from a user who is a procurement entity procuring the recycled materials; a recycled material information storage unit that stores recycled material information regarding the recycled materials; an extraction unit that extracts the recycled material information that matches the procurement information; and a provision unit that provides the extracted recycled material information to the user.
[Item O2]
An information processing system as described in item O1, characterized in that conditions for the procurement entity are set in the recycled material information, and the extraction unit extracts the procurement entity that satisfies the conditions included in the recycled material information.
[Item O3]
An information processing system as described in item O2, wherein the procurement information includes conditions for the quality of the recycled material, and the recycled material information includes quality information about the quality of the recycled material, and the extraction unit matches the recycled material information with the procurement information based on whether the quality information included in the recycled material information satisfies the conditions of the procurement information.

<<OCR function (16th function)>>
Next, although some of the configurations have been described in the above-described embodiments, an example of a configuration that can be further applied to the above-described embodiments of the first to fifteenth functions is an embodiment of the sixteenth function, which will be described in detail below.

<System Overview>
An information processing system relating to the 16th function will be described below. In this information processing system, activity amounts relating to activities that emit greenhouse gases are extracted from form data (e.g., including a wide range of data on various documents related to a company's economic activities, such as invoices, receipts, and delivery notes. Form data can be text data, document data, image data, etc.), and the type of the activity (scope and/or category in the GHG protocol) is identified. In this embodiment, an LLM (Large Language Model) such as a GPT (Generative Pretrained Transformer) is used to extract the activity amounts from the form data and identify the type of activity amount.

An example of the software configuration of the management server 200 in the 16th function will be described with reference to FIG. 3. The management server 200 includes a generation unit 260 (generator, generation processing unit) and an acquisition unit 250 (character string extraction unit).

The generator constituting the generation unit 260 generates an answer based on the trained language model. The generator may be a trained language model trained by machine learning and a function that generates a string using the model. In this embodiment, the trained language model is assumed to be GPT. Note that the trained language model may not be managed by the management server 200, and an external server may be provided with the trained model, and an answer to an instruction may be generated using the trained language model by calling an API provided by the external server.

The character string extraction unit constituting the acquisition unit 250 extracts character strings from the form data. It is assumed that the form data includes the amount of activity that emits greenhouse gases. If the form data is text data, the character string extraction unit can read out the contents of the text data. If the form data is image data, the character string extraction unit can extract character strings drawn in the image data by known OCR processing. If the form data is binary data such as a word processor document or a spreadsheet document, the character string extraction unit can extract character string data from the binary data by known methods.

The generation processing unit constituting the generation unit 260 causes the generator to generate the activity amount and scope (and/or category). The generation processing unit can cause the generator to generate the activity amount and scope (and/or category) by providing the generator with the character string extracted by the character string extraction unit, an instruction to generate the specified activity amount, and an instruction to generate the scope (and/or category) corresponding to the activity amount.

The generation processing unit can cause the generator to learn information that associates activity-specific information that identifies an activity with a scope (and/or category). The generation processing unit may perform fine-tuning to cause a pre-trained language model to learn data that associates activity-specific information with a scope and/or category, or may include data that associates activity-specific information with a scope and/or category in instructions (prompts) given to the generator. The generation processing unit can cause the generator to generate activity amounts, scopes, and activity-specific information related to the activity instructed to the generator by providing the generator with character strings extracted from the form data and instructions to generate scope and activity-specific information.

In addition, when multiple activities form a tree structure (when major categories, minor categories, details, etc. of activities are defined), the tree structure may be trained. In this case, the generation processing unit may train the generator to learn, for example, the first activity specification information, the scope, and the second activity specification information that specifies the second activity that is the parent or child in the tree structure of the first activity specified by the first activity specification information. The learning here may also be performed by updating the trained language model in advance by fine tuning, or the prompt may include information that specifies the tree structure (information that indicates the parent-child relationship between the first and second activity specification information). In this way, the generation processing unit can generate multiple hierarchical levels of activity specification information from character strings included in the form data.

The management server 200 may also be provided with a vector storage unit that records information indicating activity and information obtained by vectorizing the information indicating activity, and the generation processing unit may vectorize the character string extracted by the character string extraction unit, read information indicating activity corresponding to a vector close to the vector of the character string from the vector storage unit, and include the information in the prompt provided to the generator. The specialized information (information indicating activity) stored in the vector storage unit may be provided to the generator as learning data to generate the amount of activity and scope (and/or category).

<Operation>
Next, the operation of the sixteenth function will be described. The management server 200 receives form data from the user terminal 100, extracts character strings from the received form data, provides the generator with learning data including a combination of activity specification information and scope, the character strings extracted from the form data, and an instruction to generate the activity amount, scope, and activity specification information, and obtains and outputs the activity amount, scope, and activity specification information generated by the generator.

In this way, the information processing system of this embodiment can efficiently generate the amount of activity related to activities that emit greenhouse gases and the scope and/or category of the activity from report data.

<Disclosures>
The 16th function also includes the following configuration:
[Item P1 (P050)]
An information processing system comprising: a character string extraction unit that extracts character strings from report data including activity amounts of activities that emit greenhouse gases; and a generation processing unit that gives instructions to a generator that generates an answer based on a trained language model to generate the character string, as well as the activity amount and a scope corresponding to the activity amount, and causes the generator to generate the activity amount and the scope.
[Item P2]
The information processing system according to item P1, wherein the generation processing unit causes the generator to learn information that associates activity identification information that identifies the activity with the scope, and gives the generator instructions to generate the character string, as well as the activity amount, the scope, and the activity identification information, thereby causing the generator to generate the activity amount, the scope, and the activity identification information.
[Item P3]
An information processing system according to item P2, wherein a plurality of the activities form a tree structure, and the generation processing unit causes the generator to learn the first activity identification information, the scope, and second activity identification information that identifies a second activity that is a parent or child in the tree structure of the first activity identified by the first activity identification information.

The acquisition unit 250 and generation unit 260 of the management server 200 may be executed by a system (mechanical system) with artificial intelligence that can learn by itself.

<<Template function (17th function)>>
Next, although some of the above-mentioned embodiments have been described, an example of a configuration that can be further applied to the above-mentioned embodiments of the first to sixteenth functions is described in detail below as an embodiment of the seventeenth function. As a background technique, the amount of carbon dioxide and other emissions is calculated. There is a problem that it is required to grasp the greenhouse gas emission situation throughout the entire supply chain. The seventeenth function aims to provide a technique that can grasp the greenhouse gas emission situation. In addition, when calculating greenhouse gas emissions at multiple bases of the same company, each base judged whether or not to input activity items, so the activity items to be input differed from base to base. In addition, depending on the base, some activity items that were required to be input were omitted. For these reasons, accurate greenhouse gas calculations were not possible in companies with multiple bases. When calculating greenhouse gas emissions for a corporate group (whole group), it is necessary for a holding company to request the group companies under its umbrella to calculate greenhouse gas emissions and for the group companies under its umbrella to report the calculation results of greenhouse gas emissions. In such a case, if the activity items entered for each group company are different, or if required activity items are omitted, it is not possible to accurately calculate the greenhouse gas emissions of the corporate group (whole group). The seventeenth function aims to provide a technology that can grasp the greenhouse gas emissions status of a company or corporate group (whole group) with multiple bases.

An example of the software configuration of the management server 200 in the 17th function will be described with reference to FIG. 3. The management server 200 includes a memory unit 230 (base information memory unit, reduction standard memory unit, reduction target memory unit), an execution unit 290 (reduction target registration unit), an input unit 220 (base information input unit, industry input unit), an output unit 240 (proposal unit), and an analysis unit 280.

The base information storage unit constituting the storage unit 230 stores base information indicating the base of another business entity related to a certain business entity for each of the other business entities. In this example, the base information indicates the names of branches of the same company, such as the head office (first business entity), Tokyo branch (second business entity), and Osaka branch (second business entity), but also includes the location of a factory of the same company. The base information may also be the location or name of a group company consisting of a parent company (first business entity), a subsidiary company (second business entity), a sub-subsidiary company (second business entity), etc. The base information is configured to include related information indicating that these multiple business entities are related. The base information may also be size information explained in the third function.

The reduction standard memory unit constituting the memory unit 230 stores information (reduction standard information) related to standard reduction rates for greenhouse gas emissions (reduction targets set by many companies). The reduction standard information can include reduction rates in association with industry, base, company size, company attributes, and scope related to the GHG Protocol. For Scope 3, categories can also be included.

In this embodiment, the reduction standard information also includes a base year and a target year. The scale can be, for example, sales or asset value. The scale may also be sales for a business corresponding to a specific scope (and category). The attributes can be various attributes related to the company.

The reduction target memory unit constituting the memory unit 230 stores information (reduction target information) relating to the emission reduction targets set by the company. The reduction target information stores the reduction target (base point, target point, and reduction rate from the emission amount at the base point) set by the company in association with information identifying the company (company name and base name in this embodiment), the size and attributes of the company, and the scope related to the GHG Protocol (and category for Scope 3). In this embodiment, the base point and target point are assumed to be years or fiscal years, but may also be years and months or days.

The template registration unit constituting the execution unit 290 registers and stores templates into which information related to greenhouse gas emissions by business entities is input. The information related to emissions is information included in the first information, for example, greenhouse gas emissions. The first information is, for example, an emission report containing information related to emissions, and details will be explained in the third function. The emission report is also a template used by each business entity when registering its emissions.

The base information input unit constituting the input unit 220 accepts the input of base information. The base information input unit can input using a specific user terminal 100. The specific user terminal 100 is exemplified by a user terminal 100 used by an administrator (for example, a head office or a parent company) of a plurality of user terminals 100. The base information input unit inputs the names of branches of the same company, the names of group companies, and the like. In the case of the same company, the names of the Tokyo branch and the Osaka branch can be input. In the case of a group company, the names of the parent company, subsidiary company, sub-subsidiary company, and the like can be input. By inputting the base information, related information indicating that these multiple business entities are related bases or companies is set. In other words, it is set that the multiple business entities are related bases (related companies), in other words, that they are bases belonging to a group. A base (related base) for which related information is set can refer to and use a template used by another base to register emissions when registering emissions. In addition, when the base information is set as size information, the size information can also be input in the base information input unit.

The template input unit constituting the input unit 220 accepts input of information related to ejection to a template. The template input unit can input information related to ejection using a specific user terminal 100 or a user terminal 100 other than the specific user terminal 100. In the process in the template registration unit, input is possible in a user terminal 100 at a base where the specific user terminal 100 is registered, but input is not possible in a user terminal 100 at a base where the specific user terminal 100 is not registered. Instead of making input impossible, it is also possible to make it impossible to select and use the template itself. If a specific user terminal 100 has not registered a base, it is configured so that input is not possible even if the base is a base belonging to the group (each branch, subsidiary, or sub-subsidiary).

The industry input section constituting the input unit 220 accepts input of the industry. The industry input section is intended to accept the industry of the company that is trying to set a reduction target for greenhouse gas emissions.

The proposal unit constituting the output unit 240 proposes reduction targets. The proposal unit can propose standard reduction targets for the industry and base to the user by reading the reduction rate corresponding to the accepted industry and base from the reduction standard storage unit and transmitting it to the user terminal 100. The proposal unit can read the reduction rate by scope corresponding to the industry and base from the reduction standard storage unit, and propose and present the read standard reduction rate by scope as the user's target reduction rate.

In addition, when multiple reduction rates apply, the suggestion unit may suggest a statistical value (e.g., an average value) of the applicable reduction rates.

The proposal unit can also calculate the amount of emission reduction for each unit period (e.g., year or fiscal year) from the base point to the target point so that the amount of emission at the target point is equal to the amount of emission at the base point multiplied by the reduction rate, subtract this amount from the amount of emission at the base point, calculate the ratio of the amount of reduction to the amount of emission at the base point as a reduction rate by time, and propose the reduction rate by time (e.g., reduction rate by fiscal year) to the user.

The reduction target registration unit constituting the execution unit 290 registers the reduction targets of companies and bases in the reduction target storage unit. The reduction target registration unit may accept input of reduction targets from the user terminal 100 of each company or base, or may extract greenhouse gas reduction targets publicly disclosed by companies, for example, from a website. The reduction target may include a reduction rate for each scope (and category for scope 3), a base year (fiscal year), and a target year (fiscal year). The reduction target registration unit can register the base year, target year, and reduction rate in the reduction target storage unit in association with information indicating the company that obtained the reduction target (company name), the size and attributes of the company, and the scope to be reduced.

The analysis unit 280 can analyze the reduction targets stored in the reduction target storage unit to create standard reduction targets. For example, the analysis unit 280 can select the most common reference point (year) as the standard reference point (year). The analysis unit 280 can obtain statistical values such as the mode, average, and median of the number of years from the base year to the target year, and add the statistical values to the base year to set the standard value for the target year. The analysis unit 280 can determine statistical values such as the mode and average of the reduction rate as the standard reduction rate. The analysis unit 280 can perform analysis for each industry, size, attribute, scope, and category, and add or update the industry, base, size, attribute, scope, category, base year, target year, and reduction rate that are the results of the analysis to the reduction standard storage unit.

Figure 25 is a diagram explaining the process of registering a template (processing in the template registration section). The management server 200 receives an instruction to create a new template from the user terminal 100 (S2501). For example, a button to start creating a new template is operated using the user terminal 100 of the head office or parent company, and the management server 200 accepts the button operation. Next, the management server 200 accepts input of the template name from the user terminal 100 (S2502). For example, the name of a new template is input using the user terminal 100 of the head office or parent company, and the management server 200 accepts the input result. Next, the management server 200 accepts the base to which the template is assigned from the user terminal 100 (S2503). For example, the user terminal 100 of the head office or parent company is used to input the base that is to be the related base, such as a branch office, a subsidiary, or a grandchild company, and the management server 200 accepts the input result. The multiple assigned bases are called a specific group. Next, the management server 200 accepts input items from the user terminal 100 (S2504). For example, the user terminal 100 of the head office or parent company as an administrator sets the input items to be displayed in the new template, and the management server 200 accepts the setting results. Examples of input items include material costs, transportation costs, and labor costs, which are described in the third and ninth functions. Next, the management server 200 accepts an instruction to complete the registration of the template from the user terminal 100 (S2505). For example, a registration completion button is operated using the user terminal 100 of the head office or parent company, and the management server 200 accepts the button operation.

At the base (business entity) accepted by the management server 200 in S2504, for example, a base belonging to a specific group of a branch office, subsidiary, or sub-subsidiary, the template registered in FIG. 25 can be used to input and register the required items of the template without having to register a new template using the user terminal 100. Also, at the base belonging to the specific group, the registered template is used to input activity items for calculating greenhouse gas emissions, but this input can be limited to inputting only the necessary activity items. Also, if there is an approver who checks the input contents, by using the template, it is possible to facilitate the approval process by only checking the minimum amount of information that has been input.

