Research
How can the transformational power of the digital transformation be leveraged for sustainable development? The emerging research field now called «Sustainable Digitalization», «Digitalization for Sustainability (D4S)» or «Information and Communication Technology for Sustainability (ICT4S)» aims to answer this question by combining knowledge and methods from various disciplines.
The ISR group integrates methods of Computer Simulation, Technology Assessment (TA), Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), and Design Science Research (DSR) to advance this transdisciplinary research field in the following areas. Each research area forms a project line that evolves over time.
Research Areas
Klick on the area title to see the projects in the research area and related publications.
The Footprint of Digital Technologies
Digital technologies have made enormous progress in energy efficiency and miniaturization. Because the ICT sector has been growing even faster than the resource efficiency of its technology, the overall footprint of data centers, network infrastructure and end-user devices is still increasing in term of energy, material resources and CO2 emissions. How can we measure and reduce the footprint of ICT?
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LIFESAVING: Extending the lifespan of mobile devices (NRP 73, with ZHAW), 01.06.2019 - 31.08.2022 Contact: Jan Bieser |
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Sources of Variation in the Life Cycle Assessment of Smartphones and Tablets (with Louis-Philippe Clément and Quentin Jacquemotte, University of Namur), 2018-2020 Contact: Lorenz Hilty |
Final article |
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Sustainable Software Design: Developing Criteria for Resource-efficient Software (with Leuphana University of Lüneburg, University of Applied Sciences Trier, German Environment Agency), 2013-2018 Contact: Lorenz Hilty |
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Critical Metals in Electronic Equipment: A methodology to model end-user stocks and flows (with Esther Thiébaud, Empa and TU Clausthal), 2012-2017 Contact: Lorenz Hilty |
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Green Software: Optimizing software development and deployment for resource conservation (with Empa, IZT Berlin, Borderstep Institute, German Environment Agency), 2012-2015 Contact: Lorenz Hilty |
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Measuring the Energy Consumption of the Internet (with Empa, SWITCH, Cisco), 2009-2013 Contact: Lorenz Hilty |
Pathways to a Sustainable Digital Society
The digital transformation is changing our patterns of production and consumption. How can we assess these changes with regard to sustainable production and consumption? And how can we support the societal discourse on opportunities and risks of digital technologies?
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Pathways to Sufficiency, 2018-2023 Contact: Lorenz Hilty |
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The Digital Sharing Economy and Sustainability, 2018-2023 Contact: Maria J. Pouri |
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Auswirkungen digitaler Produkte auf den Klimaschutz (with SWICO, Swisscleantech), 2022 Contact: Jan Bieser |
(not yet published) |
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Digitalization for Sustainability (with TU Berlin et al., Bosch Foundation), 2021-2022 Contact: Lorenz Hilty |
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Next generation mobile networks – Problem or solution for climate protection? (with Empa, Swisscom, Swisscleantech), 2020 Contact: Lorenz Hilty |
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Wenn Algorithmen für uns entscheiden: die Herausforderungen der künstlichen Intelligenz (with Markus Christen, Clemens Mader, Empa, et al.; TA-SWISS), 2018-2020 Contact: Lorenz Hilty |
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Using a Time Use Approach to Understand the Impact of Digitalization on the Energy Intensity of Lifestyles, 2016-2020 Contact: Jan Bieser |
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Opportunities and Risks of Digitalization for Climate Protection in Switzerland (with WWF, Swisscom), 2017 Contact: Jan Bieser |
Final report |
Modelling and Simulation for Sustainability
Computer-based modelling and simulation methods have been used for decades to improve the understanding of complex systems, from early socio-economic "System Dynamics" models to models of social metabolism (Material-Flow Analysis, MFA) and Agent-Based Models (ABM). How can we apply and improve modelling and simulation methods to support education, systems thinking and decision-making for sustainability?
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Agent-Based Modelling of the Diffusion of Food-Safety Related Information Among Smallholder Farmers in Tanzania, 2022-2024 Contact: Matthias Huss |
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Post-fossil Cities: Developing a simulation game to find pathways to the post-fossil Swiss city (SNF NRP 73, with Empa, NTNU Trondheim, UCS Zurich), 2018-2022 Contact: João Gonçalves |
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An Agent-based Model of Wood Markets in Switzerland (SNF NRP 66, with Stefan Holm, Empa and WSL), 2012-2014/2018
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DPMFA: Dynamic Probabilistic Material Flow Modelling (with Nikolaus Bornhöft, Empa), 2012-2017 |
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Computational frameworks to increase effectiveness and efficiency of data collection in Life Cycle Assessment (with Jürgen Reinhard, Empa), 2012-2017 |
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Exploring the Effects of ICT on Environmental Sustainability: From Life Cycle Assessment to Complex Systems Modeling (with Mohammad Achachlouei, KTH Stockholm), 2011-2015
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Supporting Sustainable Development with Data and Tools
Data and software tools supporting discourse and decision-making provide great opportunities for sustainable development. How can we exploit bid data, machine learning and interactive tools for sustainable development?
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LOTA: Landscape of Opinions for Technology Assessment – A method and a software tool to support participatory Technology Assessment processes (with Clemens Mader, Empa, and David Pinezich), 2019-2023 Contact: Lorenz Hilty |
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SafeConsume: Change consumer behavior to reduce exposure to hazards and decrease risk through effective and convenient tools and products, information strategies, education, and inclusive food safety policy (EU Horizon 2020, with 32 partners in 14 countries), 2018-2022 Contact: Joachim Scholderer |
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Food Price Volatility: Political Causes, Effects on Hunger and Poverty, Sustainable Solutions (SNIS, with CCRS, ETHZ, Helvetas, University of Berne, UN-FAO, DEZA), completed 2016 Contact: Matthias Huss |