Information processing system, information processing method, and program

Abstract

To provide techniques of making it possible to grasp situations of greenhouse gas emissions while preventing emission values from other suppliers from being falsified.SOLUTION: An information processing system comprises: an acquisition unit that acquires first information including information related to greenhouse gas emissions from business entities upstream or downstream in a supply chain, and acquires second information indicating information in a block chain; an analysis unit that analyzes the first information of a downstream business entity on the basis of the second information; and a presentation unit that presents a result of the analysis.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 13

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing system, an information processing method, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] There has been a proposal to prevent the emission amount of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide from being stored as incorrect values ​​(see Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 7189644 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In order to grasp the status of greenhouse gas emissions such as carbon dioxide throughout the entire supply chain, the business entities that make up the supply chain (upstream or downstream business entities) need to exchange information on their own greenhouse gas emissions such as carbon dioxide. The accuracy and reliability of the information on greenhouse gas emissions such as carbon dioxide exchanged between business entities that make up the supply chain (upstream or downstream business entities) is important. For this reason, measures are required to prevent the falsification of emission information provided by other suppliers.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above background, and aims to provide technology that makes it possible to grasp the emission status of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, while preventing tampering with emission values ​​from other suppliers. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The information processing system of this embodiment is characterized by comprising an acquisition unit that acquires first information including information related to greenhouse gas emissions by business entities upstream or downstream in the 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.

[0007] Other problems and solutions disclosed in this application will be made clear in the description of the preferred embodiments of the invention and the drawings. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to grasp the greenhouse gas emission status and prevent the emission values ​​from other suppliers from being tampered with. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the overall configuration of an information processing system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a hardware configuration of a management server 200. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 illustrates an example of the software configuration of a management server 200. [Figure 4] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a process for outputting a target discharge amount. [Diagram 5] FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining a process for outputting an emission amount reduced by a solution. [Figure 6] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a process for outputting a reduction target. [Figure 7] FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining a process for presenting an emission coefficient. [Figure 8] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a process 1 for generating and presenting third information. [Figure 9] FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining a process 2 for generating and presenting third information. [Figure 10] FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining a process 3 for generating and presenting third information. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining a process 4 for generating and presenting the third information. [Figure 12] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a process for calculating and presenting a carbon tax. [Figure 13] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a process of analyzing and outputting first information. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] 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 communicably connected to a user terminal 100 via a communication network 300. The communication network 300 is, for example, the Internet, and is constructed by a public telephone line network, a mobile phone line network, a wireless communication path, Ethernet (registered trademark), or the like.

[0011] The user terminal 100 is a computer operated by a user of a business entity such as a company that generates waste. The user terminal 100 may be, for example, a smartphone, a tablet computer, or a personal computer. The user can access the management server 200 using the user terminal 100 to calculate the amount of waste generated.

[0012] 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.

[0013] <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.

[0014] 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 a plurality of functions. These functions will be described below.

[0015] <<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.

[0016] 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).

[0017] The emission amount storage unit constituting the storage unit 230 stores the greenhouse gas emission amount by the business entity. The emission amount storage 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 of the business entity's supply chain. The emission amount storage 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 storage unit can store a company ID indicating the business entity, information specifying the time 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, 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.

[0018] The solution storage unit constituting the storage unit 230 stores information (referred to as solution information) on solutions that realize reduction of emissions. Solutions can include various services and products related to reduction and offset of greenhouse gas emissions, such as consulting services related to 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 reduction in 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 ratio (percentage) of emissions or an emission coefficient to be multiplied by the amount of activity.

[0019] 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 emission amounts). The emission calculation unit can, for example, accept an input of an amount of activity, acquire an emission coefficient corresponding to the type of amount of activity from an emission coefficient storage unit, calculate an emission amount for each activity by multiplying the amount of activity by the acquired emission coefficient, and calculate an emission amount by summing up the emissions by scope and / or category. The emission calculation unit may accept an input of an amount of emission calculated externally.

[0020] The input unit 220 accepts input of the reduction target percentage of emissions by the business entity, a base point in time, and a target point in time. The base point in time and the target point in time are, for example, a year (fiscal year). A target emission that is reduced by the reduction target percentage based on the emission amount at the base point in time can be set as a goal to be achieved at the target point in time. The input unit 220 can accept first to third reduction target percentages for the first to third emission amounts, respectively. The input unit 220 can also accept a fourth reduction target percentage by category for the third emission amount.

[0021] The input unit 220 can accept the third reduction target ratio from the other business. 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. The input unit 220 can transmit a message to the user terminal 100 of the other business instructing the user to input the third reduction target ratio, and receive from the user terminal 100 the third reduction target ratio input from the other business in response to the message.

