Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment for the Digital Twin of the Road System

The main objective of subproject C02 is to develop and incorporate life cycle sustainability requirements into a Cyber-Physical System (CPS). The research in C02 will serve to (1) influence processes and activities in the road sector in a long-term and sustainable way, (2) further develop the methodology and interpretation of Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment (LCSA) and (3) explore for the first time the opportunities and challenges of the LCSA method in the context of a Digital Twin.

Subproject C02 will integrate the LCSA into the Digital Twin Road and use it for early sustainable decision making. To achieve this goal, subproject C02 will approach the issues from two sides: on the one hand, from the perspective of sustainability assessment and, on the other hand, from the perspective of combining LCSA and CPS. In sustainability research, individual indicators (such as those for the circular economy and Social Life Cycle Assessment) will be newly developed and adapted to the digital road context. Furthermore, the handling of conflicting goals between the sustainability dimensions (environmental, social and economic) and their communication will be explored. Regarding the combination of CPS and LCSA, this topic represents a completely new field of research that must be fundamentally developed in order to utilise the great potential for sustainability research and decision-makers in all sectors.