Evaluation device, evaluation method, and program

Abstract

To provide an evaluation device, an evaluation method, and a program capable of accurately evaluating a carbon footprint even when data is updated.SOLUTION: An evaluation device according to one aspect includes an acquirer that acquires, as a first emission amount, a CO2 emission amount generated in association with an update of a datum, a calculator that calculates a second emission amount that is a CO2 emission amount per service when the first emission amount is distributed to a plurality of services that use the datum in a period until the updated datum is updated next, and an evaluator that evaluates a carbon footprint in at least one service among the plurality of services by using the second emission amount.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an evaluation device, an evaluation method, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] Toward the realization of carbon neutrality, technologies for evaluating and clarifying carbon footprints are being developed. In addition to various tangible products, studies are also underway to evaluate the carbon footprint of intangible "services / software" (hereinafter collectively referred to as "services").

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a presentation device that estimates and presents greenhouse gas emissions from electronic media and the information and communication devices that view or play them. The presentation device evaluates the carbon footprint by taking into account the amount of greenhouse gas emissions emitted when producing and distributing the electronic media content, the amount of greenhouse gas emissions when the electronic media is used, and the amount of greenhouse gas emissions related to the information and communication device itself. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2014-215773 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] When data is uploaded to a website, the generated data may be updated depending on the type of data. In such cases, greenhouse gas emissions are expected not only during the initial uploading stage but also during the updating stage. Therefore, an accurate assessment of the carbon footprint must take into account the updating stage.

[0006] As mentioned above, Patent Document 1 takes into consideration the amount of greenhouse gas emissions that are emitted when distributing electronic media content, but does not take into consideration what happens when the content is updated.

[0007] One of the objectives that the embodiments of the present disclosure aim to achieve is to provide an evaluation device, an evaluation method, and a program that are capable of accurately evaluating carbon footprints even when data is updated. It should be noted that this objective is only one of multiple objectives that the multiple embodiments disclosed herein aim to achieve. Other objectives or problems and novel features will become apparent from the description of this specification or the accompanying drawings. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] An evaluation device according to one aspect includes: an acquisition means for acquiring, as a first emission amount, CO2 emissions resulting from updating of the data; a calculation means for calculating a second emission amount, which is a CO2 emission amount per service, when allocating the first emission amount to a plurality of services that use the updated data during a period until the next update of the data; and an evaluation means for evaluating a carbon footprint of at least one service among the plurality of services using the second emission amount.

[0009] An evaluation method according to one embodiment includes the steps of: The CO2 emissions resulting from the data update are acquired as the first emissions, Calculating second emissions, which are CO2 emissions per service, when allocating the first emissions to a plurality of services that use the updated data during a period until the next update of the data; using the second emissions to assess a carbon footprint of at least one service of the plurality of services; It is something that is executed by a computer.

[0010] In one aspect, the program The CO2 emissions resulting from the data update are acquired as the first emissions, Calculating second emissions, which are CO2 emissions per service, when allocating the first emissions to a plurality of services that use the updated data during a period until the next update of the data; using the second emissions to assess a carbon footprint of at least one service of the plurality of services; Make the computer do that. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] The present disclosure makes it possible to provide an evaluation device, an evaluation method, and a program that are capable of accurately evaluating carbon footprints even when data is updated. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of an evaluation device according to the present disclosure. [Figure 2] 10 is a schematic diagram showing an example in which a calculation unit calculates a second discharge amount. FIG. [Figure 3] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a typical process of the evaluation device. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of an evaluation device according to the present disclosure. [Figure 5] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a typical process of the evaluation device. [Figure 6] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a data utilization system according to the present disclosure. [Figure 7] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a data providing device according to the present disclosure. [Figure 8] 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of an evaluation device according to the present disclosure. [Figure 9] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a typical process of the evaluation device. [Figure 10]FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a data providing device according to the present disclosure. [Figure 11] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of an evaluation device according to the present disclosure. [Figure 12] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of an evaluation device according to the present disclosure. [Figure 13] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of an evaluation device according to the present disclosure. [Figure 14] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of an information processing device in which the processing of the evaluation device is executed. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] Hereinafter, embodiments of this disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the following description and drawings in the embodiments have been omitted or simplified as appropriate for clarity of explanation. Furthermore, in this disclosure, unless otherwise specified, when multiple items are defined as "at least one of multiple items," the definition may mean any one item, or any multiple items including all items.

[0014] Each drawing referenced in the embodiments is merely an example for describing one or more embodiments. Each drawing may not relate to only one particular embodiment, but may also relate to one or more other embodiments. As will be understood by those skilled in the art, various features or steps described with reference to any one drawing can be combined with features or steps shown in one or more other drawings to create, for example, an embodiment not explicitly shown or described. Not all features or steps shown in any one drawing are necessarily required to describe an exemplary embodiment, and some features or steps may be omitted. The order of steps described in any drawing may be changed as appropriate.

[0015] The CO2 emissions defined in this disclosure may be the emissions of CO2 only, or may be the emissions of one or more other greenhouse gases, such as methane, ozone, and black carbon, converted into CO2 emissions, plus the CO2 emissions.

[0016] Data, as defined in this disclosure, refers to any type and form of electronically created information, including, but not limited to, data measured by a sensor (e.g., IoT (Internet of Things) data) and electronic media content. Data is transmitted wirelessly or via wired connections over a computer network (hereinafter simply referred to as a network) to an entity that uses the data. When data is measured by a sensor, transmitting the data to the entity results in secondary or tertiary use of the data.

[0017] A service as defined in this disclosure refers to a service in which data is acquired via a network such as the Internet or an intranet, and used as needed. A service is received by a computer entity, such as a personal terminal or a corporate server. The entity that provides the service can be any organization or individual, such as a private company or local government.

[0018] Embodiment 1 (1A) [Configuration Description] 1 is a block diagram showing an example of an evaluation device according to the present disclosure. The evaluation device 10 includes an acquisition unit 102, a calculation unit 104, and an evaluation unit 106. The evaluation device 10 may be provided as part of a data linkage platform that stores data, for example. Each unit of the evaluation device 10 will be described below.

[0019] The acquisition unit 102 acquires, as the first emission amount, the CO2 emissions that occur as a result of updating the data. When updating the data, it is assumed that greenhouse gases such as CO2 are emitted in at least one of the following processes (i) to (iv), for example. However, the processes in which greenhouse gases are emitted when updating the data are not limited to those shown in (i) to (iv). (i) If the data or its primary data is acquired by one or more devices (e.g., IoT devices or sensors), the processes that the one or more devices operate when acquiring the data and when transmitting the data to an update device that performs the data update. (ii) A process that an update device that executes data updates runs when updating data. (iii) A process in which the updated data is transmitted from the updating device to the entity receiving the service via a network. (iv) The process that the data integration platform that stores data runs when storing data. In (i), the device from which the data or primary data is acquired may be located either within the data linkage platform or outside the data linkage platform. The data acquired from the device may be, for example, measurement data related to disasters, such as river water levels, or measurement data related to human flow. In (ii), for example, the update device performs AI analysis using artificial intelligence (AI) or the like to process the primary data (raw data) acquired from the device.