[0022] The unit reduction amount calculation unit constituting the calculation unit 210 calculates the reduction amount of the emission amount in a unit time (unit period). The unit time is, for example, one year, but may be a quarter, a month, a week, or the like. The unit reduction amount calculation unit acquires the emission amount at the reference time from the emission amount storage unit, and multiplies the acquired emission amount by the reduction target rate to calculate the reduction amount to be reduced from the reference time to the target time. The unit reduction amount calculation unit can calculate the target value (unit reduction amount) of the reduction amount to be reduced per unit time (for example, one year) by dividing the calculated reduction amount by the number of unit times (for example, the number of years) from the reference time to the target time. The unit reduction amount calculation unit can also calculate first to third unit reduction amounts for the first to third emission amounts, respectively. The unit reduction amount calculation unit can also calculate a fourth unit reduction amount by category for the third emission amount.

[0023] A 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 a target emission amount for each unit time from a base point in time by subtracting a cumulative unit reduction amount from the emission amount at the base point in time. The target emission calculation unit can calculate a 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.

[0024] 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.

[0025] The output unit 240 can output the emission amount and the target emission amount (the total or the first to fourth emission amounts and the target emission amount) in association with each other for the period in which the emission amount is registered. The output unit 240 can output the emission amount and the target emission force in, for example, a graph format.

[0026] The output unit 240 can also visualize the emission amount (or reduction amount) after the solution is introduced. For example, the output unit 240 can accept the designation of a solution from the user terminal 100, read out reduction information corresponding to the designated solution from the solution storage unit, calculate the emission reduction amount based on the read out reduction information, calculate a value obtained by subtracting the reduction amount from the emission amount (simulated emission amount), and output the simulated emission amount. The output unit 240 can also output the simulated emission amount together with the emission amount and the target emission amount.

[0027] <Operation> FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the process (operation 1) of outputting the target discharge amount.

[0028] 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.

[0029] The management server 200 calculates the reduction amount for each unit time (e.g., year) from the base time point to the target time point (S404). For example, the management server 200 can read the emission amount at the base time point from the emission amount storage unit, and calculate the reduction amount by multiplying the read emission amount by the reduction rate. The management server 200 may receive 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 be different from the reduction rate for the scopes 1 and 2 of the company. The management server 200 can calculate the target reduction amount by reading the emission amount corresponding to the company ID and the base time point from the emission amount storage unit, and multiplying the reduction rate received from the user terminal 100 of the company, and can calculate the target reduction amount by reading the emission amount corresponding to the company ID and the base time point indicating the other business entity from the emission amount storage unit, and multiplying the reduction rate received from the user terminal 100 of the other business entity, and can total the target reduction amount for each scope and / or category.

[0030] 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 calculates the target emission amount per unit time by subtracting the accumulated reduction amount from the emission amount at the base point in time (S405).

[0031] 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) for each unit time instead of the target emission amount.

[0032] FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the process (operation 2) of outputting the amount of emission reduced by the solution.

[0033] The management server 200 receives a designation of a solution (S501), reads out reduction information corresponding to the received solution and the company's industry from the solution storage unit, and calculates the reduction amount (expected reduction amount) expected by introducing 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 can calculate the emission amount (expected emission amount) expected by introducing 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 emission amount and the target emission amount as well as the expected emission amount in association with each other for unit times (years) for which the emission amount is registered in the emission amount 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. The management server 200 may output the expected reduction amount and the emission amount (if registered) per unit time instead of the expected emission amount.

[0034] The calculation unit 210, the input unit 220, and the output unit 240 of the management server 200 may be executed by a system having an artificial intelligence that learns by itself (a mechanical system).

[0035] <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] An information processing system according to 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] An information processing system according to item A2, wherein the input unit receives the third reduction target ratio from the other business operator. [Item A5] An 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] An information processing system according to item A1, comprising: a solution storage unit that stores information for identifying a solution that realizes the reduction of the emissions 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 emissions based on the read reduction information, and outputs a value obtained by subtracting the reduction amount from the emissions.

[0036] <<Goal setting suggestion function (second function)>> Next, although some of the embodiments of the first function have been described above, an example of a configuration that can be further applied to the above-mentioned embodiment of the first function 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 are upstream and / or downstream in 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 Scope 3 emissions.

[0037] 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 storage unit 230 (emission amount storage unit, target storage unit), an acquisition unit 250 (target acquisition unit), an estimation unit 270, and a calculation unit 210 (reduction rate calculation unit).

[0038] The emission amount memory unit constituting the memory unit 230 stores information for identifying the amount of greenhouse gas emissions for each supplier. In the embodiment of the second function, the emission amount memory unit stores the activity amount and the emission intensity as information for identifying the amount of emissions, but may store the amount of emissions itself. The emission amount memory unit can store a company ID indicating a supplier, time information, information for identifying an activity by a supplier (activity content), the activity amount 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.

[0039] The emission amount storage unit can further store information for identifying the direct and indirect emissions (emissions related to Scope 1 and 2) of the company. The emission amount storage unit may store the emission amount itself as information for identifying the emission amount related to Scope 1 and 2 of the company, or may store the activity amount and the emission coefficient.

[0040] 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 an 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.

