Abstract
Life Cycle Inventory (LCI) compilation is indispensable in any Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) study, yet the preparation of inventory data for import into LCA software remains one of the most time‑consuming and error‑prone steps in the LCA workflow. LCI datasets frequently originate from multiple data sources and formats, necessitating automation tools that can optimize inventory data for direct use in LCA modeling platforms. SimaPro, the world's leading LCA modeling platform, for example, requires inventory data to be structured according to a proprietary CSV specification that is labour-intensive to prepare manually. Existing tools remain largely inaccessible to most researchers due to their proprietary nature and high cost, or require a programming background that limits their adoption among practitioners unfamiliar with scripting languages. Approaches based on large language model-based (LLM) are prone to hallucinations and constrained by token capacity limits, affecting the accuracy and reliability of LCA studies. Here we present MSMGOptimizer, an open-source R package and interactive web application that automates the conversion of Excel-based LCI data into SimaPro-compatible CSV format with no programming knowledge. MSMGOptimizer utilizes the Shiny web framework and a structured Excel setup template system that supports single-product, multi-product, and large-scale inventory modeling strategies. We present the software architecture, core functionalities, and two case studies demonstrating the conversion, impact assessment, and sensitivity analysis of 1 kg of onshore crude oil extraction and 1 kg of alumina processing in the United States. The usefulness of MSMGOptimizer as a practical tool for accelerating LCA inventory automation is demonstrated.
Recommended Citation
P. Duah and K. Awuah-Offei, "MSMGOptimizer: An Open-source R Package And Web Application For Streamlining Life Cycle Inventory Data Automation In Life Cycle Assessment," Softwarex, vol. 35, article no. 102819, Elsevier, Sep 2026.
The definitive version is available at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.softx.2026.102819
Department(s)
Mining Engineering
Publication Status
Open Access
Keywords and Phrases
Life cycle impact assessment (LCIA); Life cycle inventory (LCI); R package
International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)
2352-7110
Document Type
Article - Journal
Document Version
Final Version
File Type
text
Language(s)
English
Rights
© 2026 Elsevier, All rights reserved.
Creative Commons Licensing
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Publication Date
01 Sep 2026
Comments
National Science Foundation, Grant 2442910