The administrator can also copy a template that has already been created and register a new template. When copying and registering a new template, the management server 200 restricts the registration of the same name as the original template as the name of the new template. By configuring in this way, it is possible to prevent the original template from being overwritten. When copying, the management server 200 sets the base registered in the original template as the new template. By configuring in this way, it is not necessary to register a new base. The administrator can also assign a specific template to a specific base. It is also possible to cancel the assignment. When the administrator and users other than the administrator (such as branches and subsidiaries) register the greenhouse gas emissions of the bases they are responsible for, they can add items using the assigned template. When the administrator and users other than the administrator (such as branches and subsidiaries) register the greenhouse gas emissions of the bases they are responsible for, it is possible to distinguish whether the activity items are reflected from the assigned template or individually entered activity items. For example, the background colors of the activity items are different. The administrator can automatically reflect the template to a specific base. The number of templates is not limited to one, and multiple templates can be set.

An example of using templates within the same company is described below.
(1) Group the activities of the business (greenhouse gas emission activities) (e.g. ●● for scope 1, ▲▲ for scope 2, and ■■ for scope 3) and use this as an activity item template for greenhouse gas emission data. The administrator user creates the template.
(2) The template is registered in the calculation system and assigned to each base. The administrator user edits the template name and the assigned base.
(3) When calculating greenhouse gas emissions at each location, use the assigned template. For example, when calculating greenhouse gas emissions for July 2023, select template A at the Tokyo branch and enter the amount of activity, and also select template A at the Osaka branch and enter the amount of activity.

An example (part 1) of using a template across companies will be described below.
(1) A holding company creates an activity item template for greenhouse gas emission data and assigns this template to its affiliated business companies (group companies). If the four business companies that make up the group (Company A, Company B, Company C, and Company D) each have their own accounts, the administrator user of the holding company assigns the template to the business companies (Company A, Company B, and Company C) that are registered as group companies in the system. The template is not assigned to the business company (Company D) that is not registered as a group company.
(2) When calculating greenhouse gas emissions at a business company (group company), use the assigned template. If the business companies in a group are in different industries, only the common activity items are to be used as templates.
(3) You can prepare different templates for each business company. You can also have subsidiaries and sub-subsidiaries use the same templates.

In addition, the following settings may be made available regarding the authority to view the contents of the template (e.g., activity levels) entered by a business company registered as a group company and the greenhouse gas emissions data calculated by the business company using the template.
(1) A holding company can view all data entered and calculated by its affiliated business companies (group companies) regardless of control (shareholding ratio).
(2) Subsidiary business companies (group companies) can view data within the scope of their control (shareholding ratio) (for example, if business company A has three subsidiaries, the data of 100%-owned subsidiaries Aa and Ab can be viewed in its entirety, but only a portion of the data of subsidiary Ac, in which the shareholding ratio is 50%).
(3) The data entered/calculated cannot be viewed (shared) between subsidiary business companies A and B.
(4) A parent company can access data from its subsidiary, but a subsidiary cannot access data from its parent company.

An example (part 2) of using a template across companies will be described below.
(1) The bank distributes a template to the companies it invests in and the companies use the template to calculate their greenhouse gas emissions and report the results to the bank.
(2) The insurance company distributes a template to its agents, who then use the template to calculate greenhouse gas emissions and report the results to the insurance company.

According to this example, it is possible to accurately calculate greenhouse gas emissions for a company with multiple bases. It is also possible to accurately calculate greenhouse gas emissions for a corporate group.

The management server 200 can also accept input of the user's industry from the user terminal 100, read out standard reduction targets corresponding to the accepted industry from the reduction standard memory unit, and propose the read reduction targets to the user.

In this way, the information processing system of this embodiment can suggest standard reduction targets according to industry to users who are trying to set reduction targets.

In the above-described embodiment, it is assumed that the trend of the target reduction rate disclosed by a company or the like is constant, but changes in the trend may also be taken into consideration. For example, the analysis unit 280 may analyze the trend of an increase or decrease in the target reduction rate for each company (business entity). In this case, the reduction target storage unit stores information indicating the time when the company disclosed the reduction target (e.g., year, month, or date) in association with the reduction target.

In this case, the suggestion unit can correct the proposed reduction rate (or the statistical value if multiple reduction rates match) according to the trend and propose the corrected statistical value. For example, if the reduction rate is on the rise, the proposed reduction rate can be increased according to the degree of increase.

The input unit 220, output unit 240, and analysis unit 280 of the management server 200 may be executed by a system (mechanical system) with artificial intelligence that can learn by itself.

<Disclosures>
The seventeenth function also includes the following configuration:
[Item Q1 (P031)]
An information processing system comprising: a standard memory unit that stores a standard reduction rate, which is a standard reduction rate of greenhouse gas emissions, for each industry and scope; an input unit that accepts input of a user's industry; and a proposal unit that reads out from the standard memory unit the standard reduction rate for the scope that corresponds to the accepted industry, and proposes the read out standard reduction rate for the scope as a target reduction rate for the user.
[Item Q2]
The information processing system described in item Q1, wherein the standard storage unit stores a standard base point and a target point for the reduction rate, and the proposal unit calculates a reduction amount of the emission for each unit period from the base point to the target point so that the emission at the target point is a value obtained by subtracting the emission amount at the base point multiplied by the reduction rate from the emission amount at the base point, calculates a ratio of the reduction amount to the emission amount at the base point as a time-point reduction rate, and proposes the time-point reduction rate to the user.
[Item Q3]
an input unit that receives input of a user's industry type; and a proposal unit that reads out from the target memory unit the target reduction rate for the business entity corresponding to the received industry, and proposes a statistical value of the read out target reduction rate as the user's target reduction rate.
[Item Q4]
An information processing system according to item Q3, comprising an analysis unit that analyzes a trend of increase or decrease in the target reduction rate for each business entity, and the proposal unit corrects the statistical value in accordance with the trend and proposes the corrected statistical value.
[Item Q5 (P069)]
An information processing system comprising: a base information storage unit that stores at least base information of a first business entity and a second business entity that constitute a supply chain; a template registration unit that registers a template into which information related to greenhouse gas emissions by the first business entity can be input; and an input unit that enables the second business entity to input information related to greenhouse gas emissions by the second business entity using the template.
[Item Q6]
The information processing system according to item Q5, wherein the template registration unit is capable of registering the second business entity as a business entity related to the first business entity, and when the second business entity is registered as a business entity related to the first business entity, the template is used by the second business entity to input information related to greenhouse gas emissions by the second business entity, whereas when the second business entity is not registered as a business entity related to the first business entity, the template is not used by the second business entity to input information related to greenhouse gas emissions by the second business entity.

<<GPS function (18th function)>>
Next, although some of the above-mentioned embodiments have been described, an example of a configuration that can be further applied to the above-mentioned embodiments of the first to seventeenth functions is an embodiment of the eighteenth function, which will be described in detail below. As background technology, carbon dioxide emissions are estimated. There is an issue that it is time-consuming to register data required for calculating emissions in the system. The eighteenth function aims to make it easier to register greenhouse gas emissions.

<System Overview>
The emission management system relating to the 18th function will be described below. The emission management system of this embodiment is intended to manage greenhouse gas emissions by emitters such as companies. The emission management system of this embodiment accepts input of the activity amount of the emitter or other emitters located upstream or downstream in the emitter's supply chain, and calculates the emission amount by multiplying this by an emission coefficient. The emission amount is tallied for each base of the emitter. A base is a place where activities that emit greenhouse gases are carried out, such as a business office or factory, and a report of the total emission amount for each base is required.

An example of the software configuration of the management server 200 in the 18th function will be described with reference to FIG. 3. The management server 200 includes a memory unit 230 (base information memory unit, activity amount memory unit, emission coefficient memory unit, emission amount memory unit, user base memory unit), an execution unit 290 (registration unit), an input unit 220 (activity amount input unit), an analysis unit 280 (base identification unit), and a calculation unit 210 (emission amount calculation unit).

The base information storage unit constituting the storage unit 230 stores information relating to the bases of greenhouse gas emitters (hereinafter referred to as base information). The base information can include information (company ID) that identifies the emitter (e.g., a company, etc.), information (base ID) that identifies the base related to the emitter, and location information of the base. The location information can be expressed, for example, by latitude and longitude. The location information may also be expressed, for example, by a geofence.

The activity amount storage unit constituting the storage unit 230 stores information on the amount of activity by the emitter (hereinafter referred to as activity amount information). In this embodiment, the activity amount storage unit stores the amount of activity for each base. The activity amount information can include a company ID that identifies the emitter, a base ID that identifies the base, information indicating the time when the activity was performed (time information), information that identifies the type of activity (type identification information), and the amount of activity at the base by the emitter. The time of the activity may be, for example, in units of hours, days, or months. The unit of the activity amount is not important. For example, the activity amount may be expressed in monetary terms (yen) or physical amounts (tons, kilograms, kiloliters, etc.).

The emission coefficient memory unit constituting the memory unit 230 stores information including emission coefficients for calculating greenhouse gas emissions (hereinafter referred to as emission coefficient information). The emission coefficient information may include emission coefficients in association with a company ID that identifies the emitter and type-specific information that identifies the type of activity. The emission coefficient information may include emission coefficients in association with type-specific information that indicates the type of activity. Emission coefficients may be primary data (data collected by the emitter itself, obtained from direct measurement, or obtained from calculations based on direct measurement in the first information source) or secondary data (data other than primary data, for example, data standardized (statistically processed) from emissions from multiple companies that provide the same type of product).

The emission amount memory unit constituting the memory unit 230 stores the amount of greenhouse gas emissions. The emission amount memory unit can store the amount of emissions for each base. The emission amount memory unit can store a company ID indicating the emitter, a base ID indicating the base, information specifying when the activity was performed (time information), a scope, a category, and an emission amount in association with each other. The time information can be set to any period such as a fiscal year, year, month, date, or date and time range. The scope and category can be, for example, those specified in the GHG Protocol.

The user base storage unit constituting the storage unit 230 stores information indicating bases related to the user (hereinafter referred to as user base information). The user base information can include, in association with information identifying the user (user ID), a company ID identifying the discharge entity to which the user belongs, and information identifying a base (base ID) at which the user may enter data. Multiple company IDs and/or base IDs may be included.

<Functional department>
The activity amount input unit constituting the input unit 220 accepts an input of the activity amount together with the user's location. The activity amount input unit can receive, from the user terminal 1, location information obtained by processing a signal from a GPS satellite, for example, and the type (type identification information) of the activity amount and the activity amount accepted from the user.

The base identification unit constituting the analysis unit 280 refers to the base information storage unit and identifies the base to be input based on the user's location. The base identification unit can, for example, identify the base information stored in the base information storage unit, including the location information closest to the location information received from the user terminal 1, as the base information related to the base to be input. The base identification unit can also identify the base corresponding to the user and to be input, by referring to the user base storage unit and the base information storage unit. The base identification unit can, for example, read out from the user base storage unit a company ID and a base ID corresponding to the user ID that identifies the user of the user terminal 1, and identify, among the base information stored in the base information storage unit, the one that includes the location information closest to the location information acquired from the user terminal 1, as the base information related to the base to be input. The base identification unit can acquire the company ID and base ID included in the identified base information.

The registration unit constituting the execution unit 290 can register the input activity amount in association with the identified base. The registration unit can create activity amount information including the acquired company ID and base ID, time information including the current time, and the received type-specific information and activity amount, and register the information in the activity amount storage unit.

The emission calculation unit constituting the calculation unit 210 can calculate the greenhouse gas emission amount based on the activity amount stored in the activity amount storage unit. The emission calculation unit accepts the specification of the company ID and base ID to be calculated, reads out the activity amount information corresponding to the accepted company ID and base ID from the activity amount storage unit, reads out the emission coefficient corresponding to the accepted company ID and the type-specific information included in the activity amount information from the emission coefficient storage unit for each of the read activity amount information, and multiplies the activity amount included in the activity amount information by the read emission coefficient, thereby calculating the emission amount. The emission calculation unit may calculate the emission amount by adding up all the calculated emission amounts, or may add up the emission amounts by scope and category. The emission calculation unit may also add up the emission amounts for each base, or may add up the emission amounts for each base, scope, and category. The emission calculation unit can output (for example, transmit to the user terminal 1) the calculated emission amount.

<Operation>
FIG. 26 is a diagram for explaining the operation 1 of the 18th function. The user terminal 1 specifies the location of the user terminal 1 from a GPS signal or the like, and accepts the input of the activity amount (and type-specific information) from the user, and the management server 200 receives the location information and the activity amount (and type-specific information) from the user terminal 1 (S2601). The management server 200 specifies base information (base information including the closest location information from the received location information, or base information corresponding to the user that includes the closest location information from the received location information) based on the received location information (S2602), and registers the base ID and company ID included in the specified base information, and the activity amount information including the received activity amount and type-specific information in the activity amount storage unit (S2603). Note that the time information here may be time information of a predetermined unit including the current time point (for example, it can be expressed by any unit time such as one hour, one day, one week, one month, or one year). Alternatively, the user terminal 1 may accept the input of time information together with the activity amount from the user and transmit it to the management server 200. The management server 200 identifies an emission coefficient corresponding to each registered activity amount information, and calculates an emission amount by multiplying the activity amount by the identified emission coefficient (S2604). The management server 200 can aggregate and output (for example, transmit to the user terminal 1) the calculated emission amount for each base (S2605).

In this way, the base to be input can be identified based on the user's location, and the amount of activity can be easily input by specifying that base.

In addition, the satellite data can be used to analyze the past and future surface conditions at each base in a chronological order. The base in this example may be, for example, a place where greenhouse gas emitting activities are carried out, such as a business office or a factory, or may be a predetermined area where an entity that carries out greenhouse gas emitting activities, including one or more business offices or factories, is present. The predetermined area is preferably an area of a predetermined area. The satellite data is image data taken from a GPS satellite. The satellite data is image data of the base of the entity that emits greenhouse gas, and is image data showing an area of a predetermined area. The satellite data is acquired by an acquisition unit. The image data to be analyzed is the first satellite data acquired at a first point in time (e.g., one year ago) and the second satellite data acquired at a second point in time (e.g., the present), and these are compared and analyzed. The first satellite data and the second satellite data are image data showing an area of the same area (the same base). The analysis is performed by an analysis unit. The analysis is performed by comparing the green space area and the forest area in the image data. By analyzing satellite data in this way, it is possible to analyze changes in land use over time, such as the reduction in green spaces and forests. In addition, by analyzing satellite data, it is possible to estimate and register the amount of activity at bases. This type of analysis makes it easy to register the amount of activity at bases. Registration is carried out by the Registration Department. This analysis also makes it possible to analyze biodiversity risks, etc. This is particularly effective when identifying materiality.