[0041] The target acquisition unit constituting the acquisition unit 250 acquires a target reduction rate from a supplier. The target acquisition unit can, for example, transmit a request to a user of the supplier and receive the target reduction rate from the user terminal 100 of the supplier. The target acquisition unit can acquire the target reduction rate from a server on which the target reduction rate is managed, or can 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 storage unit.

[0042] The target acquisition unit can also acquire a reduction rate of a target related to the company's emission (company reduction rate). The target acquisition unit can receive the company reduction rate from the user terminal 100.

[0043] The estimation unit 270 estimates future emissions for each supplier. The estimation unit 270 can multiply the supplier's emissions at a base point in time (a value obtained by multiplying the amount of activity by the emissions intensity) by a target reduction rate to calculate the emissions at a target point in time.

[0044] 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 storage unit as the target reduction rate of the supplier. For example, the estimation unit 270 can use the average of the target reduction rates of all suppliers as the target reduction rate of the supplier for which the target reduction rate could not be obtained.

[0045] A reduction rate calculation unit, which is one of the calculation units 210, calculates a target reduction rate of 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 value from the first total value to the first total value) by comparing a first total value of future emissions estimated for each supplier with a second total value of emissions for each supplier at the base time. The reduction rate calculation unit can similarly calculate the reduction rate for each category of Scope 3.

[0046] 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 point in 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 point in time and a second total value of the emissions for the company and its suppliers at the base point in 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.

[0047] <Operation> FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the process (operation 3) of outputting a reduction target.

[0048] 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 a user of the supplier and receive the reduction target from the user terminal 100 of the user of the supplier. The management server 200 acquires the emission amount at the reference time point related to the activity of the supplier from the emission storage unit, and calculates the reduction target amount up to the target time point by multiplying the acquired emission amount 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 management server 200 can calculate the reduction target amount using the statistics of the reduction targets (such as the average value of the reduction rate) of other suppliers in Scope 3 or other suppliers in the same category in Scope 3.

[0049] The management server 200 can calculate the total supplier emissions at the base point in time (i.e., the scope 3 emissions at the base 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).

[0050] 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 received from the user terminal 100 of the user of the company by sending a request to the user of the company, for example.

[0051] 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).

[0052] The management server 200 totals the reduction target amounts for scopes 1-3 (S607), calculates the total emissions related to scopes 1-3 at the base point in time from the emissions memory unit, and calculates the ratio of the total reduction target amounts for scopes 1-3 to the emissions from scopes 1-3 at the calculated base point in time as its own company's target reduction rate (S608).

[0053] 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).

[0054] In this way, the information processing system of the second function can automatically calculate a company's Scope 3 reduction target and its carbon footprint reduction target based on the reduction targets collected from suppliers.

[0055] The calculation unit 210, the acquisition unit 250, and the estimation unit 270 of the management server 200 may be executed by a system having an artificial intelligence that learns by itself (a mechanical system).

[0056] <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 emissions and a value corresponding to the sum of the first and second emissions. [Item B3] The information processing system according to item B1, further comprising a target storage 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 storage unit as the target reduction rate for that business entity.

[0057] <<Generation and presentation of various 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 will be described in detail below as an embodiment of the third function. P030, P044, P045, P047, P052, P054, P063, P064.

[0058] An example of the software configuration of the management server 200 in the third function will be described with reference to 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 (emission coefficient storage unit, scale information storage 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).

[0059] The emission coefficient storage unit constituting the storage unit 230 stores, for each business entity, an emission coefficient for calculating the greenhouse gas emissions by that business entity. The emission coefficient storage unit can store the emission coefficient in association with the business entity and information (activity content) that identifies the business entity and the activity by the business entity. The emission coefficient storage unit can also store the emission coefficient of the company itself.

[0060] 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 sales scale and asset scale. The sales scale and asset scale may be numerical values. In this embodiment, the scale information includes the sales amount and asset value 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 into 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.

[0061] The activity amount acquisition unit constituting the acquisition unit 250 acquires the activity amount of the business entity. The activity amount acquisition unit can receive an input of the activity amount of the business entity. The activity amount acquisition unit can also acquire the activity amount of the business entity from the accounting system, business system, or the like of the business entity.

[0062] The activity amount acquiring unit may also acquire the amount of activity by a first business entity (supplier) that constitutes an upstream or downstream of the supply chain. The activity amount acquiring 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.

[0063] 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 the supplier by reading out 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-out emission coefficient.

[0064] The emission coefficient presentation unit constituting the output unit 240 presents the emission coefficient of another business entity 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 an instruction from the user terminal 100 of 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 from the user terminal 100.

[0065] 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 based on whether or not a 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.

[0066] The emission coefficient presentation unit may identify other suppliers having 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 having the same or similar scale information related to the activity and the emission coefficient corresponding to the activity.

[0067] The information acquisition unit constituting the acquisition unit 250 acquires first information and 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 other reports may also be used. 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 and external findings, etc.