[0020] The acquiring unit 102 acquires a first emission amount, which is a value obtained by converting greenhouse gases generated in any one or more processes (including all processes) among (i) to (iv) into CO2 emission amounts. The acquiring unit 102 may acquire data related to the first emission amount, for example, from a storage unit provided inside or outside the evaluation device 10. Alternatively, an external device such as an update device may calculate the first emission amount, and the acquiring unit 102 may acquire the first emission amount from the external device. Furthermore, the acquiring unit 102 may acquire information related to CO2 emission amount of at least one of (i) to (iv) and use the information to calculate the first emission amount.

[0021] The calculation unit 104 calculates a second emission amount, which is the amount of CO2 emission per service, when allocating the first emission amount to a plurality of services that use the updated data during the period until the next update of the data (hereinafter also referred to as the usage period). For example, when the first emission amount is E1, the calculation unit 104 may calculate the second emission amount E2 to be E1 / N1, where N1 is the number of services that use the data during the usage period.

[0022] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an example of how the calculation unit 104 calculates the second emission amount E2. In FIG. 2, the data is first updated at time t1, and then updated a second time at the following time t2. In this case, the usage period during which data ver.1 generated as a result of the first update is available is the period from time t1 to time t2. Here, the CO2 emission amount (first emission amount) resulting from the data update at time t1 is assumed to be 100g. Also, assume that two services, service #1 and service #2, used the data during the usage period (for example, downloaded the data via a network). In this case, the calculation unit 104 calculates that each second emission amount E2 is 100 / 2 = 50g.

[0023] As another example, the calculation unit 104 may calculate the second emission amount by further using the frequency with which each service used (e.g., downloaded) its data within the usage period. For example, in FIG. 2, assume that service #1 downloaded data version 1 three times and service #2 downloaded data version 1 once. In this case, the calculation unit 104 can calculate that the second emission amount E2 of service #1 is 100*3 / (1+3)=75g, and the second emission amount E2 of service #2 is 100*1 / (1+3)=25g.

[0024] Returning to FIG. 1, the description of the evaluation device 10 will be continued. The evaluation unit 106 evaluates the carbon footprint (hereinafter, CFP) of at least one service among the plurality of services using the second emissions. For example, the evaluation unit 106 may calculate the CFP of a certain service by adding the second emissions and the CO2 emissions emitted by an entity that receives the service (e.g., downloads data). The evaluation unit 106 may include the second emissions calculated by the calculation unit 104 for a certain usage period in the CFP. Furthermore, the evaluation unit 106 may include not only the second emissions calculated for a certain usage period, but also second emissions calculated in the past for that usage period in the CFP.

[0025] The evaluation unit 106 may acquire data related to the amount of CO2 emissions emitted by the entity receiving the service via the acquisition unit 102, for example, from a storage unit provided inside or outside the evaluation device 10. Alternatively, the evaluation unit 106 may acquire the amount of CO2 emissions emitted by the entity receiving the service via the acquisition unit 102 from the entity receiving the service.

[0026] The calculation by the calculation unit 104 and the evaluation by the evaluation unit 106 described above may be performed, for example, after the time when the data is next updated. For example, the calculation by the calculation unit 104 and the evaluation by the evaluation unit 106 may be performed after time t2 in FIG. 2. This is because the services that use the data within the usage period are determined after the time when the data is next updated. However, the calculation unit 104 may calculate the second emission amount at a predetermined timing within the usage period using the number of services predicted to use the data within the usage period or the predicted usage frequency of each analysis result. The method of calculating the second emission amount using the predicted number of services or the predicted usage frequency is the same as the method of calculating the second emission amount using the determined number of services or usage frequency, so a detailed description will be omitted. The evaluation unit 106 evaluates the CFP using the calculated second emission amount.

[0027] [Flow description] 3 is a flowchart showing an example of a typical process of the evaluation device 10. This flowchart explains the process of the evaluation device 10. Note that the details of each process are as described above, and therefore will not be explained again as appropriate.

[0028] First, the acquisition unit 102 acquires the CO2 emissions resulting from the data update as a first emission amount (step S12). The calculation unit 104 calculates a second emission amount, which is the CO2 emissions per service when allocating the first emission amount to multiple services that use the updated data within the usage period of the data (step S14). The evaluation unit 106 uses the second emission amount to evaluate the CFP of at least one service among the multiple services (step S16).

[0029] [Effect description] As described above, the evaluation device 10 evaluates the CFP per service by calculating the second emission, which is the CO2 emission per service, based on the CO2 emission caused by data updates. This makes it possible to accurately evaluate the CFP when using data, even if the data to be used changes and is dynamically updated.

[0030] Furthermore, the evaluation device 10 may calculate the second emission amount based on the frequency of use (or number of uses) of data related to each of the multiple services. This allows for a larger amount of CO2 emissions to be allocated to services that use a lot of data, while a smaller amount of CO2 emissions to services that use a small amount of data, thereby enabling a fairer allocation of CO2 emissions.

[0031] (1B) [Configuration Description] 4 is a block diagram showing another example of an evaluation device according to the present disclosure. The evaluation device 10 includes an acquisition unit 102 to an evaluation unit 106 as well as a generation unit 108. The explanation of the acquisition unit 102 to the evaluation unit 106 is the same as in (1A). Note that in (1B), the evaluation unit 106 does not necessarily have to be provided.

[0032] The generating unit 108 generates data catalog information related to a plurality of services based on the second emission amount calculated by the calculating unit 104. The data catalog information is an aggregate of information indicating details of a plurality of data. The generating unit 108 may generate the data catalog information by directly recording the second emission amount in the data catalog information. Alternatively, the generating unit 108 may add or subtract a predetermined CO2 emission amount serving as a margin to or record the result in the data catalog information, or may generate the data catalog information by multiplying the second emission amount by a predetermined coefficient. By allowing a user (e.g., an entity operating a service) to refer to this data catalog information, the user can estimate the CO2 emissions of the service from the data they wish to use. Then, the user can control the data usage pattern, such as changing the frequency of data use or the data acquisition route, based on the estimated CO2 emission amount.

[0033] [Flow description] 5 is a flowchart showing an example of a typical process of the evaluation device 10. The process of the evaluation device 10 will be explained using this flowchart.

[0034] Steps S12 to S16 are the same as those described in connection with Fig. 3, and therefore will not be described again. The generation unit 108 generates data catalog information relating to a plurality of services based on the second emission amount calculated in step S14 (step S18). Note that either the process of step S16 or the process of step S18 may be executed first, or both processes may be executed in parallel.

[0035] [Effect description] As described above, the evaluation device 10 generates data catalog information related to multiple services based on the second emission amount. This allows the user to understand the CO2 emission amount for each service and control the way data is used. This enables further reduction in CO2 emissions and efficient use of data from a carbon neutral perspective.

[0036] The evaluation device 10 described above may be configured as a single computer device (information processing device) or as a distributed system having multiple computer devices. In a distributed system, the processing performed by the evaluation device 10 can be shared and executed by multiple computer devices. In other words, the evaluation device 10 may be realized by distributing the individual components of the evaluation device 10 among two or more computer devices, and the two or more computer devices may be able to communicate with each other.