Figure 27 is a diagram explaining operation 2 of the 18th function. The management server 200 acquires satellite data of the base of the greenhouse gas emitter (S2701). Next, the management server 200 analyzes the satellite data in time series (S2702). Next, the management server 200 registers the activity amount at the base in the registration unit based on the analysis result (S2703). Next, operation 1 may be executed, or may be configured as follows. The management server 200 identifies the position of the base from the satellite data and stores the position information of the identified base in the base information storage unit. The management server 200 accepts input of the position information of the base and the activity amount by the emitter in the activity amount input unit. The management server 200 refers to the base information storage unit and identifies the base based on the position information by the base identification unit. The management server 200 registers the activity amount at the base in the activity amount storage unit based on the analysis result. Also, the management server 200 registers the input activity amount in the activity amount storage unit in association with the identified base.

In this embodiment, the input of the amount of activity is accepted from the user, but for example, if the emission coefficient can vary for each location, it is possible to accept the input of the emission coefficient, identify the location to be input according to the location information of the user terminal 1, and register the emission coefficient of the identified location.

The calculation unit 210, input unit 220, and analysis unit 280 of the management server 200 may be executed by a system (mechanical system) with artificial intelligence that can learn by itself.

<Disclosures>
In addition, the 18th function also includes the following configuration.
[Item R1 (P043)]
an activity amount storage unit that stores an amount of activity by the emitter for each of the greenhouse gas emitters; an activity amount input unit that receives input of location information of the mobile device and the activity amount from a user's mobile device; a base identification unit that refers to the base information storage unit and identifies the base based on the location information; and a registration unit that registers the input activity amount in the activity amount storage unit in association with the identified base.
[Item R2]
An information processing system according to item R1, comprising: an emission coefficient memory unit that stores an emission coefficient for calculating the greenhouse gas emission amount; an emission calculation unit that calculates the emission amount by multiplying the activity amount stored in the activity amount memory unit by the emission coefficient; and an emission memory unit that stores the emission amount for each of the base locations.
[Item R3]
An information processing system according to item R1, comprising a user base storage unit that stores information indicating the base in correspondence with the user, and the base identification unit refers to the user base storage unit and the base information storage unit to identify the base corresponding to the user.
[Item R4 (P048)]
An information processing system comprising: an acquisition unit that acquires satellite data of a base of a greenhouse gas emitter, an analysis unit that analyzes the satellite data in time series, and a registration unit that registers an amount of activity at the base based on an analysis result. Item R4 may be as follows: An information processing system comprising: an acquisition unit that acquires satellite data of a base of a greenhouse gas emitter, an analysis unit that analyzes the satellite data in time series, a base information storage unit that stores position information that identifies a position of the base, an activity amount input unit that accepts input of the position information of the base and an activity amount by the emitter, a base identification unit that refers to the base information storage unit and identifies the base based on the position information, and a registration unit that registers an amount of activity at the base based on an analysis result, and registers the input activity amount in the activity amount storage unit in association with the identified base.

<<Credit function (19th function)>>
Next, although some of the above-mentioned embodiments have been described, an example of a configuration that can be further applied to the above-mentioned embodiments of the first to eighteenth functions is an embodiment of the nineteenth function, which will be described in detail below. As background technology, carbon dioxide emission rights are traded. There is an issue that registering offsettable greenhouse gas emissions is time-consuming. The nineteenth function aims to make it easier to register offsettable greenhouse gas emissions.

<System Overview>
The information processing system relating to the 19th function will be described below. The information processing system according to this embodiment is intended to support trading of greenhouse gas emission rights (J-credits are assumed in this embodiment, but emission rights other than J-credits can also be applied). Emission rights created by greenhouse gas emission reduction or absorption are matched with the greenhouse gas emissions to be offset. The number of J-credits available varies depending on the greenhouse gas emission activity. In addition, the number of J-credits available for reporting varies depending on the rules such as the Global Warming Act, the Energy Conservation Act, SBT, CDP, and RE100. In the information processing system according to this embodiment, available emission rights are provided to a user (hereinafter referred to as a user) who wishes to offset greenhouse gas emissions.

The information processing system of the 19th function includes a management server 200. The management server 200 is communicatively connected to each of the owner terminal as the user terminal 100, the user terminal as the user terminal 100, and the invalidation server via the communication network 300.

The holder terminal is a computer operated by a user (hereinafter referred to as the holder of the emission rights) who has created emission rights by reducing or absorbing greenhouse gas emissions. The holder terminal may be, for example, a smartphone, a tablet computer, a personal computer, etc. The holder terminal is connected to be able to communicate with the user terminal, the management server 200, and the invalidation server via the communication network 300.

The user terminal is a computer operated by a user. The user terminal may be, for example, a smartphone, a tablet computer, a personal computer, etc. The user terminal is connected to be able to communicate with the owner terminal, the management server 200, and the invalidation server via the communication network 300.

The management server 200 is a computer that manages information related to emission rights and proposes emission rights to users. The management server 200 may be a general-purpose computer such as a workstation or a personal computer, or may be logically realized by cloud computing.

The invalidation server is a computer of an organization that issues emission credits and invalidates greenhouse gas emissions based on emission credits (the organization that operates the J-Credit Scheme). In this embodiment, it is assumed that the invalidation process is performed by sending a request to invalidate the emission credits to the invalidation server (including, for example, sending a request for invalidation by email). The invalidation server is connected to be able to communicate with user terminals, holder terminals, and management server 200 via communication network 300.

The hardware configuration of the owner terminal, user terminal, and invalidation server can also be the same as that of the management server 200.

An example of the software configuration of the management server 200 in the 19th function will be described with reference to FIG. 3. The management server 200 includes a memory unit 230 (emission credit memory unit, offset attribute memory unit, invalidation information memory unit), an input unit 220 (request reception unit), an acquisition unit 250 (emission credit acquisition unit), and an execution unit 290 (invalidation processing unit).

The emission rights storage unit constituting the storage unit 230 stores information on emission rights that can offset greenhouse gas emissions (hereinafter referred to as emission rights information). The emission rights information may include the name of the emission meter (emission rights name), the attributes of the emission rights, and the maximum value (maximum offset amount) and minimum value (minimum offset amount) of the amount of greenhouse gas that can be offset by the emission rights, in association with emission rights identification information (emission rights ID) that identifies the emission rights. The minimum offset amount sets the sales unit of the emission rights and can be set arbitrarily by the holder of the emission rights, and may be in units of, for example, 1 ton, 50 ton, 100 ton, etc. The attributes may include a methodology related to the emission rights (which specifies the scope of application, the calculation method and monitoring method of the emission reduction/absorption amount for each technology that contributes to emission reduction/absorption). The attributes may include the type of emission rights.

The offset attribute memory unit constituting the memory unit 230 stores attributes of emission credits that can offset emissions related to an activity, in association with activity specific information that identifies the activity. In this embodiment, the offset attribute memory unit stores rule specific information that identifies the rules related to reporting emissions, activity specific information, and attributes in association with each other. The rule specific information can be, for example, "Act on Global Warming Countermeasures," "Energy Conservation Act," "Carbon Offset," "CDP Questionnaire," "SBT," "RE100," etc. The activity specific information can be, for example, "fuel combustion," "electricity use," etc.

The invalidation information storage unit that constitutes the storage unit 230 stores information about the emission amount that the user wishes to offset (hereinafter referred to as invalidation information). The invalidation information can include an invalidation ID that identifies the invalidation information, rule specific information, activity specific information, and the emission amount that is desired to be offset. The invalidation information can also include information indicating whether or not the invalidation process is to be performed automatically on the management server 200 side (automatic invalidation).

<Functional department>
The input unit 220 can accept input of activity specification information that specifies the activity for which the user wishes to offset, and the emission amount related to the activity. In this embodiment, the input unit 220 accepts input of invalidation information. The input unit 220 can transmit screen information that displays an input form for the invalidation information to the user terminal, and can accept the invalidation information by receiving data for each item of the invalidation information from the user terminal. The input unit 220 can register the accepted invalidation information in the invalidation information storage unit.

The emission rights acquisition unit constituting the acquisition unit 250 identifies emission rights that can be presented for the invalidation information. The emission rights acquisition unit can refer to the offset attribute storage unit and the emission rights storage unit to identify attributes that correspond to the activity specific information included in the invalidation information, and acquire emission rights specific information that corresponds to the identified attributes and the maximum offsettable amount that is equal to or greater than the emissions included in the invalidation information. In addition, if rule specific information is set in the invalidation information, the emission rights acquisition unit can identify attributes that correspond to the rule specific information and activity specific information included in the invalidation information from the offset attribute storage unit.

The emission rights acquisition unit can present the identified emission rights to the user. The emission rights acquisition unit can, for example, transmit the emission rights information to the user terminal.

The emission rights acquisition unit may search for invalidation information capable of presenting the emission rights for the emission rights information. For example, the emission rights acquisition unit may select a combination (which may be one) of invalidation information such that the emission amount (when there is one invalidation information) or the total emission amount (when there are multiple invalidation information) included in the invalidation information is equal to or less than the maximum offsettable amount of the emission rights information for the emission rights information. The emission rights acquisition unit may also select a combination (which may be one) of invalidation information such that the emission amount (when there is one invalidation information) or the total emission amount (when there are multiple invalidation information) included in the invalidation information is equal to or greater than the minimum offsettable amount. For example, the emission rights acquisition unit may select a combination of invalidation information (or combinations) such that the emission amount (or the total amount) included in the invalidation information is equal to or less than the maximum offsettable amount of the emission rights information and equal to or greater than the minimum offsettable amount for one emission rights information, such that the total amount of emission amount included in the invalidation information is equal to or greater than a predetermined value or is at its maximum.

The request reception unit constituting the input unit 220 can receive an invalidation request from a user terminal. The request can include information that identifies the invalidation information (e.g., an invalidation ID) and information that identifies the emission credits (e.g., an emission credit ID).

The invalidation processing unit constituting the execution unit 290 performs processing related to invalidating emissions using emission credits (hereinafter referred to as invalidation processing). As the invalidation processing, the invalidation processing unit can, for example, send an invalidation request including information identifying the emission credits and invalidation information to the invalidation server. In this case, the operator of the management server 200 will perform the invalidation on behalf of the user. Note that the invalidation may also be performed by the user himself.

For invalidation information for which automatic invalidation is "false", the invalidation processing unit can perform the invalidation process in response to an invalidation request from the user terminal. For invalidation information for which automatic invalidation is "true", the invalidation processing unit can perform the invalidation process without receiving a request from the user terminal. In this case, the invalidation processing unit can perform a sale process of the emission rights from the holder to the user prior to the invalidation process. Note that the sales process will not be explained here as it uses the process used in a general trading system.

In addition, when the invalidation processing unit performs invalidation processing for multiple pieces of invalidation information using one emission credit, the invalidation processing unit can perform processing related to the invalidation (for example, sending an invalidation request to the invalidation server) so that the activity-specific information and emission amounts contained in each piece of invalidation information are included in the invalidation notice.

<Operation>
FIG. 28 is a diagram for explaining the operation 1 of the 19th function (a diagram for explaining the process of invalidation information whose automatic invalidation is "false"). The management server 200 accepts input of invalidation information from the user terminal and registers it in the invalidation information storage unit (S2801). The management server 200 acquires attributes corresponding to the rule specific information and the activity specific information included in the invalidation information from the offset attribute storage unit (S2802), and searches the emission credit information corresponding to the acquired attributes and in which the emission amount of the invalidation information is equal to or greater than the minimum offsettable amount and equal to or less than the maximum offsettable amount from the emission credit storage unit (S2803). The management server 200 can transmit the searched emission credit information to the user terminal and present the emission credit to the user (S2804). Here, the management server 200 may perform a process of selling the emission credit to the user. When the management server 200 receives a request for invalidation from the user terminal (S2805), the management server 200 performs an invalidation process using the emission credit related to the emission credit information based on the emission credit information and the invalidation information specified in the request (S2806).

In this way, the management server 200 can present users with emission credits that can be used to offset emissions. The management server 200 can also invalidate emissions on behalf of users in response to their requests.

Figure 29 is a diagram explaining the operation 2 of the 19th function (a diagram explaining the processing of invalidation information with automatic invalidation set to "true"). The management server 200 accepts input of invalidation information from the user terminal and registers it in the invalidation information storage unit (S2901). The management server 200 acquires rules and activities corresponding to the attributes of the emission rights information from the offset attribute storage unit (S2902). The management server 200 reads out invalidation information corresponding to the acquired rules and activities from the invalidation information storage unit, and selects a combination of invalidation information from the read out invalidation information such that the total emission amount is equal to or greater than the minimum offsettable amount and equal to or less than the maximum offsettable amount (S2903). Here, the management server 200 can select a combination such that the total emission amount is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. The management server 200 may also select a combination such that the total emission amount is maximized. The management server 200 can perform invalidation processing such that the activity specification information and emission amount included in each of the invalidation information included in the selected combination are included in the invalidation notice (S2904).

In this way, the management server 200 can automatically execute invalidation processing for the emission amount that the user wishes to offset. Therefore, for example, invalidation information related to an emission amount that is less than the minimum offsettable amount can be invalidated all at once. Also, when offsetting an emission amount that is less than the maximum offsettable amount, invalidation can be performed together with other invalidation information.

In addition, the satellite data can be used to analyze the past and future surface conditions at each base in a chronological order. The base in this example may be, for example, a place where greenhouse gas emitting activities are carried out, such as a business office or a factory, or may be a predetermined area where an entity that carries out greenhouse gas emitting activities, including one or more business offices or factories, is present. The predetermined area is preferably an area of a predetermined area. The satellite data is image data taken from a GPS satellite. The satellite data is image data of the base of the entity that emits greenhouse gas, and is image data showing an area of a predetermined area. The satellite data is acquired by an acquisition unit. The image data to be analyzed is the first satellite data acquired at a first point in time (e.g., one year ago) and the second satellite data acquired at a second point in time (e.g., the present), and these are compared and analyzed. The first satellite data and the second satellite data are image data showing an area of the same area (the same base). The analysis is performed by an analysis unit. The analysis is performed by comparing the green space area and the forest area in the image data. By analyzing satellite data in this way, it is possible to analyze changes in land use over time, such as the reduction of green spaces and forests. Furthermore, by analyzing satellite data, it is possible to estimate and register the amount of activity at the base. Furthermore, by analyzing satellite data, it is possible to estimate and register the amount of greenhouse gas emissions that can be offset. Through this analysis, it is possible to easily register the amount of activity at the base and the amount of greenhouse gas emissions that can be offset. Registration is performed by the registration department. Furthermore, this analysis makes it possible to analyze biodiversity risks, etc. This is particularly effective when identifying materiality. Furthermore, it can lead to greenwashing. Note that there are cases where offsetting is not possible depending on the analysis results, in which case it is possible to estimate and register the amount of greenhouse gas emissions that cannot be offset.