[0068] 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 the type of business, information on greenhouse gas emissions registration, information on future targets, industry information as attribute information of suppliers, information on trends in the industry, customer information, information on mapping of accounting items and emission intensity, information on guidelines related to the GHG Protocol, information on internal and external knowledge such as mapping of accounting items and emission coefficients accumulated in the past, and various other information. The second information may be a variable.

[0069] The method of the information acquisition unit acquiring these pieces of 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, when 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 by type related to emissions) is, for example, information on greenhouse gas emissions, information indicating scopes 1 to 3, information indicating categories 1 to 15 of scope 3, and the like. The information acquisition unit and the activity amount acquisition unit may be one acquisition unit instead of separate acquisition units. Furthermore, the information related to emissions may be information on the contents to be described in an emission report, and the like.

[0070] 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 these pieces of 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, the analysis unit 280 may analyze 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. The emission amount and the carbon tax of the embodiment of the fourth function may be analyzed to present the future emission amount and the carbon tax. 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.

[0071] The information generating unit reads out information (e.g., information on a question) 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 supplier) corresponding to second information that is identical or 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., 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 be configured to identify a second business entity (e.g., another supplier) corresponding to second information that is identical or similar to the information corresponding to the first business entity, 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.

[0072] The information corresponding to the first business entity may be, for example, information in which a user maps a scope and / or category for an accounting item and an emission coefficient. In this case, the information generating unit reads out information corresponding to the first business entity (for example, information in which a scope and / or category for an accounting item and an emission coefficient are mapped) from the scale information storage unit, refers to the scale information storage unit, identifies a second business entity (for example, another supplier) corresponding to second information that is identical or similar to the read information corresponding to the first business entity, reads out information related to emissions (for example, information on external knowledge) corresponding to the identified second business entity from the scale information storage unit, and generates third information (for example, 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 an accounting item and an emission intensity are mapped, information in which a scope and / or category and an emission coefficient are mapped, etc.

[0073] 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 of converting the unit information. However, when the converted unit information is designated by the user, it may execute a process of setting the designated unit information. When the unit information is designated by the user in this way, the information presentation unit described later presents (notifies) the user that the designated 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 the information is to be converted into the presented unit information, the information conversion unit converts into unit information corresponding to the third information. Although an example has been shown in which the information conversion unit judges whether the types of emission reports are different or not, 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 be a determination unit or the like different from the generation unit 260. The unit information may be currency unit information such as yen to dollars.

[0074] 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 will be described as having a different function from the emission coefficient presentation unit, but may have the same function, in which case it will be referred to as the presentation unit.

[0075] 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 of an inquiry such as a question.

[0076] Also, when the user inputs information on the release report created by the user's company to the management server 200 via the user terminal 100, the review result (third information) may be displayed. In this case, the release report created by the user's company is the first information. Also, it is preferable that the release report created by the user's company includes the second information. The management server 200 generates a review result, which is information on the description items required for the user's release report and information on the contents to be added or corrected in the release report, based on the acquired release reports of multiple other suppliers, and presents the release report reflecting the review result. The method of inputting the release 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 release reports can be easily acquired.

[0077] When the information on the discharge report is input to the management server 200, the information written on the vehicle inspection certificate may be input as character information by the input unit 220 as character information to be read by the OCR. The information written on the vehicle inspection certificate is the vehicle registration number, registration date / issue date, first registration date, type of vehicle, purpose (passenger or cargo type, second information), personal or business use (personal or business use, second information), shape of the vehicle (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 as 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. This 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.

[0078] When the information on the vehicle inspection certificate is inputted by OCR, an information processing system, an information processing method executed by a computer, and a program for causing a computer to execute the information processing system can be provided (P060) having the following configuration. The information processing system includes an acquisition unit that 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 (e.g., information on the amount of emissions and information on gasoline or diesel as the type of fuel), and second information indicating at least the attributes of the business entities (e.g., information on the vehicle inspection certificate for personal use or business use), an information setting unit (information generating unit that generates) 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 that is composed of a primary business entity and a subcontractor, the emission intensity as the third information is the emission intensity reported by the subcontractor to the primary business entity. 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 is presented by the presenting unit.

[0079] 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 basic unit based on the type of the emission report.

[0080] The information to be recorded on the vehicle inspection certificate may be added to the vehicle inspection certificate in the form of a barcode, a QR code (registered trademark), or an IC tag. In the case of a barcode, a QR code (registered trademark), or an IC tag, it is preferable to read the barcode, the QR code (registered trademark), or the IC tag using the user terminal 100 and input the information using the input unit 220.

[0081] In addition, when an IC tag is used, the IC tag is read at the point (time) where the driving starts and the point (time) where the driving ends when calculating the driving record, and this information is input by the input unit 220, so that the driving record can be stored (registered) in the storage unit 230. The calculation unit 210 can calculate the greenhouse gas emission amount using the driving record. In addition, if the user is a logistics company or the like, the driving record can also be used as the transportation record. When a user such as a logistics company uses the driving record as the transportation record, the information identification unit can identify the emission amount based on specific information such as the shipper information and the cargo information (the name of the cargo for transportation and delivery). For example, the original receiving company can search for specific information indicating the shipper A or the shipper B as the shipper information, and the emission amount per shipper A or the shipper B can be identified and presented as the 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.