[0037] Some or all of the components of the evaluation device 10 may be provided in a cloud server constructed on a cloud, or in other types of virtualized servers generated using virtualization technology, etc. Functions other than those provided in servers such as cloud servers or virtualized servers are placed on the edge.

[0038] In each of the following embodiments, a specific example of the evaluation device 10 described in embodiment 1 will be disclosed. However, the specific example of the evaluation device 10 described in embodiment 1 is not limited to the one shown below. Furthermore, the configurations and processes described below are merely examples, and are not limited to these.

[0039] Embodiment 2 (2A) [Configuration Description] 6 is a block diagram showing an example of a data utilization system according to the present disclosure. The data utilization system S includes a plurality of sensors 22a-22n (hereinafter collectively referred to as sensors 22), a data providing device 24, an evaluation device 26, and a plurality of servers 30a-30m (hereinafter collectively referred to as servers 30). The data providing device 24 and the evaluation device 26 constitute a data linkage platform 28 for utilizing and utilizing data.

[0040] The sensor 22 functions as an IoT device and measures predetermined data. In Fig. 6, n sensors 22 are provided. Each sensor 22 wirelessly transmits measurement data to the data providing device 24 at predetermined time intervals. As will be described later, this time interval can be controlled by the data providing device 24.

[0041] 7 is a block diagram showing an example of a data providing device according to the present disclosure. The data providing device 24 includes a receiving unit 242, an analyzing unit 244, a transmitting unit 246, and a storage unit 248.

[0042] The receiving unit 242 receives measurement data at predetermined time intervals from each sensor 22. The receiving unit 242 can also receive an acquisition request for analysis results from the server 30 to which the data providing device 24 is connected. Furthermore, the receiving unit 242 can also receive a data acquisition request from the evaluation device 26.

[0043] The analysis unit 244 inputs the measurement data of each sensor 22 into the trained AI model, and outputs the analysis result of the measurement data from the AI ​​model. The analysis unit 244 generates such an analysis result at each predetermined time interval after receiving the measurement data. In other words, the analysis result is updated at predetermined time intervals.

[0044] The transmitting unit 246 transmits the analysis result updated (or generated) immediately before the timing of transmitting the acquisition request to the server 30 that transmitted the request for acquiring the analysis result. Furthermore, when the transmitting unit 246 receives a data acquisition request from the evaluation device 26, it can also transmit information related to the data acquisition request that is stored in the storage unit 248 to the evaluation device 26. Furthermore, the transmitting unit 246 can also transmit a control signal to the sensor 22 to change the time interval at which the measurement data is transmitted.

[0045] The storage unit 248 stores a trained AI model used by the analysis unit 244. The storage unit 248 may also store usage information indicating whether or not an API (application programming interface) used by a service executed by the server 30 to obtain an analysis result has been used for each service. This usage information indicates whether or not each service has used the API during a usage period from one update timing to the next update timing, and becomes information that is finalized after the next update timing (i.e., after the usage period ends). The storage unit 248 may also store contract information indicating whether or not a usage contract for the analysis result has been concluded for each service for each usage period divided by the update timing. Either the usage information or the contract information may be stored in the storage unit 248, or both may be stored in the storage unit 248. The storage unit 248 may also store data of the analysis result generated at each update timing.

[0046] The data providing device 24 may voluntarily transmit the analysis results to the server 30 even when there is no acquisition request. For example, the storage unit 248 stores a schedule for transmitting the analysis results required by each service to the server 30 associated with that service. The schedule indicates the time and frequency at which the analysis results are transmitted to the server 30. The transmission unit 246 transmits the analysis results to the server 30 according to the schedule.

[0047] The schedule may also include the time and frequency at which the data providing device 24 updates the analysis results. The update frequency includes at least one of the frequency (time interval) at which the sensor 22 measures the primary data and outputs it to the data providing device 24, or the frequency at which the analysis unit 244 performs AI analysis. Furthermore, the schedule may include information that identifies the sensor 22 that receives the measurement data.

[0048] 8 is a block diagram showing an example of an evaluation device according to the present disclosure. The evaluation device 26 includes an acquisition unit 262, a determination unit 264, a calculation unit 266, an evaluation unit 268, a notification unit 270, and a storage unit 272. Hereinafter, with regard to each unit of the evaluation device 26, the description of the points already described for the evaluation device 10 according to the first embodiment will be omitted as appropriate, and the description will focus on processing unique to the second embodiment.

[0049] The acquisition unit 262 acquires, for each usage period divided by the update timing, the CO2 emissions resulting from the update of the analysis results as the first emissions. The CO2 emissions acquired as the first emissions are the total values ​​of the CO2 emissions emitted in all the processes shown in (i) to (iv) above. The first emissions of each analysis result are stored in the storage unit 272 as a table associated with the identifier of each analysis result. Furthermore, the acquisition unit 262 acquires the usage information or contract information in response to the evaluation device 26 transmitting a request to acquire the usage information or contract information to the data providing device 24.

[0050] The determination unit 264 determines for each service, for each usage period, whether or not the analysis result has been used, using at least one of the usage information and the contract information acquired by the acquisition unit 262. The determination unit 264 may determine only whether or not each service has used the analysis result, or may further identify the usage frequency for each service that has used the analysis result.

[0051] The calculation unit 266 calculates, for each usage period, a second emission amount, which is the amount of CO2 emission per service, when the first emission amount is allocated to the services of each server 30 that use the analysis results. The calculation unit 266 identifies, for each usage period, the services that used the analysis results during that usage period based on the determination result of the determination unit 264. The calculation unit 266 calculates, for each usage period, a second emission amount when the first emission amount is allocated to each service that used the analysis results. Alternatively, the calculation unit 266 may calculate the second emission amount by further using the frequency of use of the analysis results of each service that used the analysis results. Details of this calculation method are as described in embodiment 1.

[0052] The evaluation unit 268 uses the second emissions to evaluate the CFP of the service of each server 30 that uses the analysis results for each usage period. The evaluation unit 268 calculates the CFP for each service that uses the analysis results by adding the amount of CO2 emissions emitted by the operation of the server 30 related to the service when using the analysis results and the second emissions of the service. The evaluation unit 268 may include the second emissions calculated by the calculation unit 266 for a certain usage period in the CFP. Furthermore, the evaluation unit 268 may include not only the second emissions calculated for a certain usage period, but also second emissions calculated in the same manner for past usage periods in the CFP.

[0053] The notification unit 270 transmits the CFP of each service for each usage period calculated by the evaluation unit 268 to the server 30 associated with each service. This allows each server 30 to grasp its own CFP arising from the use of the analysis results.

[0054] The storage unit 272 stores data on the CO2 emissions related to (i) to (iv) and the CO2 emissions emitted by operation when the server 30 uses the analysis results. The acquisition unit 262 and the evaluation unit 268 use this data to calculate the first emission amount and the CFP.

[0055] The server 30 is an entity that uses the analysis results updated by the data providing device 24 in each service.

[0056] The following describes further the processing that the evaluation device 26 executes when no analysis results are used by any service during a specified usage period (i.e., no analysis results are acquired). Hereinafter, the usage period during which no analysis results are used is defined as T1, and the subsequent usage periods are defined as T2, T3, and so on. Furthermore, the analysis results that are available during the period Tn are defined as An (n is an integer equal to or greater than 1). Examples of the processing that is executed include, but are not limited to, the following (A) to (C).