Figure 30 is a diagram explaining operation 3 of the 19th function. The management server 200 acquires satellite data of the base of the greenhouse gas emitter (S3001). Next, the management server 200 analyzes the satellite data in chronological order (S3002). Next, the management server 200 estimates the offsettable greenhouse gas emissions at the base based on the analysis results and registers them in the registration unit (S3003). Next, the following configuration may be used. The management server 200 registers the amount of activity at the base in the registration unit based on the analysis results. The management server 200 identifies the location of the base from the satellite data and stores the location information of the identified base in the base information storage unit. The management server 200 accepts input of the location information of the base and the amount of activity by the emitter in the activity amount input unit. The management server 200 refers to the base information storage unit and identifies the base based on the location information by the base identification unit. The management server 200 registers the amount of activity at the base in the activity amount storage unit based on the analysis results. The input activity amount is registered in the activity amount storage unit in association with the identified base. Action 3 may also be combined with action 1 or 2.

In this embodiment, one or more pieces of invalidation information are matched to one piece of emission rights information, but one or more pieces of invalidation information may be matched to multiple pieces of emission rights information. In this case, for example, when there is a remainder (fraction) in the emission amount of the invalidation information in units of the minimum offsettable amount, another emission rights information may be matched by that fraction.

For example, in this embodiment, the management server 200 automatically performs the invalidation process (acts as an invalidator), but it may be configured to merely present the user with the emission credits that can be used for invalidation.

The input unit 220, acquisition unit 250, and execution unit 290 of the management server 200 may be executed by a system (mechanical system) with artificial intelligence that can learn by itself.

<Disclosures>
The nineteenth function also includes the following configuration:
[Item S1 (P046)]
an emission rights storage unit that stores, in association with each other, emission rights specification information that specifies emission rights capable of offsetting greenhouse gas emissions, an offsettable amount which is the amount of greenhouse gas that can be offset by the emission rights, and attributes of the emission rights; an offset attribute storage unit that stores, in association with activity specification information that specifies an activity, the attributes of the emission rights capable of offsetting the emissions related to the activity; an input unit that accepts input of the activity specification information that specifies the activity for which a user wishes to offset and the emissions related to the activity; and an emission rights acquisition unit that refers to the offset attribute storage unit and the emission rights storage unit to specify the attributes that correspond to the activity specification information that has been input, and acquires the emission rights specification information that corresponds to the specified attributes and the offsettable amount that is equal to or greater than the emissions that have been input.
[Item S2]
Item S1. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein the attributes include a methodology related to the emission credits.
[Item S3]
An information processing system according to item S1, wherein the offset attribute storage unit stores rule specifying information that specifies a rule related to the reporting of the emission amounts, the activity specifying information, and the attributes in association with each other, the input unit accepts input of the emission amounts, the activity specifying information, and the rule specifying information, and the emission credit acquisition unit specifies the attributes that correspond to the input rule specifying information and activity specifying information.
[Item S4]
An information processing system according to item S1, comprising: a request receiving unit that receives an invalidation request from the user; and an invalidation processing unit that, in response to the request, executes processing related to invalidating the emission amount related to the activity indicated by the input activity specification information, using the emission credit specified by the acquired emission credit specification information.
[Item S5]
an invalidation information storage unit that stores the emission right specifying information, the offsettable amount, and the attributes, in association with a minimum amount of the emission right that can be offset, and that stores invalidation information including the activity specifying information and the emission amount; and an invalidation processing unit that performs processing related to invalidating the emission amounts using the emission right, wherein the emission right acquisition unit selects a plurality of the invalidation information so that the total of the emission amounts is equal to or greater than the minimum amount and equal to or less than the offsettable amount, and identifies, for each of the selected invalidation information, the emission right specifying information that corresponds to the invalidation information, and the invalidation processing unit performs processing related to invalidating the emission amounts of the selected invalidation information using the emission right specified by the emission right specifying information.
[Item S6]
An information processing system according to item S5, characterized in that the invalidation processing unit performs processing related to the invalidation so that the activity specification information and the emission amount contained in each of the invalidation information are included in an invalidation notice.
[Item S7 (P049)]
An information processing system comprising: an acquisition unit that acquires satellite data of a greenhouse gas emission base; an analysis unit that analyzes the satellite data in chronological order; and a registration unit that registers offsettable greenhouse gas emissions at the base based on the analysis results.

<<Comparison function (20th function)>>
Next, although some of the above-mentioned embodiments have been described, an example of a configuration that can be further applied to the above-mentioned embodiments of the first to nineteenth functions is an embodiment of the twentieth function, which will be described in detail below. As background technology, emissions of carbon dioxide and the like are calculated. There is a challenge in that it is required to grasp the emission status of greenhouse gases throughout the entire supply chain. The twentieth function aims to provide a technology that can grasp the emission status of greenhouse gases.

An example of the software configuration of the management server 200 in the 20th function will be described using FIG. 3. The management server 200 includes a memory unit 230 (emission coefficient memory unit, scale information memory unit), an acquisition unit 250 (activity amount acquisition unit, information acquisition unit), a calculation unit 210 (emission amount calculation unit), and an output unit 240 (information presentation unit, emission coefficient presentation unit). Note that the emission coefficient memory unit, scale information memory unit, acquisition unit (activity amount acquisition unit, information acquisition unit), emission amount calculation unit, and presentation unit (information presentation unit, emission coefficient presentation unit) are the same as those in the third function, and therefore will not be described here.

<Operation 1>
Next, the operation 1 of the 20th function as a comparison function will be described with reference to FIG. 31. The management server 200 stores an emission coefficient for calculating the greenhouse gas emission amount for each calculation target in the emission coefficient storage unit (S3101). Next, the management server 200 acquires the activity amount related to the calculation target by the acquisition unit (S3102). Next, the management server 200 calculates the first emission amount corresponding to the first calculation target by multiplying the emission coefficient by the activity amount by the emission amount calculation unit (S3103). The first calculation target is a calculation target that serves as a reference. The first calculation target is exemplified as product A, but is not limited to this, and may be any target for which the emission amount can be calculated. The first calculation target may also be a business entity such as the first business entity.

Next, the management server 200 calculates the second emission corresponding to the second calculation target by multiplying the emission coefficient by the activity amount using the emission calculation unit (S3104). The second calculation target is a calculation target to be compared. The second calculation target is exemplified by a product with a changed specification of product A, but is not limited to this, and may be any target for which emissions can be calculated. The second calculation target may be a business entity such as the second business entity. The second calculation target may be product A or the first business entity, in which case it is product A or the first business entity after a predetermined period of time has passed (e.g., one month later) after the emissions are calculated for the first calculation target.

Next, the management server 200 presents the first emission amount and the second emission amount in a comparable manner by the presentation unit (S3105). An example of a comparable manner is a manner in which the first emission amount and the second emission amount are displayed side by side in a bar graph for comparison, but it may also be a pie chart or a line graph, and is not limited to these. In addition, the comparable manner includes various comparison manners, such as a manner in which the emission amounts are displayed as numbers for comparison.

Although an example of a comparison between two products, product A and a product with specifications changed from product A, is shown, the comparison is not limited to two products, and multiple products, such as three products, may be compared and displayed. This can also be combined with a comparison function of changes over time, which will be described later. In other words, it is possible to display changes over time when comparing multiple products. When comparing changes over time, an analysis function using the analysis unit 280 may be used. For example, a report may be output stating that emissions have decreased for this reason. This may also be combined with other functions (for example, the third function).

In this manner, the information processing system of this embodiment can compare the first emission amount and the second emission amount and present them to the user.

<Operation 2>
Next, the operation 2 of the 20th function as a comparison function of aging change will be described with reference to FIG. 32. The management server 200 stores an emission coefficient for calculating the greenhouse gas emission amount for each calculation object in the emission coefficient storage unit (S3201). Next, the management server 200 acquires the activity amount related to the calculation object by the acquisition unit (S3202). Next, the management server 200 calculates the first emission amount corresponding to the calculation object by multiplying the emission coefficient by the activity amount by the emission calculation unit (S3203). The calculation object is a reference calculation object. The calculation object is exemplified as product A in May 2023, but is not limited thereto, and may be any object for which the emission amount can be calculated. The calculation object may be a business entity in May 2023, etc. In addition, the first emission amount is exemplified as the emission amount calculated for product A in May 2023.

Next, the management server 200 calculates the second emission corresponding to the calculation target by multiplying the emission coefficient by the activity amount after a predetermined period of time has elapsed since the emission calculation unit calculated the first emission (S3204). The second emission is exemplified by the emission calculated for product A in June 2023. Note that the predetermined period of time is exemplified as one month later, but is not limited to this period.

Next, the management server 200 presents the first emission amount and the second emission amount in a comparative manner by the presentation unit (S3205). The comparative manner is, for example, a manner in which the first emission amount and the second emission amount are displayed side by side in a bar graph for comparison, but is not limited to these and may be a pie chart or a line graph. Various comparison manners are included, such as a manner in which the emission amount is displayed as a number for comparison. In addition, the number of bar graphs displayed may be 13 as the number of aging changes, and displayed as a comparative manner. It is preferable that the number of bar graphs displayed is more than 12 months so that the aging changes over at least one year can be confirmed. In addition, it may be combined with the comparison function of operation 1, or may be combined with another function (for example, the third function).

In this manner, the information processing system of this embodiment can compare the first emission amount with the second emission amount and present the change over time to the user.

<Disclosures>
In addition, the 20th function also includes the following configuration.
[Item T1 (P070)]
an emission coefficient storage unit that stores an emission coefficient for calculating greenhouse gas emissions for each calculation object; an acquisition unit that can acquire an activity amount related to the calculation object; an emission calculation unit that can calculate a first emission amount corresponding to a first calculation object by multiplying the emission coefficient by the activity amount and can calculate a second emission amount corresponding to a second calculation object by multiplying the emission coefficient by the activity amount; and a presentation unit that presents the first emission amount and the second emission amount in a comparable manner.
[Item T2]
An information processing system according to item T1, characterized in that the calculation target is a business entity.
[Item T3]
An information processing system according to item T2, comprising a scale information storage unit that stores, for each of the business entities, scale information indicating at least one of sales scale and asset scale, and wherein the presentation unit, when the emission coefficient corresponding to a first business entity is not registered, reads out the scale information corresponding to the first business entity from the scale information storage unit, refers to the scale information storage unit, identifies a second business entity corresponding to the scale information that matches or is similar to the read-out scale information, reads out the emission coefficient corresponding to the identified second business entity from the emission coefficient storage unit, and presents the read-out emission coefficient.
[Item T4 (P071)]
an emission coefficient storage unit that stores an emission coefficient for calculating greenhouse gas emissions for each calculation object; an acquisition unit that can acquire an activity amount related to the calculation object; an emission calculation unit that can calculate a first emission amount corresponding to the calculation object by multiplying the emission coefficient by the activity amount, and that can calculate a second emission amount corresponding to the calculation object by multiplying the emission coefficient by the activity amount after a predetermined period has elapsed since the calculation of the first emission amount; and a presentation unit that presents the first emission amount and the second emission amount in a comparable manner.
[Item T5]
An information processing system according to item T4, characterized in that the calculation target is a business entity.
[Item T6]
An information processing system according to item T5, comprising: a scale information storage unit that stores, for each of the business entities, scale information indicating at least one of sales scale and asset scale; and when the emission coefficient corresponding to a first business entity is not registered, the presentation unit reads out the scale information corresponding to the first business entity from the scale information storage unit, refers to the scale information storage unit, identifies a second business entity corresponding to the scale information that matches or is similar to the read-out scale information, reads out the emission coefficient corresponding to the identified second business entity from the emission coefficient storage unit, and presents the read-out emission coefficient.

The acquisition unit 250, calculation unit 210, output unit 240, and analysis unit 280 of the management server 200 may be executed by a system (mechanical system) with artificial intelligence that can learn by itself.

<<Emissions intensity display restriction function (21st function)>>
Next, although some of the above-mentioned embodiments have been described, an example of a configuration that can be further applied to the above-mentioned embodiments of the first to twentieth functions is an embodiment of the twenty-first function, which will be described in detail below. The twenty-first function is a function for switching between displaying and hiding an emission intensity unit (emission coefficient) whose use is restricted for each user. As background technology, the amount of carbon dioxide emissions is estimated. There is an issue that restrictions on the use of the emission intensity unit may be set. The twenty-first function aims to provide a technology that can appropriately use the emission intensity unit.

In addition, as companies have made progress in calculating and reducing their own greenhouse gas emissions from the use of fuel, electricity, etc., attention has been focused on "scope 3 emissions," which are emissions other than scope 1 and 2, with the aim of further reducing greenhouse gas emissions related to the company. By calculating scope 3 emissions in addition to scope 1 and 2 emissions, the aim is to provide an information processing system that can grasp the greenhouse gas emissions of the entire supply chain.

The emission unit (emissions coefficient) used to calculate Scope 3 emissions is specified in detail in the emission unit database (hereinafter referred to as DB) used for each category. For example, when calculating greenhouse gas emissions in category 1 "purchased products and services," greenhouse gas emissions are calculated using either an accumulated-based emission unit, an input-output table-based emission unit, a domestic emission unit DB, or an overseas emission unit DB.

Among such emission intensity DBs, there are emission intensity DBs provided free of charge (hereinafter referred to as primary data DBs) and emission intensity DBs provided for a fee (hereinafter referred to as secondary data DBs). Secondary data DBs are sold by providers, and when a business uses a secondary data DB to calculate greenhouse gas emissions (especially Scope 3 emissions), it must purchase the secondary data DB from the provider and obtain permission to use it. Then, in order to calculate greenhouse gas emissions throughout the supply chain, the business uses an information processing system to calculate Scope 1, 2 and Scope 3 emissions. It is desirable that this information processing system registers not only the primary data DB used to calculate Scope 1 and 2 emissions, but also the secondary data DB sold by the provider as master data. And when the secondary data DB is registered in the information processing system as master data, a problem arises in that, while the calculated greenhouse gas emissions are displayed to all users of the information processing system, users who have the authority to license the secondary data DB and users who do not have the authority to license the use of the secondary data DB must be properly managed.

In addition, the emission unit values registered in the secondary data database are broken down to a level of granularity that is not used in practice by businesses that calculate greenhouse gas emissions. Businesses that calculate greenhouse gas emissions only need to be able to calculate greenhouse gas emissions at the level of granularity that they use in practice, and in some cases do not need to purchase a secondary data database.

<System Overview>
The information processing system relating to the 21st function will be described below. The information processing system of this embodiment is intended to manage greenhouse gas emissions by emitters such as companies. The information processing system of this embodiment accepts input of the amount of activity of the emitter or other emitters located upstream or downstream in the emitter's supply chain, and multiplies this by an emission intensity (emission coefficient) to calculate the amount of emissions.