[0082] <Operation> FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining the process (operation 4) of presenting the emission coefficient of the information processing system.

[0083] The management server 200 acquires the activity amount of the corresponding supplier for each activity (e.g., each raw material procured by the company) for which emissions are to be calculated (S701). For example, the management server 200 may transmit a request to the supplier and receive the activity amount from the supplier's user terminal 100, may receive the activity amount from the company's user terminal 100, or may acquire the activity amount from the supplier's business system or the like. The management server 200 acquires the emission coefficient corresponding to the supplier and the activity from the emission coefficient storage unit (S702).

[0084] 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 amount and / or asset amount) related to the activity corresponding to the supplier and 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 coefficient corresponding to the other supplier and activity from the emission coefficient storage unit (S706). If the emission coefficient corresponding to the other supplier and activity is not registered, the management server 200 can repeat the process from S705. The management server 200 transmits the read out emission coefficient to the user terminal 100 (S707), and accepts the designation of the emission coefficient to be used from the user terminal 100 (S708).

[0085] The management server 200 can calculate the emission amount by multiplying the emission coefficient and the amount of activity (S709).

[0086] In this way, for a supplier whose emission factor is unknown, the emission factors of other suppliers of a similar scale can be presented to the user. The user can use the emission factors of other similar suppliers related to their own company, instead of secondary data.

[0087] In the embodiment of the third function, other suppliers whose scale information is similar to that of 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 be identified. In this case, the scale information may include the industry of the business entity, or an industry storage unit that stores the industry of the business entity may be provided.

[0088] FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining the process 1 (operation 5) of generating and presenting the third information.

[0089] 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 (e.g., each of raw materials procured by the company) for which emissions are to be calculated (S801). The management server 200 also acquires second information indicating at least 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 corresponding 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).

[0090] In operation 5, the management server 200 may calculate information related to greenhouse gas emissions by business entities that are upstream or downstream of the supply chain. This calculation is performed by the emission amount calculation unit. Also, operations 4 and 5 may be combined.

[0091] 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 (especially small and medium-sized enterprises) that do not have this 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 a problem in that it takes a great deal of time to aggregate and organize the information that is necessary for the company from the referenced emissions reports.

[0092] According to operation 5 (P044), an information processing system can be provided that includes an acquisition unit that acquires first information (e.g., a TCFD report) including information related to greenhouse gas emissions by business entities upstream or downstream in the supply chain (e.g., information to be included in a TCFD report) and second information indicating the attributes of the business entity (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.

[0093] 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 improves the accuracy of the emission reports created in-house.

[0094] According to operation 5 (P063), an information processing system can be provided that includes: an acquisition unit that acquires 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); second information indicating the attributes of the business entities (e.g., corporate 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 (corporate 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 scores, 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 score 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 attribute are analyzed and presented, so that an emission report with a high score (for example, a CDP report) can be created and the report can 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. The CDP report may also be acquired by using the user terminal 100 to specify a CDP report to be individually referenced by the user.

[0095] FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining the process 2 (operation 6) of generating and presenting the third information.

[0096] 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 (e.g., each of the raw materials procured by the company) for which emissions are to be calculated (S901). The management server 200 also acquires second information indicating at least attributes of the business entities (S902). Next, the management server 200 stores the acquired first information and second information in a scale information storage unit (S903). Next, the management server 200 reads out 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 and identifies a second business entity corresponding to the second information that is identical or similar to the read first business entity (S906). Next, the management server 200 reads out emission-related information corresponding to the identified second business entity from the scale information storage unit, and generates third information based on the read emission-related information (S907). Next, the management server 200 presents the third information (S908).

[0097] In operation 6, the management server 200 may calculate information related to greenhouse gas emissions by business entities that are upstream or downstream of the supply chain. This calculation is performed by the emission amount calculation unit. Operation 6 may also be combined with operations 4 and 2.

[0098] 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 to pre-defined patterns, they may not be able to provide the answers or solutions that questioners are truly looking for.

[0099] 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 a plurality of business entities constituting the upstream or downstream of the supply chain; second information (e.g., information of external knowledge such as customer information) indicating at least 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 (e.g., information of a question) corresponding to the first business entity; an information generation unit that generates third information (e.g., information of an answer to the 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 detection of pressing of a button to start voice input. After starting voice input, the voice input unit ends the voice input based on detecting the pressing of the voice input start button again. Note that the voice input may be ended based on detecting the pressing of the voice input end button. The voice input may also be ended based on an interruption of the voice, or based on the passage of a predetermined time from the start of the voice input. The information input from the voice input unit is acquired by the acquisition unit and stored in the storage unit.