[0057] (A) The determination unit 264 determines one or more services that have used the analysis results during a predetermined period Tp after the usage period T1. Here, the predetermined period Tp includes a usage period of n sections (n ​​is a natural number). In other words, the predetermined period Tp may be only the usage period T2, or the usage period T2+T3, or the usage period T2+T3+T4, etc. The predetermined period Tp is a predefined period that is stored in the storage unit 272 in advance.

[0058] As a first example, for each service (hereinafter also referred to as service Tp) that used the analysis result during a predetermined period Tp, the calculation unit 266 may calculate a second emission amount, which is an emission amount to which the first emission amount resulting from the generation of the analysis result used by each service Tp is allocated. The calculation method for the second emission amount is as described above. Furthermore, the calculation unit 266 further calculates an emission amount F12, which is an emission amount to which the first emission amount F1 resulting from the analysis result A1 is equally allocated to each service Tp. Alternatively, the calculation unit 266 may further use, as the emission amount F12, the frequency of use of the analysis result of each service that used the analysis result during the entire usage period Tp to calculate an emission amount to which the first emission amount F1 is allocated to each service Tp. The calculation method for the emission amount using the frequency of use is also as described above. The calculation unit 266 sets the CO2 emission amount obtained by further adding the emission amount F12 to the second emission amount as the second emission amount to be evaluated by the evaluation unit 268.

[0059] As a second example, the calculation unit 266 may derive an emission amount F2, which is the sum of the first emission amount F1 resulting from the generation of the analysis result A1 and the first emission amount Fp resulting from the generation of each analysis result that can be used during the entire usage period Tp. Then, the calculation unit 266 calculates a second emission amount when the emission amount F2 is evenly allocated to each service Tp. Alternatively, the calculation unit 266 may further use, as the second emission amount, the frequency of use of the analysis result of each service that uses the analysis result during the entire usage period Tp, to calculate the emission amount of the emission amount F2 allocated to each service Tp.

[0060] The evaluation unit 268 performs evaluation of the CFP using the second emission amount calculated by the calculation unit 266. Through the above process, the evaluation device 26 can allocate CO2 emissions equally or in accordance with the frequency of use to services that use data during the usage period Tp.

[0061] (B) As another example, the calculation unit 266 may calculate the second emission amount for each service that uses the analysis result after the usage period T1 as follows. The calculation unit 266 may set this second emission amount in advance to be a value obtained by adding a predetermined CO2 emission amount attributable to the analysis result A1 to the CO2 emission amount attributable to the analysis result used by each service. The services to which the emission amount is added are, for example, one or more services that use the analysis result during any period after the usage period T1. The predetermined CO2 emission amount to be added may be calculated by the calculation unit 266 based on the first emission amount F1 resulting from the generation of the analysis result A1. The calculation unit 266 may calculate the predetermined CO2 emission amount to be added, for example, using any of the following: The number of times per hour that the service used the analysis results or the analysis results were used during a specified period prior to the usage period T1 Secondary emissions incurred by the service that used the analysis results during a specified period prior to the usage period T1 However, the predetermined CO2 emission amount to be added may be a constant emission amount regardless of the magnitude of the first emission amount F1.

[0062] The evaluation unit 268 performs the evaluation of the CFP using the second emission amount calculated by the calculation unit 266. In (B), unlike (A), the CO2 emission amount to be added to the service can be determined in advance even if the predetermined period Tp has not elapsed.

[0063] (C) After the analysis result A1 is generated, if there is no service that uses the analysis result A1 during the usage period T1, another process may be performed. In this case, the notification unit 270 may notify the data providing device 24 (i.e., the data providing business) to bear the first emission amount F1 resulting from the generation of the analysis result A1. However, the first emission amount F1 is not limited to the data providing business, and may be any organization or individual, such as a predefined private company or local government. In this way, the notification unit 270 can notify the data providing device 24 that a predetermined burden entity will bear the first emission amount F1.

[0064] Through the above process, when an analysis result for which there is no demand is generated, the evaluation device 26 can charge the associated first emission amount to a predetermined burden object rather than to the service. Therefore, the service will not be charged for the CO2 emission amount related to the analysis result that it does not use.

[0065] Furthermore, there may be a case where the analysis result A1 is used during the usage period T1, but the demand for it is low. For example, when the calculation unit 266 calculates the second emission amount as described above based on the first emission amount F1 during the usage period T1, if the second emission amount is less than the predetermined threshold F Th It is possible that the threshold F Th is the maximum CO2 emissions allowed per service. Th may be a predefined threshold, or the threshold F Th may be the maximum value of the second emission amount in the service that used the analysis results during a predetermined period before the usage period T1, or a number that is set according to that maximum value.

[0066] The second emission is at a predetermined threshold F Th If it is greater than the amount of emission F Th The following emissions F Resis set so that the cost is borne by a service other than T1.

number

[0067] Then, in the processes (A) to (C) above, the evaluation device 26 uses the discharge amount F instead of the first discharge amount F1. Res As a result, the amount of discharge exceeding the maximum allowable discharge amount can be reduced by Services that use analysis results during the period after the usage period T1 ((A) or (B)) Data provider ((C)) Therefore, it is possible to prevent a service from bearing the cost of emissions exceeding the maximum allowable emissions, thereby improving fairness in the provision of services.

[0068] Note that, due to the first discharge amount F1 being a large value, the second discharge amount is set to a predetermined threshold value F Th It is also expected that the amount of data will be larger than the amount of data F1. For example, the following can be considered as such a case. Because analysis result A1 is the first analysis result to be generated, the amount of data is large, and the first emission amount F1 associated with this is large. On the other hand, analysis result A2 and subsequent analysis results are updated in part, and therefore the first emission amount associated with analysis result A2 and subsequent analysis results is small. Even in such a case, fairness in service provision can be improved by performing the above process.

[0069] [Flow description] 9 is a flowchart showing an example of a representative process of the evaluation device 26, which is executed each time the usage period elapses. The process of the evaluation device 26 will be explained using this flowchart.

[0070] First, the acquisition unit 262 acquires, as a first emission, the CO2 emission amount resulting from updating the analysis result (step S22). The acquisition unit 262 also acquires the usage information or contract information transmitted by the data providing device 24. The determination unit 264 determines, based on the acquired information, whether or not the analysis result has been used for each service (step S24).

[0071] The calculation unit 266 calculates the second emissions (CO2 emissions) when the first emissions are allocated to each service that uses the analysis result based on the determination result of the determination unit 264 (step S26). The evaluation unit 268 evaluates the CFP of the service that uses the analysis result using the second emissions (step S28). The notification unit 270 transmits the CFP of each service calculated by the evaluation unit 268 to the server 30 associated with each service (step S30).

[0072] [Effect description] As described above, the related art does not take into account dynamic updates of data, and therefore does not consider the CO2 emissions that accompany the updates. However, the evaluation device 26 according to the present disclosure can calculate CFP taking into account the CO2 emissions even when data is dynamically updated. Therefore, it is possible to further advance the technology for secondary use of dynamic data.