In this embodiment, it is assumed that the emission intensity units are sold by a business operator (hereinafter referred to as a provider) and that the provider has given permission to use the emission intensity units. The information processing system of this embodiment manages users who have obtained permission to use the system, and while displaying the calculated emission amount to all users, it does not display the emission intensity units to users who have not obtained permission to use the system. Furthermore, the information processing system of this embodiment does not display the activity amount to users who have not obtained permission to use the system, thereby making it impossible to estimate the emission intensity units.

An example of the software configuration of the management server 200 in the 21st function will be described with reference to FIG. 3. The management server 200 includes a memory unit 230 (activity amount memory unit, emission intensity memory unit, user memory unit, emission amount memory unit), an execution unit 290 (emission intensity unit registration unit), an acquisition unit 250 (activity amount acquisition unit), a calculation unit 210 (emission amount calculation unit), and an output unit 240.

The activity amount memory unit constituting the memory unit 230 stores the activity amount related to the activity of emitting greenhouse gases. The activity amount is, for example, the number of products produced (pieces), the number of products purchased (pieces), the weight x distance (ton-kilometers) transported by logistics, the amount of fuel consumed (liters) and the amount of money (yen). The activity amount memory unit can store the activity amount in association with information identifying the activity amount (activity amount ID), information identifying the emitter (company ID), information identifying the activity that emits greenhouse gases (activity identification information), and time information. The activity identification information can be in any form as long as it is information for identifying the activity. For example, when an ID (activity ID) that uniquely identifies the type of activity is set in the data input to the management server 200, the activity ID can be the activity identification information. In addition, information including the type of data and conditions for the values of items included in the data can be the activity identification information. For example, if the data is financial accounting data, the activity specification information can be information specifying "financial accounting data" and the condition that the "account item" is "travel expenses" and the description includes "taxi." In addition, as activity specification information, a function or learning model that inputs data and outputs activity can also be set. Time information is information that specifies the period during which an activity took place. Time information can be, for example, a date, a year, or an academic year.

The emission intensity memory unit constituting the memory unit 230 stores information including an emission intensity for calculating greenhouse gas emissions (hereinafter referred to as emission intensity information). There are primary data (data collected by the emitter itself, obtained from direct measurement, or data obtained from calculations based on direct measurement in the first information source) and secondary data (data other than primary data, for example, data standardized (statistically processed) from emissions of multiple companies providing the same type of product), but in this embodiment, it is assumed that the emission intensity is secondary data sold by a provider. The emission intensity information may include activity-specific information and emission intensity in association with information identifying the emission intensity (intensity ID), information identifying the provider providing the emission intensity (provider ID), information identifying the set of emission intensity (intensity name), and the version of the set of emission intensity. The provider ID may be, for example, the name of the emission intensity sold by the provider. The version may be, for example, the fiscal year. There may be multiple pairs of activity-specific information and emissions intensity corresponding to one provider ID, intensity unit name, and version pair.

The user memory unit constituting the memory unit 230 stores information for identifying users who can use the emission intensity units. For example, the user memory unit stores, in association with information identifying a user (user ID), a company ID that identifies the emitter to which the user belongs, a provider ID that indicates the provider, the version of the emission intensity units provided by the provider, and a usage permission flag that indicates whether the user is authorized to use the emission intensity units.

The emission amount memory unit constituting the memory unit 230 stores information regarding the calculated greenhouse gas emission amount (hereinafter referred to as emission amount information). The emission amount information can include a company ID, information specifying the time when the activity was performed (time information), a scope, a category, an activity amount ID and an emission amount unit ID indicating the activity amount and emission amount unit used to calculate the emission amount, and the emission amount. The time information can be set to any period such as a fiscal year, a year, a year and month, a year and month, a date, or a date and time range. The scope and category can be the scope and category registered in the classification memory unit described above.

The activity amount acquisition unit constituting the acquisition unit 250 acquires the activity amount. The activity amount acquisition unit can receive the activity amount from, for example, the user terminal 100. For example, the activity amount can use items included in data exported from an ERP system or the like (export data) or data converted from the export data. These data can be, for example, CSV data, JSON data, or XML data. For example, in CSV data, it is known which item is data for which activity, and the activity can be identified by what value is entered in which item of the CSV data in the activity identification information. In addition, in JSON data, XML data, etc., the type of item of the set data may be tagged or set in an attribute.

The emission intensity registration unit constituting the execution unit 290 registers the emission intensity related to the activity in the emission intensity storage unit. The emission intensity registration unit can receive the emission intensity from the user terminal 100, for example. The emission intensity registration unit can access the provider's computer (not shown), for example, to obtain the version and emission intensity, and register them in the emission intensity storage unit.

The emission calculation unit constituting the calculation unit 210 calculates the emission amount by multiplying the activity amount by the emission intensity. The emission calculation unit can aggregate the emission amount by scope and category. Note that, for the process of aggregating the emission amount by scope and category, for example, the scope and category corresponding to the activity amount can be specified and aggregated by setting the corresponding scope and category for each activity. The emission calculation unit can create emission information including the calculated emission amount, an activity amount ID indicating the activity amount used to calculate the emission amount, and an intensity ID indicating the emission intensity used to calculate the emission amount, and register it in the emission storage unit.

The output unit 240 outputs the calculated emission amount. The output unit 240 can refer to the user memory unit to determine whether the user to whom the emission amount is to be output (e.g., the user who has accessed the management server 200 from the user terminal 100 and is currently logged in) can use the emission intensity unit used to calculate the emission amount. If the user can use the emission intensity unit, the output unit 240 can output at least one of the activity amount and the emission intensity unit used to calculate the emission amount in association with the emission amount.

If the user is unable to use the emission intensity unit, the output unit 240 does not output either the activity amount or the emission intensity unit used to calculate the emission amount. If the user to whom the output is to be made is unable to use the emission intensity unit, the output unit 240 may mask the activity amount and the emission intensity unit before outputting them.

<Operation>
33 is a diagram explaining the flow of the calculation process of the emission amount. The management server 200 displays the version of the emission intensity unit that the user can use (S3301). For example, the management server 200 can read the intensity unit name and version corresponding to the user ID indicating the user who has logged in to the management server 200 from the user terminal 100 from the user storage unit, and transmit screen data displaying the read intensity unit name and version to the user terminal 100. At this time, the management server 200 can also transmit a list of the activity amount to the user terminal 100.

The management server 200 accepts from the user the activity amount and the emission intensity unit to be used (S3302). The emission intensity unit may be the intensity unit name and version sent in step S301, or the activity specific information and emission intensity unit specification corresponding to the intensity unit name and version sent in step S301 (e.g., it can be specified by the intensity unit ID). The management server 200 can be configured not to accept emission intensity units that differ from the intensity unit name and version sent in step S301.

The management server 200 calculates the amount of emissions by multiplying the specified amount of activity by the emission intensity (S3303), creates emission information including the amount of activity, the emission intensity, and the amount of emissions, and registers this information in the emission memory unit (S3304).

Figure 34 is a diagram explaining the flow of the emission amount output process. The management server 200 reads out the emission amount information stored in the emission amount storage unit, and outputs the emission amount contained in the read emission amount information (S3401). The management server 200 can, for example, acquire a company ID corresponding to a user ID indicating a user who has logged in to the management server 200 from the user terminal 100, and read out the emission amount information corresponding to the acquired company ID from the emission amount storage unit. The management server 200 may also accept time information specified by the user, and narrow down the emission amount information corresponding to the specified time information.

The management server 200 identifies the emission unit name and version corresponding to the unit ID included in the emission information including the output emission amount from the emission unit storage unit (S3402). The management server 200 reads the user ID indicating the user and the usability flag corresponding to the identified unit name and version from the user storage unit, and determines whether the user can use the emission unit based on the read usability flag (S3403).

If the user is able to use the emission unit (S3403: YES), the management server 200 determines whether the number of users is equal to or less than a specific number (S3404). For example, if there is one IDEA license, the specific number is three, and if there are two licenses, the specific number is six. Depending on the number of licenses, the specific number is set to, for example, a multiple of three. Note that S3404 is only applied when the number of users is limited based on the license, so if there is no limit on the number of users, this process is not performed and the process moves to S3405.

If the number of users is equal to or less than a specific number (S3404: YES), the management server 200 outputs the corresponding emission intensity unit and activity amount along with the emission amount (S3405). On the other hand, if the number of users exceeds a specific number (S3404: NO), the management server 200 outputs a mask for the corresponding emission intensity unit and activity amount (S3406). Also, if the user cannot use the emission intensity unit in S3403 (S3403: NO), the management server 200 outputs a mask for the corresponding emission intensity unit and activity amount (S3406).

Figure 35 shows an example of an emission amount output. In the example in this figure, it is assumed that there is a usage restriction on sales for the emission intensity unit related to coal consumption. When the emission intensity unit is available, the activity amount and the emission intensity unit are displayed together with the emission amount, as shown in the figure (a). However, when the user is not authorized to use the emission intensity unit related to coal consumption, both the activity amount and the emission intensity unit are masked and output, as shown in the figure (b). This means that users who are not authorized to use it cannot check the emission intensity unit on the screen, nor can they back-calculate the emission intensity unit from the emission amount.

In this way, the information processing system of function 21 can appropriately utilize the emission intensity unit for which a license is set.

Note that even if the use of an emission unit is permitted, if the number of people who can use it is limited, the following configuration is used. When a user is permitted to use an emission unit, that is, when an emission unit can be used, the management server 200 outputs information on at least one of the activity amount and the emission unit, and the amount of emissions, to a specific number of users (e.g., three users). On the other hand, for users exceeding the specific number, the management server 200 does not output either the activity amount or the emission unit. In this way, information on the activity amount, emission unit, and amount of emissions can be displayed only to the number of people who can use it.

While the use of the emission intensity unit is set on a per-user basis, the number of simultaneous uses can also be set for each company. In this case, the management server 200 can further include an online number determination unit and an organization information storage unit.

The user memory unit that constitutes the memory unit 230 stores organization-specific information that identifies the organization to which the user belongs and the number of simultaneous available uses.

The organizational information storage unit that constitutes the storage unit 230 stores a company ID that identifies the organization to which each user belongs.

The online number determination unit constituting the analysis unit 280 determines the online number, which is the number of users belonging to the same organization who are currently accessing the information processing system. The online number determination unit can count the number of users who correspond to a specific company ID among those who are logged in to the management server 200.

The output unit 240 refers to the organization information storage unit to identify the organization (company ID) to which the output destination user belongs, and if the available number corresponding to the company ID is equal to or greater than the online number, it can determine that the emission intensity unit is available.

The calculation process for greenhouse gas emissions is as follows:
(1) The management server 200 outputs information on the emission unit value and the version so that the emission unit value and the version corresponding to the user ID logged in to the information processing system are displayed on the user terminal 100 .
(2) The management server 200 receives from the user the activity amount and the emission unit value to be used.
(3) The management server 200 calculates the greenhouse gas emission amount by multiplying the specified activity amount by the emission intensity, and generates greenhouse gas emission amount information including the activity amount, the emission intensity, and the emission amount. The emission amount information is information in which the activity amount, the emission intensity, and the emission amount are associated with each other.
(4) The management server 200 registers the generated greenhouse gas emission information in the information processing system.

The output process for the calculation results of greenhouse gas emissions is as follows.
(1) The management server 200 receives output of greenhouse gas emission information from a user.
(2) The management server 200 determines whether or not the user who specified the output of the greenhouse gas emission information is authorized to use the secondary data DB. In other words, it determines whether or not the user is authorized to use the secondary data DB.
(3) If the management server 200 determines that the user who specified the output of greenhouse gas emission information is authorized to use the secondary data database, it outputs information on the amount of activity and emission unit, displays these on the user terminal 100, and also outputs information on greenhouse gas emission amounts so that the emission amount values can be displayed on the user terminal 100.
(4) If the management server 200 determines that the user who specified the output of greenhouse gas emission information is not authorized to use the secondary data database, the management server 200 outputs information on greenhouse gas emission amounts without outputting information on activity level and emission unit (which cannot be displayed on the user terminal 100), and processes the information so that the emission amount value can be displayed on the user terminal 100.

The various display restriction processes of the management server 200 are as follows.
(1) When the management server 200 determines that the user who specified the output of greenhouse gas emission information is not authorized to use the secondary data DB, the management server 200 outputs the greenhouse gas emission amount while restricting the display of the activity amount and the emission intensity. Restricting the display of the activity amount and the emission intensity means that, although information on "activity amount,""emissionintensity," and "emission amount" are normally output, the corresponding values for "activity amount" and "emission intensity" are not output, and only the value corresponding to "emission amount" is output.
(2) When the management server 200 determines that the user who specified the output of greenhouse gas emission information is not a person authorized to use the secondary data DB, it restricts the coefficient values of the registered secondary data DB (stored in the storage unit 230) so that users who are not authorized to use the secondary data DB cannot view them. Restricting the coefficient values of the secondary data DB so that users who are not authorized to use the secondary data DB cannot view them means that the value corresponding to only the "emissions intensity" is not output, but the values corresponding to the "activity amount" and "emissions amount" are output.
(3) When the management server 200 determines that the user who specified the output of greenhouse gas emission information is not authorized to use the secondary data DB, it restricts the display so that an emission coefficient is not inferred from the displayed data. Restricting the display so that an emission coefficient is not inferred from the displayed data means that, in normal cases, information on "activity amount,""emissionsunit," and "emissions" are each output in a table, but since outputting values corresponding to "activity amount" and "emissions unit" would lead to the inference of "emissions unit," values corresponding to "activity amount" and "emissions unit" are not output and only the value corresponding to "emissions" is displayed.

By using the 21st function, in an information processing system in which both a primary data DB and a secondary data DB are registered as master data, it is possible to properly manage users who have permission to use the secondary data DB and users who do not. It is also possible to provide an environment in which users who have permission to use the secondary data DB and users who do not have permission to use the secondary data DB can coexist and use the secondary data DB.

Next, the function of displaying the total activity amount when any two or more IDEA items are selected will be described with reference to FIG. 35(c). In this example, the case where cherry tomatoes and large tomatoes are selected from among multiple items belonging to tomatoes will be described. It should be noted that this is not limited to these two items, and items such as medium tomatoes are also included. If only one IDEA item is selected, the "activity amount" and "emissions intensity unit" are not displayed so that the emission intensity unit of IDEA is not displayed (as shown in FIG. 35(b)). On the other hand, if multiple IDEA items are selected, the "emissions intensity unit" is not displayed, but the "activity amount" is displayed, as shown in FIG. 35(c). The "activity amount" does not display X1 and Y1, but displays "X1+Y1", which is the sum of cherry tomatoes and large tomatoes. It should be noted that if the emission intensity units of cherry tomatoes and large tomatoes are the same, the management server 200 is configured to limit the output (display) of the value of "X1+Y1". For "emissions unit value," X2 and Y2 are not displayed, and "X2 + Y2," the sum of cherry tomatoes and large tomatoes, is not displayed either. For "emissions amount," X2 and Y2 are displayed, and "X2 + Y2," the sum of cherry tomatoes and large tomatoes, is also displayed. When multiple IDEA items are selected in this way, displaying "emissions amount" and "activity amount" does not allow an accurate "emissions unit value" to be calculated, so "activity amount" can be displayed.