[0100] Moreover, according to operation 6 (P047), it is possible to provide an information processing system including 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 constituting the 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 (e.g., information indicating scope, information indicating category, and information on the reason as information of an answer to a question) based on type information regarding emissions that matches or is similar to the information corresponding to the first business entity (e.g., information indicating scope, information indicating 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.

[0101] 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.

[0102] 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, since 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 have 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 applies to the conversion from the emission intensity for the CDP questionnaire to that used in regular reports under the Energy Conservation Act, and the conversion from the emission intensity of one emission report to that of another emission report. This means that reporting companies and organizations are faced with a huge amount of work to convert emissions into the emissions intensity units required for different emissions reports.

[0103] According to operation 6 (P052), an information processing system can be provided, which is characterized by comprising: a first information (e.g., an emission report based on the Energy Conservation Law) including at least information related to greenhouse gas emissions by business entities constituting 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 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 (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 Law), 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 Law).

[0104] In this way, the work of converting an emission intensity unit of one emission report to an emission intensity unit of another emission report can be automated, thereby making the work of converting emission intensity units more efficient. In particular, the work of converting an emission intensity unit (kilowatts) used in periodic reports based on the Energy Conservation Act to an emission intensity unit (gigajoules) used in responses to CDP questionnaires can be automated, making it possible to make responses to CDP questionnaires more efficient.

[0105] FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining a process 3 (operation 7) of generating and presenting third information (new information).

[0106] 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 example, each of the raw materials procured by the company) for which emissions are to be calculated (S1001). The management server 200 also acquires second information indicating at least 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 judges 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).

[0107] Operation 7 (P064) is an information processing system characterized by having an acquisition unit that acquires emission information (e.g., a CDP report) including at least information related to greenhouse gas emissions by business entities upstream or downstream in the supply chain (e.g., information to be included in a CDP report), a memory unit that stores the acquired emission information, an input unit that inputs instruction information (information corresponding to a 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., a questionnaire, a new email address, a 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).

[0108] 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 mm / dd / 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" means that part of the instruction information and part of the information on the content to be included in the CDP report are the same or related.

[0109] Furthermore, the generating unit refers to and generates a new email address (user C@zb.jp) from the information of the email address indicating user A already stored in the storage unit 230 (user A@zb.jp and user B@zb.jp) based on the instruction information (please register a new user with the user name C). The generating unit generates new information based on information stored in the storage unit 230 that matches or is similar to a part of the instruction information (please register a new user with the user name C) (user A@zb.jp and user B@zb.jp as information related to discharge). "Matching or similar to a part" indicates that a part of the instruction information and a part of the user information stored in the storage unit 230 are the same or related. Here, an example is shown in which the email domain names of the users match.

[0110] The generating unit also generates a 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 before today.), and for changing (adding, deleting, correcting, etc.) the information related to discharge (information entered on mm / dd / yyyy and information entered one month before today.). The generating unit generates a 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 before today.). In this way, when the instruction information input from the input unit is an instruction in natural language, the generating unit (information generating unit, generating 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 storage unit 230, and based on the analysis results of the analysis unit 280, the generation unit generates new information.

[0111] 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, when the generation unit generates a code for deleting 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, and the like. When the instruction information is an instruction to calculate data such as "calculate the emission amount of the data input on yyyy, mm, dd, and the like," the generation unit generates a code for calculating the information input on yyyy, mm, dd, and the execution unit 290 executes the code, and performs a process of calculating and presenting the emission amount of the information input on yyyy, mm, dd, and the like. 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 data input on yyyy, mm, dd", the generation unit generates code to graph the information input on yyyy, mm, dd, and the execution unit 290 executes the code, creates a graph of the information input on yyyy, mm, dd, and presents it. 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 input on yyyy, mm, dd, may be searched and acquired from external software that has been linked via the API linking function.

[0112] 11 is a diagram for explaining the 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.

[0113] 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 example, each of the raw materials procured by the company) for which emissions are to be calculated (S1101). The management server 200 also acquires second information indicating at least 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 judges 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 a 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 result of the predetermined process executed based on the code (S1108).

[0114] The second information may be information indicating customer attributes. The information indicating customer attributes is, for example, information such as industry, sales, sales by business, market segment, number of employees, business region, business content, products and services sold, manufactured and provided. The second information may be information on sustainability initiatives. The information on sustainability initiatives is, for example, information such as goals related to climate change, internal strategies and structures, and numerical targets. Furthermore, 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.

[0115] The input unit 220, the output unit 240, the acquisition unit 250, the calculation unit 210, the generation unit 260, the estimation unit 270, the analysis unit 280, and the execution unit 290 of the management server 200 may be executed by a system (mechanical system) having an artificial intelligence that learns by itself. In addition, this system may be tuned to learn acquired information such as information indicating a scope, information indicating a category, and information indicating a reason. In this way, when documents published by the WBCSD and the Ministry of the Environment and an internal customer database are loaded into the management server 200 and a customer inputs a prerequisite (industry, product, service, etc.), an optimal answer for the customer is generated from a group of learned information and an answer is automatically given. It is also possible to load information in multiple languages. In addition, questions can be input and answers can be given in multiple languages. By making the system multilingual, anyone can easily obtain the information they want to know.