[0073] Furthermore, the calculation unit 266 can also execute the following processing when there is no service that uses the analysis result A1 during a certain usage period T1. For services that use the analysis result after the usage period T1, the calculation unit 266 adds a predetermined amount of CO2 emissions to the amount of CO2 emissions resulting from the analysis result used by that service. The evaluation unit 268 uses the added amount of CO2 emissions to evaluate the CFP of the service that used the analysis result after the usage period T1. This corresponds to (A) and (B) above. This makes it possible to impose a CO2 emission burden on services that use the analysis result after the usage period T1, thereby making it possible to more clearly define the burden of CO2 emissions.

[0074] Here, as shown in (A), the calculation unit 266 may impose a CO2 emission charge on the service that uses the analysis result for the set predetermined period Tp. This allows the total amount of CO2 emissions additionally imposed on the service to be the same as the first emission amount F1 resulting from the analysis result A1. In other words, it is prevented from imposing a CO2 emission charge on the service that is greater or less than the first emission amount F1. Therefore, the CO2 emission charge can be accurately imposed.

[0075] Furthermore, if there is no service that uses the data during the usage period T1, the notification unit 270 may notify the data providing device 24 to bear the first emission amount F1 on its side. This prevents the service side from bearing the burden of CO2 emission, thereby increasing the satisfaction level on the service side.

[0076] Furthermore, the determining unit 264 may determine the service that uses the analysis result during the usage period by using at least one of the following information. Information indicating whether or not analysis results for each service are used, based on the API used when the service uses the analysis results Information related to the service analysis results and usage contract The calculation unit 266 calculates the second amount of emission for the plurality of services determined by the determination unit 264. This verifies the services for which the CO2 emission burden should be borne, and therefore the CO2 emission burden can be accurately borne.

[0077] In the above description, the data providing device 24 and the evaluation device 26 are described as separate devices. However, the evaluation device 26 may be equipped with some or all of the functions of the data providing device 24. For example, the data providing device 24 and the evaluation device 26 may be a common device.

[0078] Below, we will explain examples of variations of the evaluation device 26 or data utilization system S shown in embodiment 2. In the following description, we will omit explanations of points that have already been explained in embodiment 2 as appropriate, and will focus on the processing that is unique to each embodiment.

[0079] Embodiment 3 (3A) [Configuration Description] 10 is a block diagram showing an example of a data providing device according to the present disclosure. The data providing device 24 includes a receiving unit 242 to a storage unit 248 and a determining unit 250. The description of the receiving unit 242 to the storage unit 248 is omitted because they are the same as those in the second embodiment.

[0080] When the server 30 transmits an acquisition request for an analysis result to the data providing device 24, the determination unit 250 analyzes the acquisition request. Then, it determines whether or not multiple pieces of analysis result data related to the acquisition request are stored in the storage unit 248. When multiple pieces of analysis result data related to the acquisition request are stored in the storage unit 248, this refers to when there are multiple pieces of data identical to the analysis result data indicated by the acquisition request, or when analysis result data similar to or corresponding to the analysis result data indicated by the acquisition request is stored in the storage unit 248.

[0081] For example, suppose that the analysis result data related to the acquisition request is generated by AI analysis based on data acquired by the data providing device 24 from the sensor 22 at the update timing specified in the acquisition request. In this case, similar or corresponding data may be data generated by AI analysis based on data acquired from the sensor 22 at a timing within a predetermined period before or after the update timing specified in the acquisition request. For example, data generated by AI analysis based on data acquired from the sensor 22 at an update timing immediately before or after the update timing specified in the acquisition request may fall under this category.

[0082] If the determination unit 250 determines that multiple pieces of analysis result data related to the acquisition request are stored in the storage unit 248, the data providing device 24 can transmit any of the multiple pieces of analysis result data stored to the server 30. However, it is possible that the second emission amount differs for each analysis result. In such a case, an example of a method for determining which analysis result should be transmitted to the server 30 is shown below.

[0083] If the judgment unit 250 determines that multiple pieces of analysis result data related to the acquisition request are stored in the memory unit 248, the transmission unit 246 transmits to the evaluation device 26 the identifiers of the multiple pieces of analysis result data related to the acquisition request.

[0084] 11 is a block diagram showing an example of an evaluation device according to the present disclosure. The evaluation device 26 includes an acquisition unit 262 to a storage unit 272 and a determination unit 274. The explanation of the acquisition unit 262 to the storage unit 272 is omitted because they are the same as those in the second embodiment.

[0085] The determination unit 274 acquires the identifiers of the analysis result data transmitted by the transmission unit 246 via the acquisition unit 262. The determination unit 274 acquires the first emission amount associated with each acquired identifier by referring to the table stored in the storage unit 272. As described above, in this table, the first emission amount of each analysis result is associated with the identifier of each analysis result.

[0086] The determination unit 274 determines which analysis result the service that sent the acquisition request should use, based on the first emission amount associated with each acquired identifier. For example, the determination unit 274 may specify, among the multiple first emission amounts, an analysis result associated with a first emission amount equal to or greater than a predetermined value, or an analysis result associated with a first emission amount less than a predetermined value. As another example, when the multiple first emission amounts are arranged in descending order, the determination unit 274 may specify an analysis result associated with a first emission amount that is within a predetermined rank from the top, or an analysis result associated with a first emission amount that is within a predetermined rank from the bottom.

[0087] When an analysis result with a large first emission amount is used by a service, it is expected that the second emission amount allocated to that service will also be large. Therefore, by having a service use an analysis result with a low first emission amount, the second emission amount allocated to that service will also be small. This can increase the satisfaction of the service recipient who sent the acquisition request.

[0088] On the other hand, when an analysis result with a large amount of first emissions is used by a service, the degree of decrease in the second emissions related to the analysis result is greater than when an analysis result with a small amount of first emissions is used by a service. Therefore, the degree of decrease in the second emissions allocated to other services is greater. This can increase the satisfaction of recipients of services other than the service that sent the acquisition request.

[0089] Furthermore, the table stored in the storage unit 272 may further include at least one of the following pieces of information: Number of services using each analysis result Frequency of use of each analysis result - Number of services predicted to use each analysis result during the usage period -The predicted frequency of use of each analysis result during the usage period The determination unit 274 calculates a second emission amount, which is an emission amount to which the first emission amount of the analysis result related to each acquired identifier is allocated, based on any of the above information and the information on the first emission amount of each analysis result. The method of calculating the second emission amount based on the number of services or the frequency of use is as described in the second embodiment.

[0090] Then, the determination unit 274 determines which analysis result the service that sent the acquisition request should use based on the calculated second emission amount. For example, the determination unit 274 may specify, from among the multiple calculated second emission amounts, an analysis result related to a second emission amount equal to or greater than a predetermined value, or a second emission amount less than a predetermined value. As another example, when the multiple second emission amounts are arranged in descending order, the determination unit 274 may specify an analysis result related to a second emission amount that is within a predetermined rank from the top, or an analysis result related to a second emission amount that is within a predetermined rank from the bottom.