In addition, as a method of displaying greenhouse gas emissions calculated using the secondary data DB while hiding the secondary data DB for users who are determined not to be authorized to use the secondary data DB, the management server 200 can add a certain amount of noise to the emission intensity data, and display values unrelated to the original emission intensity except for the value at the top of the emission intensity value. For example, assume that the exact emission intensity of a certain object is 0.12345 tN2O/t. In this case, the top value at the first decimal place, 1, is not changed, and the other values at the second decimal place and below, 2, 3, 4, and 5, are changed. The emission intensity after the noise addition process is executed is, for example, 0.13456 tN2O/t. In this example, 0.01111 is set as the noise value in the noise addition process. The noise addition process can add noise in the range of -N to +N. The noise addition process also includes an adjustment process that adjusts the top value to a range that does not change. In addition, a random number with a limited range may be generated so that the cumulative error between the items of the emission intensity is within a certain range, and a process of adding noise using this random number value may be performed. In this way, by performing a process of adding a certain amount of noise, the value of the emission intensity can be reported, although it is an approximate value. Note that even if the use of the emission intensity is permitted, if the number of users who can use it is limited, the management server 200 outputs information on at least one of the activity amount and the emission intensity and the amount of emissions to a specific number of users (e.g., three users) if the users are permitted to use the emission intensity, that is, if the emission intensity can be used. On the other hand, for users exceeding the specific number, the management server 200 does not output either the activity amount or the emission intensity. In this way, the information on the activity amount, the emission intensity, and the amount of emissions can be displayed only to the number of users who can use it.

The acquisition unit 250, calculation unit 210, output unit 240, and analysis unit 280 of the management server 200 may be executed by a system (mechanical system) with artificial intelligence that can learn by itself.

<Disclosures>
In addition, the 21st function also includes the following configuration.
[Item U1 (P067)]
an activity amount storage unit that stores an amount of activity related to an activity that emits greenhouse gases; an emission unit storage unit that stores an emission intensity unit for calculating an amount of greenhouse gas emissions; a user storage unit that stores information for identifying a user who can use the emission intensity unit; an emission calculation unit that calculates the emission amount by multiplying the activity amount by the emission intensity unit; a determination unit that determines whether a user of an output destination can use the emission intensity unit by referring to the user storage unit; and an output unit that outputs at least one of the activity amount and the emission intensity unit and the emission amount if the user of the output destination can use the emission intensity unit, and outputs the emission amount without outputting either the activity amount or the emission intensity unit if the user of the output destination cannot use the emission intensity unit.
[Item U2]
The information processing system according to item U1, wherein the output unit outputs the activity amount and the emission unit after masking them when the user of the output destination cannot use the emission unit.
[Item U3]
The information processing system described in item U1, characterized in that the user memory unit stores organization identification information that identifies the organization to which the user belongs and the number of simultaneous available uses, and includes an organization information memory unit that stores the organization identification information that identifies the organization to which each user belongs, and an online number identification unit that identifies the online number, which is the number of users belonging to the organization who are accessing the information processing system, and the output unit identifies the organization to which the output destination user belongs by referring to the organization information storage unit, and determines that the emission unit is usable if the number of available uses corresponding to the organization is greater than or equal to the online number.
[Item U4]
the emission unit memory unit stores the emission unit for each activity in association with set identification information that identifies a set of the emission unit, the user memory unit stores the set identification information in association with information for identifying the user who can use the emission unit included in the set identified by the set identification information, and the emission calculation unit accepts designation of the set identification information from an input user who is different from the user of the output destination, and refers to the user memory unit to determine whether the input user is able to use the emission unit corresponding to the designated set identification information, and if so, reads out from the emission unit memory unit the emission unit corresponding to the set identified by the designated set identification information and the activity related to the activity amount, and multiplies the read emission unit by the activity amount to calculate the emissions.
[Item U5 (P068)]
an activity amount storage unit that stores an amount of activity related to an activity that emits greenhouse gases; an emission unit storage unit that stores an emission unit for calculating an amount of greenhouse gas emissions; a user storage unit that stores information for identifying users who can use the emission unit; an emission calculation unit that calculates the emission amount by multiplying the activity amount by the emission unit; a determination unit that determines whether a destination user can use the emission unit by referring to the user storage unit; and an output unit that, if the destination user is able to use the emission unit, outputs at least one of the activity amount and the emission unit and the emission amount to a specific number of users, while outputting the emission amount without outputting either the activity amount or the emission unit to users exceeding a specific number.
[Item U6]
The information processing system described in item U5, wherein the output unit is capable of outputting the activity amount corresponding to the sum of the multiple emissions when the number of users to which the output is to be made exceeds a specific number and multiple emissions are output.
[Item U7]
The information processing system according to item U6, wherein when the emission intensity of each emission is the same, the activity amount corresponding to the sum of the plurality of emission amounts is not output.

<<Const function (22nd function)>>
Next, although some of the above-mentioned embodiments have been described, an example of a configuration that can be further applied to the above-mentioned embodiments of Functions 1 to 21 is set as an embodiment of Function 22, which will be described in detail below. As background technology, emissions of carbon dioxide and the like are calculated. There is a problem that it is difficult to grasp the amount of emissions at a construction site because multiple contractors work there. Function 22 aims to provide technology that can calculate the amount of emissions at a construction site.

Below, the information processing system relating to function 22 will be described. The information processing system of function 22 is intended to determine greenhouse gas emissions at a construction site. In function 22, the construction work is assumed to be work in the construction industry. The construction work may be civil engineering or architecture. In function 22, the emissions for each task related to the construction work are calculated. In addition, the information processing system of function 22 allows for budget-versus-actual management of greenhouse gas emissions by calculating and presenting the emissions at the time of planning and the emissions during actual construction work.

An example of the software configuration of the management server 200 in the 22nd function will be described using FIG. 3. Note that the illustrated configuration is an example, and other configurations may be used. The management server 200 includes a memory unit 230 (construction plan memory unit, emission coefficient memory unit, work performance memory unit, emission amount memory unit), a calculation unit 210 (emission amount calculation unit, emission performance calculation unit), and an output unit 240.

The construction plan memory unit constituting the memory unit 230 stores information related to construction plans (hereinafter referred to as construction plan information). The construction plan information can include information identifying the construction site (site ID), information identifying the work planned to be performed in the construction at the construction site (work identification information), and the planned activity amount related to each work. The construction plan information can also include information identifying the worker (which may be an individual worker or the business to which the worker belongs. In this embodiment, this is referred to as the business) who is scheduled to perform the work (business ID).

The construction plan memory unit may be configured, for example, to include a system that manages existing construction plans and a system that manages emissions for each planned task.

The emission coefficient memory unit constituting the memory unit 230 stores an emission coefficient for each task related to the construction work. The emission coefficient is a value multiplied by the amount of activity related to the construction work to calculate the amount of greenhouse gas emissions caused by the work. The emission coefficient memory unit can store an emission coefficient for each worker (business ID) and task (task specific information).

The work performance memory unit constituting the memory unit 230 stores information relating to work performed in construction (hereinafter referred to as work performance information). The work performance information can include information identifying the worker (business operator ID), information identifying the work performed in construction (work identification information), and a performance value of the activity amount related to the work. The work performance information can also include information identifying the worker who performed the work (business operator ID).

<Functional department>
The emission calculation unit constituting the calculation unit 210 calculates the amount of greenhouse gas emissions. The emission calculation unit can read out an emission coefficient corresponding to the work included in the construction plan from the emission coefficient storage unit, and calculate the planned value of the emission amount for each work by multiplying the read-out emission coefficient by the amount of activity corresponding to the work included in the construction plan information. The emission calculation unit can also calculate the planned value of the emission amount due to the construction work at the construction site by adding up the planned values of the emission amounts due to all the works.

The emission calculation unit may calculate planned emission values corresponding to the work and workers. The emission calculation unit can acquire work planned to be performed in the construction work and the workers who are scheduled to perform the work, as well as the amount of activity, from the construction work plan storage unit, read out emission coefficients corresponding to the acquired work and workers from the emission coefficient storage unit, and multiply the activity amount by the emission coefficient to calculate planned emission values corresponding to the work and workers.

The emission performance calculation unit constituting the calculation unit 210 calculates the actual emission amount during construction. The emission performance calculation unit acquires the performance values of the work and the amount of activity from the work performance storage unit, reads out the emission coefficient corresponding to the acquired work from the emission coefficient storage unit, and multiplies the amount of activity by the emission coefficient to calculate the performance values of the emission amount corresponding to the work and the worker.

The emission performance calculation unit can also calculate the performance values of emissions for each worker and task. The emission performance calculation unit can acquire the performance values of the task, worker, and activity amount from the task performance storage unit, read out the emission coefficient corresponding to the acquired task and worker from the emission coefficient storage unit, and multiply the activity amount by the emission coefficient to calculate the performance values of emissions corresponding to the task and worker.

The output unit 240 can output the planned and actual emissions at the construction site. The output unit 240 can also output the planned and actual emissions for each task. The output unit 240 can also output the planned and actual emissions for each task and worker.

<Operation>
Next, the process of calculating the emission amount at the construction site will be described with reference to FIG. 36. The management server 200 acquires the planned value of the activity amount for each task included in the construction plan information (S3601). Next, the management server 200 calculates the emission amount by multiplying the emission coefficient corresponding to the task (S3602). Next, the management server 200 acquires the actual value of the activity amount for each task included in the task actual result information (S3603). Next, the management server 200 calculates the emission amount by multiplying the emission coefficient corresponding to the task (S3604). Note that the planned value and actual value of the emission amount may be calculated for each task and worker. Next, the management server 200 outputs the planned value and actual value of the emission amount for each task (and worker) (S3605). In this way, the management server 200 of the 22nd function can calculate the emission amount at the construction site.

The calculation unit 210 of the management server 200 and the output unit 240 may be executed by a system (mechanical system) with artificial intelligence that can learn by itself.

<Disclosures>
In addition, the 22nd function also includes the following configuration.
[Item V1]
an emission coefficient storage unit that stores, for each of the tasks related to the construction work, an emission coefficient for calculating the amount of greenhouse gas emissions due to the task; and an emission calculation unit that reads out the emission coefficient corresponding to the task included in the construction work plan from the emission coefficient storage unit, multiplies the activity amount related to the task by the read-out emission coefficient to calculate the amount of greenhouse gas emissions due to the task, and calculates the amount of emissions due to the construction work by summing up the emissions due to all of the tasks.
[Item V2]
The information processing system according to item V1, comprising: a work performance storage unit that stores information identifying the work performed in the construction and work performance including a performance value of the activity amount related to the work; and an emission performance calculation unit that reads out the emission coefficient corresponding to the work from the emission coefficient storage unit, and multiplies the read-out emission coefficient by the performance value to calculate a performance value of the amount of emissions due to the work.
[Item V3]
The information processing system according to item V1, wherein the construction plan includes information identifying a worker who is scheduled to perform the work, the emission coefficient storage unit stores the emission coefficient for each worker and each work, and the emission calculation unit reads out, from the emission coefficient storage unit, the emission coefficient corresponding to the work included in the construction plan and the worker who is scheduled to perform the work.
[Item V4]
The information processing system according to item V2, wherein the work performance includes information identifying a worker who performed the work, and the emission calculation unit further reads out, from the emission coefficient storage unit, the emission coefficient corresponding to the work included in the work performance and the worker who performed the work.

<<Logistics function (23rd function)>>
Next, although some of the above-mentioned embodiments have been described, an example of a configuration that can be further applied to the above-mentioned embodiments of Functions 1 to 22 is set as an embodiment of Function 23, which will be described in detail below. As background technology, emissions of carbon dioxide and the like are calculated. Since logistics is carried out by multiple transport companies, there is an issue that it is not specified how emissions should be calculated. Function 23 aims to provide technology that can appropriately calculate greenhouse gas emissions related to logistics.

The information processing system relating to the 23rd function will be described below. The information processing system relating to the 23rd function is intended to calculate the amount of greenhouse gas emissions related to logistics. In particular, the information processing system relating to the 23rd function calculates the amount of emissions for each piece of luggage related to logistics.

In this embodiment, it is assumed that a shipper requests a transport company that manages logistics (hereinafter, a transport company requested by a shipper is referred to as a business entity) to transport luggage, and although the business entity itself may transport luggage, the business entity may request another transport company (hereinafter, a transport company other than the business entity is simply referred to as a transport company) to transport luggage. Note that the business entity itself does not have to be a transport company. For example, a seller or trading company may act as a business entity and accept a request to transport luggage from a shipper. A transport company may transport luggage from multiple business entities together. In the information processing system of this embodiment, the greenhouse gas emissions by the transport company are apportioned according to the load of luggage linked to a specific business entity, and the emissions for each business entity and each luggage are calculated.

An example of the software configuration of the management server 200 in the 23rd function will be described using FIG. 3. Note that the illustrated configuration is an example, and other configurations may be used. The management server 200 includes a memory unit 230 (luggage information memory unit, requested amount memory unit, luggage attribute memory unit), an acquisition unit 250 (transportation information acquisition unit, company emission acquisition unit), a calculation unit 210 (emissions calculation unit, basic unit calculation unit, emissions aggregation unit), and an output unit 240.

The luggage information storage unit constituting the storage unit 230 stores information about luggage to be delivered by logistics (hereinafter referred to as luggage information). In this embodiment, a luggage is a unit requested by a shipper for delivery. For example, when a shipper delivers 12 products, the shipper may treat one product as one luggage, or may treat one cardboard box in which 12 products are packed as one luggage. The luggage information includes the amount of luggage. The amount of luggage can be expressed by the size and/or weight of the luggage. In this embodiment, the luggage information includes information identifying the business entity (business entity ID) and size and/or weight in association with information identifying the luggage (luggage ID). During delivery, multiple luggage may be mixed in one container such as a pallet or container. Note that one luggage is not disassembled for delivery.

The requested quantity memory unit constituting the memory unit 230 stores information regarding requests from shippers (hereinafter referred to as request information). The request information includes a business entity ID that identifies the business entity, information that identifies the transport company requested by the business entity to deliver the package (transport company ID), information that identifies the shipper related to the package (shipper ID), the quantity of package requested from the transport company (size and/or weight), and the number of packages, pallets, containers, and other containers in which the package is loaded.