[0116] <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, characterized in that 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 that are upstream or downstream in 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 that are upstream or downstream in 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 matches 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, wherein 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, 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 the results 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.

[0117] <<Target setting function of carbon tax (fourth function)>> Next, although some of the configurations have been described in the above-mentioned embodiments, an example of a configuration that can be further applied to the above-mentioned embodiments of the first to third functions will be described in detail below as an embodiment of the fourth function.

[0118] An example of the software configuration of the management server 200 in the fourth function will be described with reference to 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 (emission amount storage 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).

[0119] The emission amount storage unit constituting the storage unit 230 is similar to the storage unit described in the embodiment of the second function. In this embodiment, the emission amount storage unit stores the result of calculating the carbon dioxide emission amount of the company as information specifying the emission amount.

[0120] The information acquisition unit constituting the acquisition unit 250 acquires the reference scenario data. The reference scenario data is composed of a plurality of scenario data. The plurality of scenario data are the first scenario data, the second scenario data, the third scenario data, and the like. The first scenario data is, for example, the scenario data in the case where greenhouse gas emissions continue as at present, and the temperature rises by about 4 degrees by the year 2100 (or 2050, etc.). The second scenario data is, for example, the scenario data in the case where greenhouse gas emissions are reduced to almost zero. The third scenario data is, for example, the 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 the year 2100. Note that the climate change scenario set by WEO2022 may be acquired as the reference scenario data. When a climate change scenario is obtained, 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).

[0121] 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, the first carbon tax 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 predetermined period. The predetermined period may 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 the long-term second carbon tax is derived 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. Also, 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 a 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 a carbon tax can also be performed by multiplying the amount of reduction by the carbon price of the scenario data.

[0122] The reduction amount calculation unit constituting the calculation unit 210 calculates the reduction amount based on the emission amount and the reduction target ratio of the emission amount by the business entity. The reduction target ratio is the same as in the embodiment of the first function.

[0123] 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 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 are e.g. avalanches, cold waves, frost, cyclones, hurricanes, typhoons, droughts, heat waves, floods (coastal, river, precipitation, groundwater), glacial lake outbursts, precipitation surges (rain, hail, snow, ice), landslides, storms (including blizzards, dust, sand storms), subsidence, tornadoes, wildfires, etc. Chronic risks are risks resulting from long-term changes in weather patterns. Chronic risks are e.g. changing precipitation patterns (rain, hail, snow, ice), changing temperatures (air, freshwater, saltwater), changing wind patterns, coastal erosion, heat stress, ocean acidification, permafrost thaw, precipitation surges and / or hydrological changes, saline intrusion, sea level rise, soil degradation, soil erosion, solifluction, temperature fluctuations, water scarcity, etc. These may result in risks such as increased response costs, decreased asset value, asset impairment, decreased sales due to reduced production capacity, etc. By presenting the risks, the user can recognize what types of risks exist.

[0124] The information input unit inputs information on the reduction target rate of the emission amount by the business entity input from the user terminal 100 to the management server 200 .

[0125] FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating the process (operation 9) of calculating and presenting the carbon tax.

[0126] The management server 200 stores the amount of greenhouse gas emissions by the business entity (S1201). Next, the management server 200 calculates the first carbon tax based on the amount of 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 amount of emissions by the business entity (S1205). Next, the management server 200 calculates the amount of reduction based on the amount of emissions and the reduction target rate (S1206). Next, the management server 200 calculates the second carbon tax based on the amount of reduction. 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.

[0127] 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 decarbonized 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 can 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.

[0128] According to operation 9, it is possible to provide an information processing system that calculates the carbon dioxide emissions of a company using an information processing system for calculating and visualizing carbon dioxide emissions, and simulates a carbon tax based on the calculation result and a carbon price according 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 carbon dioxide emissions of the company.

[0129] 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 having companies consider risk factors such as future carbon tax burdens when considering capital investment plans, etc., the company can increase the priority of decarbonization investments, which can promote decarbonization investments in companies.

[0130] The acquisition unit 250, the calculation unit 210, the output unit 240, and the input unit 220 of the management server 200 may be executed by a system (mechanical system) having an artificial intelligence that learns by itself. By using such machine learning, it is possible to predict the factors that will increase or decrease the carbon tax.

[0131] <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 rate of the emissions; and a reduction amount calculation unit that calculates a reduction amount based on the emissions and the reduction target rate, 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 base point in time and a target point in time, and the reduction amount calculation unit is capable of acquiring the emissions at the base point in time from the emissions memory unit, and calculating the reduction amount at the target point in time based on the acquired emissions and the reduction target ratio.