[0091] (3B) As another example, if the determination unit 250 determines that multiple pieces of analysis result data related to the acquisition request are stored in the storage unit 248, the transmission unit 246 may transmit the following information to the evaluation device 26: - Identifier of multiple stored analysis result data related to the acquisition request Identifier of the service that sent the acquisition request The identifier of the service that sent the acquisition request is, for example, information included in the acquisition request.

[0092] Meanwhile, the storage unit 272 further stores a table in which the identifiers of the services executed by each server 30 are associated with the CFPs associated with each service. As described above, this CFP is calculated by the evaluation unit 268. The CFP associated with each service includes the second emissions derived from the utilized analysis results and the CO2 emissions emitted by the operation of the server 30 associated with the service when using the analysis results. The second emissions derived from the utilized analysis results may include only the second emissions derived from the analysis results used in the most recent usage period prior to the time the table is updated. Furthermore, the second emissions derived from the utilized analysis results may not be limited to the most recent usage period, but may also include second emissions derived from analysis results used prior to that period. However, the CFP associated with each service does not necessarily include the CO2 emissions emitted by the operation of the server 30 associated with the service when using the analysis results.

[0093] The determination unit 274 acquires, via the acquisition unit 262, the identifier of the analysis result data transmitted by the transmission unit 246 and the identifier of the service that transmitted the acquisition request. The determination unit 274 acquires the second emission amount associated with each acquired identifier. Details of this are as described above. Furthermore, the determination unit 274 refers to the table stored in the storage unit 272 and acquires the CFP associated with the identifier of the service that transmitted the acquisition request (hereinafter also referred to as the target CFP).

[0094] The determination unit 274 determines whether the target CFP is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold. The predetermined threshold may be a preset value, or may be a value based on the CFPs of all services listed in the table. The value based on the CFPs of all services may be, for example, the average or median value of the CFPs of all services, or may be a CFP value within a predetermined ranking when the CFPs of all services are sorted in ascending order.

[0095] When the target CFP is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, the determination unit 274 may specify an analysis result relating to a first emission amount that is less than a predetermined value among the multiple first emission amounts. As another example, when the multiple first emission amounts are arranged in descending order, the determination unit 274 may specify an analysis result relating to a first emission amount that is within a predetermined rank from the bottom. When the target CFP is less than the predetermined threshold, the determination unit 274 performs the reverse process. That is, the determination unit 274 may specify an analysis result relating to a first emission amount that is less than a predetermined value, or when the multiple first emission amounts are arranged in descending order, the determination unit 274 may specify an analysis result relating to a first emission amount that is within a predetermined rank from the top.

[0096] Furthermore, the determination unit 274 may calculate the second emission amount using the method shown in (3A). Based on the calculated second emission amount, the determination unit 274 determines which analysis result the service that sent the acquisition request should use. For example, when the target CFP is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, the determination unit 274 may specify, from among the calculated multiple second emission amounts, an analysis result related to a second emission amount that is less than a predetermined value. As another example, when the multiple second emission amounts are sorted in descending order, the determination unit 274 may specify an analysis result related to a second emission amount that is within a predetermined rank from the bottom. When the target CFP is less than the predetermined threshold, the determination unit 274 performs the reverse process. That is, when the target CFP is less than a predetermined threshold, the determination unit 274 may specify an analysis result related to a second emission amount that is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, or when the multiple second emission amounts are sorted in descending order, the determination unit 274 may specify an analysis result related to a second emission amount that is within a predetermined rank from the top.

[0097] As yet another example, the determination unit 274 may compare the target CFP with a CFP upper limit value preset for the service that sent the acquisition request. The CFP upper limit value is a value stored in the storage unit 272. First, if the target CFP is equal to or greater than the CFP upper limit value, the determination unit 274 determines that the analysis results cannot be used for the service that sent the acquisition request, and the evaluation device 26 outputs information indicating this to the data providing device 24. The receiving unit 242 of the data providing device 24 receives this information. The determination unit 250 transmits a message indicating that the analysis results cannot be used to the server 30 related to the service that sent the acquisition request, via the transmitting unit 246.

[0098] If the target CFP is less than the CFP upper limit, the determination unit 274 further determines whether or not the difference between the target CFP and the CFP upper limit is less than a predetermined threshold value.

[0099] When the difference is less than a predetermined threshold, the determination unit 274 may specify the analysis result related to the first emission amount that is less than a predetermined value among the multiple first emission amounts. As another example, when the multiple first emission amounts are arranged in descending order, the determination unit 274 may specify the analysis result related to the first emission amount that is within a predetermined rank from the bottom. When the difference is equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold, the determination unit 274 executes the reverse process.

[0100] Furthermore, the determination unit 274 may determine which analysis result the service that sent the acquisition request should use based on the calculated second emission amount. For example, if the difference is less than a predetermined threshold, the determination unit 274 may specify the analysis result related to the second emission amount that is less than a predetermined value, among the multiple calculated second emission amounts. As another example, when the multiple second emission amounts are arranged in descending order, the determination unit 274 may specify the analysis result related to the second emission amount that is within a predetermined rank from the bottom. If the difference is equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold, the determination unit 274 performs the reverse process.

[0101] Furthermore, if the second emission amounts related to the data of the multiple analysis results related to the acquisition request are all less than the difference between the target CFP and the CFP upper limit, the judgment unit 274 may determine that the analysis results cannot be used by the service that sent the acquisition request. The evaluation device 26 outputs information indicating this to the data providing device 24. Upon receiving this information, the judgment unit 250 of the data providing device 24 sends a message indicating that the analysis results cannot be used via the transmission unit 246 to the server 30 related to the service that sent the acquisition request.

[0102] In both cases (3A) and (3B), the evaluation device 26 outputs the identifier of the analysis result designated by the determination unit 274 to the data providing device 24. The receiving unit 242 of the data providing device 24 receives the identifier of the analysis result. The determination unit 250 identifies the analysis result associated with the received identifier stored in the memory unit 248. The identified analysis result is transmitted via the transmitting unit 246 to the server 30 associated with the service that transmitted the acquisition request.

[0103] [Effect description] As described above, when multiple analysis results related to an acquisition request from a service are available, the determination unit 274 can use the first emission amounts related to the multiple analysis results to determine which analysis result to use for the service. This can increase the satisfaction of the service that sent the acquisition request or the recipient of other services.

[0104] Furthermore, the determination unit 274 may further use the CFP evaluated by the evaluation unit 268 for the service related to the acquisition request to determine which analysis result to use for the service. As a result, for example, if the CFP is high, the determination unit 274 can cause the service to use an analysis result that suppresses further increase in CFP. On the other hand, if the CFP is low or if the difference between the target CFP and the CFP upper limit is large, there is little problem with an increase in CFP. Therefore, the determination unit 274 can cause the service to use, for example, an analysis result with a high second emission amount. In this way, the evaluation device 26 can appropriately select the analysis result to be used by the service depending on the situation.

[0105] (3C) Furthermore, the determination unit 274 may determine whether the identifier of the service that has sent the acquisition request is a predetermined type of identifier. The predetermined type of identifier is, for example, an identifier that is set to have a low CFP.