The luggage attribute storage unit constituting the storage unit 230 stores information related to the attributes of luggage (hereinafter referred to as luggage attribute information). The luggage attribute information includes attributes including at least one of a luggage ID that identifies the luggage, a shipper ID that identifies the shipper of the luggage, a route, and a means of transportation. The luggage attribute information may also include the number of luggage.

<Functional department>
The transport information acquisition unit constituting the acquisition unit 250 acquires greenhouse gas emissions relating to the means of transport on which the transporter has loaded the cargo, and the proportion of the requested amount from the business entity for the transport means. The transport information acquisition unit acquires the emissions and the proportion of the requested amount for each means of transport. The transport information acquisition unit may acquire an emission coefficient for each transporter and means of transport, and an activity amount of the transporter, and calculate the emission amount by multiplying the activity amount by the emission coefficient. The transport information acquisition unit may acquire the amount of cargo (size and/or weight) for each business entity that has requested the transporter to transport, and calculate the proportion of the requested amount from a specific transporter according to the amount of cargo.

The emission calculation unit that constitutes the calculation unit 210 calculates the emission amount related to the transportation of goods for a specific business by apportioning the acquired emission amount by the transport company in proportion to the amount requested by the business entity to the transport company.

The company's own emissions acquisition unit, which constitutes the acquisition unit 250, acquires the greenhouse gas emissions emitted by the business entity itself in relation to the cargo.

The unit calculation unit that constitutes the calculation unit 210 calculates the amount of emissions (emissions unit) for each piece of luggage. The unit calculation unit calculates the total of the amount of emissions by the transport company requested by the business entity (emissions calculated by the emissions calculation unit) and the amount of emissions by the business entity, and divides the total by the amount of luggage to calculate the emission unit for one piece of luggage. The unit calculation unit can calculate the amount of emissions (emissions unit) for one piece of luggage by reading the size or weight of the luggage from the luggage information storage unit and dividing the total by the read size or weight.

The unit consumption calculation unit constituting the calculation unit 210 may calculate the emission amount per container by dividing the above total value by the number of containers (the number of containers included in the corresponding request information), and may divide the emission amount per container by the number of packages contained in the container to calculate the emission amount per package (emission unit consumption). When calculating the emission amount per container, the transport information acquisition unit may acquire the number of all containers (e.g., pallets) transported by the transport company instead of the requested proportion, and the unit consumption calculation unit may calculate the number of containers requested by the business (the number of containers included in the request information corresponding to the business and transport company) relative to the total number of containers as the requested proportion.

The emission amount counting unit constituting the calculation unit 210 counts up the emission amounts. The emission amount counting unit reads out the parcel information corresponding to a specific business operator from the parcel information storage unit, reads out the attributes corresponding to the parcel ID included in the read out parcel information from the parcel attribute information storage unit, and multiplies the number of parcels by the emission unit for each read out attribute, thereby being able to count up the emission amounts related to parcels requested by a certain business entity.

The output unit 240 outputs the aggregated emission amount. The output unit 240 can output the aggregated emission amount for each attribute. The output unit 240 can transmit the emission amount for each attribute to the user terminal 100, for example.

<Operation>
Next, the process of calculating the emission amount for each parcel will be described with reference to FIG. 37. The management server 200 acquires from the transporter the emission amount of the transporter and the ratio of the amount requested by the business entity to the transporter (S3701). The management server 200 can identify the transporter based on the request information corresponding to the business entity. Next, the management server 200 multiplies the emission amount by the ratio to calculate the emission amount related to the parcel requested by the business entity to the transporter (emission amount for each parcel) (S3702). Next, the management server 200 calculates the emission amount per parcel (PCF) by apportioning the calculated emission amount per parcel by the amount of parcel (S3703). Next, the management server 200 aggregates and outputs the calculated PCF by parcel attribute (S3704). In this way, according to the information processing system of the 23rd function, the emission amount per parcel can be calculated even in logistics where one parcel is delivered by multiple transporters.

The calculation unit 210, output unit 240, and acquisition unit 250 of the management server 200 may be executed by a system (mechanical system) with artificial intelligence that can learn by itself.

<Disclosures>
In addition, the 23rd function also includes the following configuration.
[Item W1]
An information processing system comprising: a transportation information acquisition unit that acquires greenhouse gas emissions relating to a means of transport on which a transport company requested by a business entity to transport all or part of a cargo requested by a shipper loads the cargo, and the proportion of the requested amount from the business entity in the means of transport; and an emission calculation unit that calculates the emissions relating to the transportation of the cargo by apportioning the acquired emissions according to the proportion.
[Item W2]
An information processing system according to item W1, further comprising a unit calculation unit that calculates an emission unit relating to the cargo by dividing the emission amount by the amount of the cargo.
[Item W3]
An information processing system according to item W2, wherein the transportation information acquisition unit further includes a company emission acquisition unit that acquires a first emission amount and acquires a second emission amount of the greenhouse gas emitted by the business entity in relation to the cargo, and the unit emission calculation unit calculates the emission unit related to the cargo by summing up the first and second emission amounts and dividing the total value by the amount of the cargo.
[Item W4]
The information processing system according to item W2, further comprising a luggage information storage unit that stores the size or weight of each of the luggage, and the amount of the luggage is represented by the size or weight of the luggage,
An information processing system characterized in that the unit calculation unit reads the size or weight of the luggage from the luggage information storage unit, and calculates the emission unit by dividing the emission amount by the read size or weight.

<<Approval function (24th function)>>
Next, although some of the above-mentioned embodiments have been described, an example of a configuration that can be further applied to the above-mentioned embodiments of the first to twenty-third functions is an embodiment of the twenty-fourth function, which will be described in detail below. As background technology, approval work for environmental information is being carried out. There is a demand to grasp the greenhouse gas emission situation throughout the entire supply chain, and since only one approval route can be set for emissions of carbon dioxide and the like as environmental information, there is a problem that the approval work becomes cumbersome. The twenty-fourth function aims to provide a function that can grasp the greenhouse gas emission situation and reduce the management man-hours for the approval work.

As required by the Act on Promotion of Global Warming Countermeasures (Global Warming Countermeasures Act), businesses calculate the amount of greenhouse gas emissions generated by their business activities and report the results to administrative authorities. In addition, in recent years, some listed companies have been required to disclose non-financial information such as greenhouse gas emissions. Businesses that calculate greenhouse gas emissions and have bases other than their head office (branches, sales offices, factories, etc.) must calculate not only the greenhouse gas emissions emitted from their head office, but also the greenhouse gas emissions emitted from their bases (branches, sales offices, factories, etc.). When such a business reports its greenhouse gas emissions to government agencies or discloses them to investors as non-financial information, the general procedure is as follows: (1) calculate greenhouse gas emissions for each base (branch, sales office, factory, etc.) → (2) the base manager (branch manager, sales office manager, factory manager, etc.) approves the calculation results → (3) submit the calculation results to the head office → (4) tally the calculation results at the head office → (5) the aggregated data is approved by a decision maker → (6) submit greenhouse gas emissions to the government agency and disclose them to investors as non-financial information. When calculating greenhouse gas emissions, the "activity items" and "activity amounts" must be entered accurately, so it is necessary to check whether there are any omissions in the "activity items" that correspond to the company's business activities in the calculation data created at the base (branch, sales office, factory, etc.) or errors in the "activity amounts," and obtain approval from the appropriate decision maker as accurate calculation data before submitting it internally or disclosing it externally. Therefore, the above steps (2) and (5) are necessary. Many businesses use systems to calculate greenhouse gas emissions. Conventional systems only allowed the setting of one approval route, not multiple approval routes, so multiple bases were set for one approval route. As a result, all users linked to the target base had to be registered in the approval route, resulting in a significant amount of user registration work. In addition, there was also the problem that errors would occur during the approval process if a user linked to a base was not registered.

An example of the software configuration of the management server 200 in the 24th function will be described using FIG. 3. Note that the illustrated configuration is an example, and other configurations may be used. The management server 200 includes a storage unit 230 (base information storage unit, emission amount storage unit), an execution unit 290 (approver setting unit, approval route setting unit, approval route selection unit, approval execution unit), an input unit 220, and an output unit 240.

The base information storage unit constituting the storage unit 230 stores information indicating business entities that correspond to at least one of the upstream and downstream of the supply chain. The base information storage unit stores information indicating a first business entity (e.g., base A) among the business entities, information indicating a second business entity (e.g., base B), and information indicating a third business entity (e.g., base C). The base information storage unit does not only store information indicating three bases, but can store information indicating multiple bases. The base information storage unit is the same as the base information storage unit described in the other functions.

The emission amount memory unit constituting the memory unit 230 stores the greenhouse gas emissions of the business entities. The emission amount memory unit stores information indicating the emissions of the first business entity, information indicating the emissions of the second business entity, and information indicating the emissions of the third business entity. The emission amount memory unit does not only store information indicating the emissions of the three bases, but can store information indicating the emissions of multiple bases. The emission amount memory unit is the same as the emission amount memory unit and emission information memory unit described in the other functions.

The approver setting section constituting the execution section 290 sets an approver who checks and approves the greenhouse gas emissions of the business entity. The greenhouse gas emissions of the business entity will be described as calculation data. The calculation data of the base will be described as base calculation data. The approver setting section can register the set approver in the storage section 230. For example, an approver who checks and approves the emissions of base A is set. The approver is a user who has approval authority. The approver is set as a person belonging to the business entity (e.g., a person at base A), but a person belonging to another business entity that is a different base (e.g., a person at base B) can also be set. The approver (person at base A) can be replaced by an approver (person at base B), and an approver (person at base B) can be set in addition to the approver (person at base A).

The approval path setting unit constituting the execution unit 290 sets an approval path (e.g., a workflow) for checking and approving the calculation data. The approval path setting unit can set multiple approval paths. The approval path setting unit can register the set approval path in the storage unit 230. For example, as an approval path for checking and approving the emission amount at base A, a first approval path in which an approver at base B is not set and a second approval path in which an approver at base B is set can be set. In this case, the approver of the first approval path is a person at base A, but a person at another base may be added, or a person at another base may be set instead of the person at base A. In addition, the approver of the second approval path is a person at base B, but a person at another base may be added. The approval path setting unit can set an approval path for each base and freely construct the approval path. The approval path setting unit allows a user with administrator authority at the base to set the approval path. The approval path setting unit can set a path (e.g., a report destination) to be shared with users other than the approver.

The approval path selection unit constituting the execution unit 290 selects an approval path. The approval path selection unit can register the selected approval path in the storage unit 230. When multiple approval paths are set, for example, when the first approval path and the second approval path are set and registered, the approval path selection unit can select either the first approval path or the second approval path. When the first and second approval paths are set, an approval path other than the first and second approval paths can be selected. When multiple approval paths are not set, for example, when only the first approval path is set and registered, the approval path selection unit can select only the first approval path and cannot select other approval paths. Note that the approval path selection unit may be a part of the function of the approval path setting unit. After selecting an approval path, the approval path to be forwarded or circulated can be set and registered by pressing the approval path registration completion button.

The approval execution unit constituting the execution unit 290 executes "approval" based on an approver who checks and approves the calculation data pressing an approval button or the like. The approval execution unit executes "return" based on an approver pressing a return button. "Approval" and "return" are not limited to functions executed based on pressing the approval button or return button. In each approval route, the approver "approves" or "returns." The approver can check the emission amount, which is the minimum amount entered in the template.

The input unit 220 can accept input from the approver, the user who requested the approval, and other users. For example, the approver can input comments when "approving" or "returning." The input unit 220 is the same as the input units described in the other functions. The 24th function also has the input function described in the template function.

The output unit 240 outputs information from the approver setting unit, approval path setting unit, approval path selection unit, and approval execution unit, and outputs the information to each terminal so that each user can view it. The output unit 240 is the same as the output unit described in the other functions. When outputting information from the approval execution unit, when the approver logs in to the information processing system, the information is output so that the number of cases waiting for approval is displayed. The number of cases waiting for approval can be displayed by emphasizing the number of unprocessed cases by changing the display mode of the characters (changing the color or changing the font size). When the application is forwarded to the approver, the output unit 240 can notify the approver by email. In addition, when the application is "returned" by the approver, the output unit 240 can notify the user who requested the approval by email that the application has been returned. In addition, when the user who requested the approval "cancels the application," the output unit 240 can notify at least the related parties, including the approver, by email that the application has been canceled.

<Operation>
FIG. 38 is a diagram explaining the flow of the process of setting an approval route. The management server 200 sets and registers an approver who checks and approves the emission amount of the business entity (S3801). Next, the management server 200 sets and registers an approval route that checks and approves the emission amount of greenhouse gases of the business entity (S3802). The approval route can be set in multiple patterns as shown in the (example) described later. Next, the management server 200 judges whether multiple approval routes are registered (S3803). If multiple approval routes are registered (YES in S3803), the management server 200 allows multiple approval routes to be selected (S3804). On the other hand, if multiple approval routes are not registered (NO in S3803), the management server 200 allows only one registered approval route to be selected (S3805). Next, the management server 200 sets and registers an approval route to be forwarded based on the fact that the registration completion button for the approval route has been pressed (S3806). An approval route to be forwarded may be set and registered based on the lapse of a predetermined time. If multiple approval routes are not registered (NO in S3803), an approval route to be forwarded may be registered without making the registered approval routes selectable.

In addition, the calculation data can be uniquely requested for approval by type, year/month, and base. In addition, if the user in charge of base B (the approver of base B) is set in the approval route of base A, the user in charge of base B can be set as the approver if he/she also has the authority of the user in charge of base A (the approver of base A). On the other hand, if the user in charge of base B does not also have the authority of the approver of base A, he/she cannot be set as the approver. If the user in charge of base B does not also have the authority of the approver of base A, the management server 200 can not set the user in charge of base B as the approver, or can not forward the request even if the user in charge of base B is set. In this way, even if a user in charge of another base is set in the approval route by mistake, an error will not occur. In addition, if a user associated with a base is not registered (for example, if there are many or few users), an error will occur in the approval process, but the error can be cleared by withdrawing the application.

The approval path can be set up as shown in the example below.
(example)
Approval route 1 (Step 1: Approval within the site)
Person in charge of inputting calculation data at A base → Director of A base (Approver)
B base calculation data entry person → B base manager (approver)
C base calculation data entry person → C base manager (approver)
Approval route 2 (Step 2: Base approval)
Site Director A → Site Director (Approver) Site Director B → Site Director (Approver) Site Director C → Site Director (Approver)
Approval route 3 (Step 3 Headquarters Approval);
Branch Manager → Head Office Person in Charge (Approver)
Approval route 4 (Step 4 Head office approval)
Head office staff → Head office decision maker (approver)

The approval route for forwarding approval of monthly calculation data is Approval Route 1 (Step 1: Approval within the base). The approval route for forwarding approval of annual calculation data is Approval Route 2 (Step 2: Base approval) and Approval Route 3 (Step 3: Headquarters approval). Approval Route 4 (Step 4: Headquarters approval) is added as the approval route for forwarding approval when submitting and disclosing calculation data externally.