[0132] <<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 first to fourth embodiments will be described in detail below as an embodiment of a fifth function.

[0133] 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 outside, the blockchain information can be acquired by the management server 200.

[0134] 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, which is 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. Therefore, since it is difficult to tamper with the information managed by the blockchain, it is possible to provide a highly reliable information processing system.

[0135] 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 exemplified by 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. That is, the first information and the second information are related information. When 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, instead of a hash value.

[0136] 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. In addition, the analysis unit 280 can analyze which business entity the information indicating the emission amount belongs to.

[0137] 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 acquired information indicating the 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 analyzing which business entity the information indicating the emission amount is is not the information of 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.

[0138] If the analysis result is abnormal but the acquired information indicating the emission amount has not been tampered with, for example, if the analysis result shows that the second business entity has output information indicating the erroneous emission amount to the first business entity, this fact is presented. In this case, it is also possible to output (communicate) to the second business entity that the information indicating the emission amount output to the first business entity was erroneous.

[0139] Also, a generating unit 260 may be provided to generate a blockchain. The first information of the second business entity and a hash value corresponding to the first information are stored in the blocks that constitute the blockchain. The blockchain can be constructed by acquiring the first information of a plurality of second business entities and using the first information whose analysis results are normal. 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, the "related information" is exemplified as information in which one piece of information has 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, the first information to be stored can be given a degree of freedom.

[0140] FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining the process (operation 10) of analyzing and outputting the first information.

[0141] 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 example, each of the raw materials procured by the company) for which emissions are to be calculated (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 judges whether the result of the analysis is abnormal or not (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.

[0142] 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 intensity) of the components that constitute the smartphone, such as a camera and a chip, is obtained from a second business entity. However, even if the obtained first information is 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 is registered as information of the first business entity. The embodiment of the fifth function has been proposed to solve such a problem.

[0143] According to operation 10, an information processing system can be provided that includes an acquisition unit that acquires first information including information related to greenhouse gas emissions by business entities upstream or downstream in the supply chain and second information indicating information in a blockchain, an analysis unit that analyzes the first information of business entities downstream based on the second information, and a presentation unit that presents the results of the analysis.

[0144] By configuring it in this manner, it is 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 that business entity, making it possible to confirm the reliability of the information indicating the acquired emissions (ensuring reliability) and provide information indicating emissions consisting only of normal information.

[0145] The output unit 240, the acquisition unit 250, the generation unit 260, and the analysis unit 280 of the management server 200 may be executed by a system having an artificial intelligence that learns by itself (a mechanical system).

[0146] <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, and 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.

[0147] Although the present embodiment has been described above, the above embodiment is for the purpose of facilitating understanding of the present invention, and is not intended to limit the present invention. The present invention may be modified or improved without departing from the spirit thereof, and the present invention also includes equivalents thereof. In addition, the present invention may be a combination of the first to fifth functions.

[0148] Although an example of an information processing system is shown in the disclosure of an embodiment of each function, 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. [Explanation of symbols]

[0149] 100 user terminals 200 Management Server

Claims

1. An acquisition unit that acquires information indicating greenhouse gas emissions by multiple business entities that constitute the upstream or downstream of the supply chain, and second information which is information in the blockchain and is associated with the information indicating said emissions, An analysis unit analyzes whether the information indicating emissions is genuine and has not been tampered with, by analyzing the second information corresponding to the information indicating emissions for each of the aforementioned multiple business entities, Using the information indicating the emissions of the aforementioned multiple business entities, and the information indicating the emissions for which the analysis results have been determined to be normal by the analysis unit, the generation unit that constitutes the blockchain, An information processing system characterized by comprising the following features.

2. The information processing system according to claim 1, The second piece of information is a hash value representing the contents of the first block, which is the block immediately preceding the second block in the blockchain composed of multiple blocks. An information processing system characterized by the following.

3. The steps include obtaining information indicating greenhouse gas emissions by multiple business entities that constitute the upstream or downstream of the supply chain, and second information in the blockchain that is associated with the information indicating said emissions, For each of the aforementioned multiple business entities, the step of analyzing whether the information indicating emissions is genuine and has not been tampered with is by analyzing the second information corresponding to the information indicating emissions. A step of constructing a blockchain using information from among the information showing the emissions of the aforementioned multiple business entities, specifically the information showing the emissions for which the results of the analysis have been determined to be normal, An information processing method characterized by a computer executing the following.

4. The steps include obtaining information indicating greenhouse gas emissions by multiple business entities that constitute the upstream or downstream of the supply chain, and second information in the blockchain that is associated with the information indicating said emissions, For each of the aforementioned multiple business entities, the step of analyzing whether the information indicating emissions is genuine and has not been tampered with is by analyzing the second information corresponding to the information indicating emissions. A step of constructing a blockchain using information from among the information showing the emissions of the aforementioned multiple business entities, specifically the information showing the emissions for which the results of the analysis have been determined to be normal, A program that causes a computer to execute something.

Images