[0106] When the identifier of the service is a predetermined type of identifier, the determination unit 274 may specify an analysis result related to a first emission amount that is less than a predetermined value among the multiple first emission amounts. As another example, when the multiple first emission amounts are arranged in descending order, the determination unit 274 may specify an analysis result related to a first emission amount that is within a predetermined rank from the bottom. When the identifier of the service is not a predetermined type of identifier, the determination unit 274 performs the reverse process.

[0107] Furthermore, the determination unit 274 may determine which analysis result the service that sent the acquisition request should use based on the calculated second emission amount. For example, if the identifier of the service is a predetermined type of identifier, the determination unit 274 may specify, from among the multiple calculated second emission amounts, an analysis result related to a second emission amount that is less than a predetermined value. As another example, if the multiple second emission amounts are sorted in descending order, the determination unit 274 may specify an analysis result related to a second emission amount that is within a predetermined rank from the bottom. If the identifier of the service is not a predetermined type of identifier, the determination unit 274 performs the reverse process.

[0108] [Effect description] As described above, the determination unit 274 can use the analysis results to suppress further increases in CFP for a particular service.

[0109] In (3A) to (3C), a case has been described in which multiple pieces of analysis result data related to an acquisition request are stored in a single data providing device 24. However, multiple data providing devices 24 may store one or more pieces of analysis result data related to an acquisition request.

[0110] In this case, the server 30 transmits an acquisition request for the analysis results to the evaluation device 26. The determination unit 274 analyzes the acquisition request and determines in which of the multiple data providing devices 24 connected to the server 30 the data of the analysis results related to the acquisition request is stored. For example, the storage unit 272 of the evaluation device 26 may store a table in which the identifiers of the analysis results stored in each of the multiple data providing devices 24, the identifiers of the data providing devices 24 in which the analysis results are stored, and the first emission amount (or second emission amount) corresponding to the analysis results are associated with each other. The determination unit 274 refers to the table and compares it with the identifier of the analysis result related to the acquisition request to determine in which data providing device 24 the data of the analysis results related to the acquisition request is stored. Alternatively, the evaluation device 26 may inquire of the multiple data providing devices 24 about the data of the analysis results related to the acquisition request, thereby determining in which data providing device 24 the data related to the inquiry is stored.

[0111] The determination unit 274 determines which analysis result the service that sent the acquisition request should use by executing the determinations shown in (3A) to (3C) for the analysis result data related to the acquisition request stored in the multiple data providing devices 24. Then, the determination unit 274 transmits, via the notification unit 270, an instruction to the data providing device 24 that stores the analysis result data determined to be used by the service to transmit the analysis result data determined to be used. This instruction includes an identifier of the analysis result determined to be used. The data providing device 24 that receives this instruction transmits the specified analysis result data to the server 30 based on the identifier in the instruction. Even in such a case, the evaluation device 26 can transmit appropriate analysis result data in response to the acquisition request.

[0112] Embodiment 4 [Configuration Description]

[0113] 12 is a block diagram showing an example of an evaluation device according to the present disclosure. The evaluation device 26 includes an acquisition unit 262 to a storage unit 272 and a control unit 276.

[0114] The calculation unit 266 calculates, for each usage period, a second emission amount, which is the CO2 emission amount per service when allocating the first emission amount to the services of each server 30 that use the analysis results. The evaluation unit 268 uses the second emission amount to evaluate, for each usage period, the CFP of the services of each server 30 that use the analysis results. In addition, the storage unit 272 stores a table in which the identifiers of the services executed by each server 30 are associated with the CFPs related to each service. This CFP is calculated by the evaluation unit 268 as described above. The details are as described in embodiment 2.

[0115] The control unit 276 controls the frequency with which a service to be controlled (hereinafter also referred to as a target service) obtains analysis results from the data providing device 24. The control unit 276 executes this control based on at least one of the second emission amount calculated by the calculation unit 266 for the target service or the CFP evaluated by the evaluation unit 268 for the target service, and predetermined conditions related to the target service. The predetermined conditions are stored in the storage unit 272.

[0116] The predetermined condition is, for example, a reference value for the amount of emission. In this case, the control unit 276 compares the magnitude relationship between the second emission amount and the reference value. If the second emission amount is greater than the reference value, the control unit 276 changes the frequency at which the target service acquires analysis results to decrease. If the second emission amount is equal to or less than the reference value, the control unit 276 changes the frequency at which the target service acquires analysis results to increase, set it to a standard value, or keep it as is. As another example, if the second emission amount is greater than the reference value, the control unit 276 sets the frequency at which the target service acquires analysis results to a standard value or keep it as is. If the second emission amount is equal to or less than the reference value, the control unit 276 changes the frequency at which the target service acquires analysis results to increase.

[0117] "Reducing the frequency of acquisition" may mean reducing the frequency of requests for analysis results sent from the server 30 related to the target service to the data providing device 24. Alternatively, "reducing the frequency of acquisition" may mean reducing the frequency with which the data providing device 24 voluntarily transmits analysis results to the server 30 related to the target service. Note that "reducing the frequency of acquisition" does not only mean reducing the frequency with which analysis results are acquired, but also includes the case where analysis results are not acquired at all. "Reducing the frequency of acquisition" means reducing the CO2 emissions generated by the process (iii) above.

[0118] If the frequency of acquisition is to decrease, the control unit 276 may output an instruction to the server 30 related to the target service via the notification unit 270 to decrease the frequency of requests to acquire analysis results. In response, the server 30 decreases the frequency of requests to acquire analysis results. Alternatively, the control unit 276 may output an instruction to the data providing device 24 via the notification unit 270 to decrease the frequency of transmitting analysis results. In response, the data providing device 24 changes the schedule stored in the storage unit 248 to decrease the frequency of transmitting analysis results. By doing the above, the frequency of transmitting analysis results is decreased.

[0119] "Increasing the frequency of acquisition" means the opposite of "decreasing the frequency of acquisition." In this case, the server 30 increases the frequency of requests to acquire analysis results, or the data providing device 24 changes the schedule stored in the storage unit 248 to increase the frequency of transmitting analysis results.

[0120] When "setting the acquisition frequency to a standard value," the control unit 276 may output an instruction to the server 30 related to the target service via the notification unit 270 to set the frequency of requests to acquire analysis results to a standard value. The standard value is a value that serves as a reference for increasing or decreasing the frequency, and is a standard value for the frequency of acquiring analysis results. When "keeping the acquisition frequency as it is," the control unit 276 does not execute any processing on either the server 30 or the data providing device 24.

[0121] Furthermore, two or more types of reference values, a first reference value and a second reference value, may be set as the predetermined condition. The first reference value is greater than the second reference value. The control unit 276 compares the magnitude relationship between the second emission amount and the first and second reference values. If the second emission amount is greater than the first reference value, the control unit 276 changes the frequency at which the target service acquires analysis results to decrease. If the second emission amount is equal to or less than the first reference value and greater than the second reference value, the control unit 276 sets the frequency at which the target service acquires analysis results to a standard value or keeps it as is. If the second emission amount is equal to or less than the second reference value, the control unit 276 changes the frequency at which the target service acquires analysis results to increase.

[0122] Although the above describes a case where the second emission amount is compared with a reference value, the control unit 276 may perform a similar comparison with the CFP of the target service instead of the second emission amount. Based on the comparison result, the frequency of obtaining the analysis result is changed. Alternatively, the control unit 276 may compare the second emission amount with a certain reference value and also compare the CFP of the target service with another reference value.