In this way, multiple approval routes can be set, and multiple approval routes can also be combined to set up a new approval route for forwarding. Also, by setting approval routes for each location, the labor required for unnecessary user registration can be reduced. Furthermore, the labor required for managing approval routes can be reduced.

The execution unit 290, input unit 220, and output unit 240 of the management server 200 may be executed by a system (mechanical system) with artificial intelligence that can learn by itself.

<Disclosures>
The 24th function also includes the following configuration:
[Item X1 (P072)]
An information processing system comprising: a memory unit (base station information memory unit) that stores information indicating business entities that are at least either upstream or downstream in a supply chain; an emission amount memory unit that stores the greenhouse gas emissions of the business entities; an approver setting unit that sets an approver who will check and approve the greenhouse gas emissions of the business entities; and an approval route setting unit that enables the setting of multiple approval routes for checking and approving the greenhouse gas emissions of the business entities.
[Item X2]
an information processing system comprising: a memory unit (base information memory unit) that stores information indicating a first business entity and information indicating a second business entity among business entities that are at least either upstream or downstream in a supply chain; an emission amount memory unit that stores the greenhouse gas emissions of the first business entity and the second business entity; an approver setting unit that sets an approver who will confirm and approve the greenhouse gas emissions of the first business entity; and an approval route setting unit that makes it possible to set, as approval routes for confirming and approving the greenhouse gas emissions of the first business entity, a first approval route that does not set an approver for the second business entity and a second approval route that sets an approver for the second business entity.
[Item X3]
An information processing system according to item X2, comprising: an approval path selection unit capable of selecting a first approval path or a second approval path.
[Item X4]
An information processing system according to item X2, comprising: a template registration unit that registers a template into which information related to greenhouse gas emissions by a first business entity can be input; and an input unit that enables a second business entity to input information related to greenhouse gas emissions by the second business entity using the template.

<<Emissions intensity linkage function (25th function)>>
Next, although some of the above-mentioned embodiments have been described, an example of a configuration that can be further applied to the above-mentioned embodiments of the first to twenty-fourth functions is an embodiment of the twenty-fifth function, which will be described in detail below. As background technology, carbon dioxide emissions are estimated. There is an issue that restrictions on the use of emission intensity units may be set. The twenty-fifth function aims to provide technology that can appropriately use emission intensity units.

<System Overview>
The information processing system relating to the 25th function will be described below. The information processing system of this embodiment is intended to manage greenhouse gas emissions by emitters such as companies. The information processing system of this embodiment accepts input of the amount of activity of the emitter or other emitters located upstream or downstream in the emitter's supply chain, and multiplies this by an emission intensity (emission coefficient) to calculate the amount of emissions.

An example of the software configuration of the management server 200 in the 25th function will be described with reference to FIG. 3. The management server 200 includes a memory unit 230 (base information memory unit, activity amount memory unit, emission intensity memory unit, user memory unit, emission amount memory unit), an execution unit 290 (emission intensity registration unit), an acquisition unit 250 (activity amount acquisition unit, emission intensity acquisition unit), a calculation unit 210 (emission amount calculation unit), and an output unit 240.

The base information storage unit constituting the storage unit 230 stores information indicating business entities that correspond to at least one of the upstream and downstream of the supply chain. The base information storage unit stores information indicating a first business entity (e.g., a head office or base A), information indicating a second business entity (e.g., a subsidiary or base B), and information indicating a third business entity (e.g., a sub-subsidiary or base C). The base information storage unit does not only store information indicating three bases, but can store information indicating multiple bases. The base information storage unit is the same as the base information storage unit described in the other functions.

The activity amount memory unit constituting the memory unit 230 stores the activity amount related to the activity of the product used, which is the target object. The activity amount is, for example, the number of products produced (pieces), the number of products purchased (pieces), the weight x distance transported by logistics (ton-kilometers), the amount of fuel consumed (liters) and the amount of money (yen). The activity amount memory unit can store the activity amount in association with information identifying the activity amount (activity amount ID), information identifying the emitter (company ID), information identifying the activity that emits greenhouse gases (activity identification information), and time information. The activity identification information can be in any form as long as it is information for identifying the activity. For example, when an ID (activity ID) that uniquely identifies the type of activity is set in the data input to the management server 200, the activity ID can be the activity identification information. In addition, information including the type of data and conditions for the values of items included in the data can be the activity identification information. For example, if the data is financial accounting data, the activity specification information can be information specifying "financial accounting data" and the condition that the "account item" is "travel expenses" and the summary includes "taxi." In addition, a function or learning model that inputs data and outputs activity can also be set as the activity specification information. Time information is information that specifies the period during which an activity was performed. Time information can be, for example, a date, year, or fiscal year. The activity amount storage unit is the same as the activity amount storage unit described in other functions.

The emission intensity memory unit constituting the memory unit 230 stores information including an emission intensity for calculating greenhouse gas emissions (hereinafter referred to as emission intensity information). There are primary data (data collected by the emitting entity itself, obtained from direct measurement, or obtained from calculation based on direct measurement in the first information source) and secondary data (data other than primary data) for the emission intensity. In this embodiment, the emission intensity is the emission intensity shared by a user of the primary data with a third party as secondary data. In other words, the first business entity provides information on the emission intensity to the second business entity so that the emission intensity used by the first business entity (e.g., a parent company or base A) can be used by the second business entity (e.g., a subsidiary or base B). In this way, the emission intensity can be linked so that the emission intensity used by the first business entity can be used by the second business entity related to the first business entity. The emission intensity unit information may include activity specification information and emission intensity units in association with information identifying the emission intensity units (intensity unit ID), information specifying the provider providing the emission intensity units (provider ID), information specifying the set of emission intensity units (intensity unit name), and the version of the set of emission intensity units. The provider ID is as described in the 21st function. In the 25th function, the emission intensity unit information may not include the provider ID. The emission intensity units also include the emission intensity units used in the CFP. The emission intensity unit memory unit is the same as the emission intensity unit memory unit described in the other functions.

The user memory unit constituting the memory unit 230 stores information for identifying users (business entities) that can use the emission intensity units. For example, the user memory unit stores, in association with information (user ID) that identifies a user, a company ID that identifies the emission entity to which the user belongs, a provider ID that indicates the provider, the version of the emission intensity units provided by the provider, and a usage permission flag that indicates whether the use of the emission intensity units is permitted for the user. If the user of the first business entity, which is the user of the output source, has already granted permission to use the emission intensity units to the user of the second business entity, a usage permission flag indicating that the use is permitted is stored. On the other hand, if the use is not permitted, a usage prohibition flag indicating that the use is not permitted is stored. If the usage permission flag is stored, the user of the second business entity can use the emission intensity units. If the usage prohibition flag is stored, the user of the second business entity cannot use the emission intensity units. As an example of a method of permission to use, an information processing system will be shown in which a first business entity issues permission to use the emission intensity unit to a second business entity, but permission to use the emission intensity unit may also be output from the first business entity to the second business entity by email or other means.

The emission amount memory unit constituting the memory unit 230 stores information regarding the calculated greenhouse gas emission amount (hereinafter referred to as emission amount information). The emission amount information can include a company ID, information specifying the time when the activity was performed (time information), a scope, a category, an activity amount ID and an emission amount unit ID indicating the activity amount and emission amount unit used to calculate the emission amount, and the emission amount. The time information can be set to any period such as a fiscal year, a year, a year and month, a year and month, a date, or a date and time range. The scope and category can be the scope and category registered in the classification memory unit described above.

The activity amount acquisition unit constituting the acquisition unit 250 acquires the activity amount related to the used product, which is the object of the business entity. In this embodiment, the object is exemplified as a product commonly used by the first business entity and the second business entity. The activity amount can be, for example, the amount of product provided by the related enterprise, such as the number of products, the amount of energy, or the distance traveled by logistics. The activity amount acquisition unit can acquire the activity amount from the activity amount storage unit of the information processing system. The activity amount acquisition unit may be configured to accept input of the activity amount from the user terminal 100. In addition, the activity amount acquisition unit may access, for example, an accounting system, a sales management system, an inventory management system, or the like, and acquire the number (amount) of products purchased from the related enterprise as the activity amount.

The emission intensity registration unit constituting the execution unit 290 registers the emission intensity related to the activity in the emission intensity storage unit. The emission intensity registration unit can receive, for example, the emission intensity output from the user terminal 100 of the first business entity.

The output unit 240 outputs the emission intensity unit used for the object of the first business entity and the calculated emission amount. The output unit 240 can refer to the user memory unit to determine whether the user of the second business entity, who is the output destination user, can use the emission intensity unit used to calculate the emission amount. However, the determination can be made by a determination unit constituting the analysis unit 280 separate from the output unit 240. This determination unit can refer to the user memory unit to determine whether the second business entity can use the output emission intensity unit. If the user of the first business entity, who is the output source user, has given the second business entity user permission to use the emission intensity unit, the second business entity user can use the emission intensity unit registered in the emission intensity unit registration unit. If the second business entity can use the emission intensity unit, the output unit 240 can output the emission intensity unit to the second business entity.

The emission calculation unit constituting the calculation unit 210 calculates the emission amount by multiplying the activity amount by the emission intensity unit. If the second business entity is able to use the emission intensity unit as a result of the determination made by the determination unit, the emission calculation unit can calculate the emission amount of the second business entity related to the target object based on the activity amount and the output emission intensity unit. The basic function of the emission calculation unit is the same as function 21.

<Operation>
FIG. 39 is a diagram for explaining the process of linking emission intensity units. The management server 200 stores information indicating the first business entity and information indicating the second business entity (S3901). Next, the management server 200 stores the activity amount related to the object (S3902). Next, the management server 200 outputs the emission intensity unit used (used) in the calculation of the emission amount of the first business entity to the second business entity (S3903). Next, the management server 200 judges whether the second business entity can use the output emission intensity unit (S3904). If the second business entity can use the output emission intensity unit (YES in S3904), the management server 200 presents the emission intensity unit to the second business entity (S3905). Next, the management server 200 calculates the emission amount related to the object of the second business entity based on the activity amount related to the object of the second business entity and the output emission intensity unit (S3906). On the other hand, if the second business entity cannot use the outputted emission intensity (NO in S3904), the management server 200 executes a process of not presenting the emission intensity to the second business entity (S3907). Next, the management server 200 executes a process of not being able to calculate the emission amount of the second business entity based on the activity amount related to the object of the second business entity and the outputted emission intensity (S3908). In S3908, not only is it not possible to perform the calculation, but it is also possible to notify the user of the second business entity that the calculation is not possible. Next, the management server 200 outputs the result (S3909). If S3906 is passed, the emission amount is presented, but the emission intensity can also be presented. If S3908 is passed, the emission amount is not presented, and it is notified that the emission amount cannot be calculated.

In this way, the emission unit value for a specific object used by a first business entity can also be used by a second business entity related to the first business entity. The second business entity can calculate the amount of emissions from the specific object using the emission unit value provided by the first business entity, making it easier for the related business entity to calculate the amount of emissions from the specific object.

The execution unit 290, acquisition unit 250, calculation unit 210, and output unit 240 of the management server 200 may be executed by a system (mechanical system) with artificial intelligence that learns by itself.

<Disclosures>
The 25th function also includes the following configuration:
[Item Y1 (P073)]
An information processing system comprising: a memory unit that stores information indicating a first business entity and information indicating a second business entity among business entities that are at least either upstream or downstream in a supply chain; an activity amount memory unit that stores an activity amount related to a target object; an emission intensity memory unit that stores an emission intensity for calculating the greenhouse gas emissions related to the target object; an output unit that outputs to the second business entity the emission intensity used in calculating the emissions of the first business entity; and an emission calculation unit that calculates the emissions of the second business entity based on the activity amount (related to the target object of the second business entity) and the output emission intensity.
[Item Y2]
An information processing system according to item Y1, characterized in that it determines whether or not the second business entity can use the outputted emission unit, and if the result of the determination is that the emission unit can be used, makes it possible to calculate the second business entity's emissions (related to the target object) based on the amount of activity and the outputted emission unit.

Although the present embodiment has been described above, the above embodiment is intended to facilitate understanding of the present invention and is not intended to limit the interpretation of the present invention. The present invention may be modified or improved without departing from the spirit of the present invention, and equivalents thereof are also included in the present invention. The present invention may also be a combination of the first to twenty-fifth functions.

In the embodiment of each function, the calculation unit 210, input unit 220, output unit 240, acquisition unit 250, generation unit 260, estimation unit 270, analysis unit 280, and execution unit 290 of the management server 200 may be a system with artificial intelligence that learns by itself (a mechanical system).

An example of an information processing system is shown in the disclosure of an embodiment of each function, but each process (step) of the information processing system can also be an information processing method executed by a computer and a program for causing a computer to execute the process.

100 User terminal 200 Management server

Claims (3)

an activity amount storage unit that stores an activity amount related to a target object;
an emission intensity storage unit that stores an emission intensity for calculating the amount of greenhouse gas emissions related to the object;
A user storage unit that stores information on business entities that can use the emission intensity unit;
an output unit that outputs the emission intensity used in calculating the greenhouse gas emission amount related to the target object of the first business entity to a second business entity;
a determination unit that refers to a user storage unit and determines whether the output emission intensity unit can be used by a second business entity;
an emission calculation unit that calculates an amount of greenhouse gas emissions related to the target object of the second business entity based on the amount of activity and the output emission unit when the result of the determination indicates that the emission unit can be used;
An information processing system comprising: storing an activity amount related to the object in an activity amount storage unit;
A step of storing an emission intensity for calculating the amount of greenhouse gas emission related to the object in an emission intensity storage unit;
storing information of a business entity that can use the emission intensity unit in a user storage unit;
outputting, to a second business entity, the emission intensity used in calculating the greenhouse gas emission amount related to the target object of the first business entity;
A step of referring to a user storage unit and determining whether or not the output emission intensity unit can be used by a second business entity;
When the result of the determination indicates that the emission intensity unit can be used, a step of calculating the greenhouse gas emission amount related to the target object of the second business entity based on the activity amount and the output emission intensity unit;
An information processing method characterized by being executed by a computer. storing an activity amount related to the object in an activity amount storage unit;
A step of storing an emission intensity for calculating the amount of greenhouse gas emission related to the object in an emission intensity storage unit;
storing information of a business entity that can use the emission intensity unit in a user storage unit;
outputting, to a second business entity, the emission intensity used in calculating the greenhouse gas emission amount related to the target object of the first business entity;
A step of referring to a user storage unit and determining whether or not the output emission intensity unit can be used by a second business entity;
When the result of the determination indicates that the emission intensity unit can be used, a step of calculating the greenhouse gas emission amount related to the target object of the second business entity based on the activity amount and the output emission intensity unit;
A program for causing a computer to execute the following.

Images