[0123] For example, the control unit 276 compares the magnitude relationship between the second emission amount and the third reference value, and also compares the magnitude relationship between the CFP of the target service and the fourth reference value. If the second emission amount is greater than the third reference value or the CFP is greater than the fourth reference value, the control unit 276 decreases the frequency at which the target service obtains analysis results. Otherwise, that is, if the second emission amount is equal to or less than the third reference value and the CFP is equal to or less than the fourth reference value, the control unit 276 increases the frequency at which the target service obtains analysis results, sets it to a standard value, or keeps it as is. As another example, if the second emission amount is greater than the third reference value or the CFP is greater than the fourth reference value, the control unit 276 sets the frequency at which the target service obtains analysis results to a standard value or keeps it as is. Otherwise, the control unit 276 increases the frequency at which the target service obtains analysis results.

[0124] [Effect description] As described above, the control unit 276 may control the frequency of obtaining analysis results by the target service based on at least one of the second emission amount and the CFP and predetermined conditions. This allows the evaluation device 26 to change the CO2 emission amount borne by the target service depending on the situation, thereby preventing the target service from bearing excessive CO2 emission burden. For example, this control is particularly effective when the CFP of the target service is already high or is expected to increase.

[0125] Fifth embodiment 13 is a block diagram showing an example of an evaluation device according to the present disclosure. The evaluation device 26 includes an acquisition unit 262 to a storage unit 272 and an instruction unit 278.

[0126] The instruction unit 278 instructs the data providing device 24 to change the method of updating (or generating) the analysis results. The instruction unit 278 executes this control based on at least one of the second emission amount calculated by the calculation unit 266 for one or more predetermined services or the CFP evaluated by the evaluation unit 268 for one or more predetermined services, and predetermined conditions. The predetermined conditions are stored in the storage unit 272.

[0127] The predetermined condition is, for example, a reference value for the amount of emissions. In this case, the instruction unit 278 compares the magnitude relationship between the second amount of emissions and the reference value. If the second amount of emissions for one or more services is greater than the reference value, the instruction unit 278 sets the first amount of emissions per hour to be reduced. Reducing the first amount of emissions per hour means, for example, at least one of the following: (I) Reduction of primary emissions resulting from updated analytical results. (II) The frequency with which the data providing device 24 updates the analysis results is reduced. (I) means that CO2 emissions occurring in at least one of the above (i), (ii), and (iv) are reduced. Note that an example of reducing CO2 emissions occurring in (iii) is as explained in the fourth embodiment.

[0128] For example, in FIG. 6, (i) refers to the process when the sensor 22 measures primary data and outputs it to the data providing device 24. Therefore, for example, by reducing the number of sensors 22 from which the data providing device 24 acquires primary data, the CO2 emissions related to (i) can be reduced. This is because it becomes unnecessary to activate the sensors 22 that are not the target of primary data acquisition, or to perform data measurement or transmission processing. Furthermore, if the number of sensors 22 from which primary data is acquired is reduced, it is expected that the CO2 emissions generated by the AI ​​analysis of the data providing device 24 will also be reduced. In other words, it is thought that the CO2 emissions related to (ii) will also be reduced.

[0129] As an example of (i), the data providing device 24 may control the sensor 22 so that the time interval at which the sensor 22 transmits measurement data to the data providing device 24 is lengthened (i.e., the frequency at which the data is updated is reduced). In this case, the data providing device 24 changes the frequency at which the sensor 22 outputs data to the data providing device 24 in the schedule stored in the storage unit 248. The data providing device 24 also transmits a control signal to the sensor 22 via the transmission unit 246 to lengthen the time interval at which the measurement data is transmitted. Although the reduced frequency of transmission of measurement data reduces the real-timeness of the measurement data acquired by the data providing device 24, the longer operation interval of the sensor 22 reduces the amount of CO2 emissions from the sensor 22.

[0130] As another example of (i), the data providing device 24 may control the sensor 22 to change the sensor 22 that measures and transmits the measurement data from one with a high CO2 emission to one with a low CO2 emission. For example, a sensor 22 with a low CO2 emission may have lower measurement accuracy than a sensor 22 with a high CO2 emission. In such a case, when there is no need to reduce the first emission amount per hour, the data providing device 24 selects a sensor 22 with a high CO2 emission as the sensor 22 that transmits the measurement data. Furthermore, when there is a need to reduce the first emission amount per hour, the data providing device 24 selects a sensor 22 with a low CO2 emission as the sensor 22 that transmits the measurement data. In response to this, the data providing device 24 changes the information identifying the sensor 22 that receives the measurement data in the schedule stored in the storage unit 248. In this way, the data providing device 24 defines the trade-off between measurement accuracy and CO2 emission amount.

[0131] It is also possible that the storage unit 248 stores multiple trained AI models used in the AI ​​analysis. The multiple AI models include, for example, a first AI model that takes a long time to output analysis results but provides highly accurate analysis results, and a second AI model that takes a short time to output analysis results but provides less accurate analysis results. The data providing device 24 can reduce the CO2 emissions related to (ii) by changing the AI ​​model used in the AI ​​analysis from the first AI model to the second AI model.

[0132] Another example of (ii) is that the data providing device 24 can reduce the frequency with which it updates the analysis results, thereby reducing CO2 emissions associated with updating the analysis results. In addition, the data providing device 24 can also reduce the time required for AI analysis by setting the AI ​​model to reduce the number of data items in the analysis results output, thereby reducing CO2 emissions associated with updating the analysis results.

[0133] Note that when the number of services for which the second emission amount is greater than the reference value is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, the instruction unit 278 may perform control so that the first emission amount per hour is reduced to a greater extent than when the number of such services is equal to or less than the predetermined threshold. As another example, when the second emission amount is greater than the reference value and the difference between the second emission amount and the reference value is greater than a predetermined threshold for one or more services, the instruction unit 278 may perform control so that the first emission amount per hour is reduced to a greater extent than when the difference is equal to or less than the predetermined threshold.

[0134] When the first emission amount per hour is set to be reduced, the instructing unit 278 may output an instruction to the data providing device 24 via the notification unit 270 to reduce the first emission amount per hour. In response to this, the data providing device 24 executes at least one of the above (I) and (II). The instruction may include detailed information on at least which of (I) and (II) to execute, and, if (I) is executed, on which of (i), (ii), and (iv) the CO2 emission amount will be reduced. The data providing device 24 reduces the first emission amount in accordance with the detailed information. However, this detailed information is not essential, and the data providing device 24 that receives the instruction may reduce the first emission amount by determining the detailed information on its own accord.

[0135] For example, the storage unit 248 of the data providing device 24 stores a first sensor 22 from which primary data is to be acquired with priority, and a second sensor 22 from which primary data is not to be acquired with priority. If the data providing device 24 does not receive an instruction, it acquires primary data from both the first sensor 22 and the second sensor 22 to update the analysis results. However, if the data providing device 24 receives an instruction, it controls the data providing device 24 to acquire primary data from the first sensor 22 but not from the second sensor 22 to update the analysis results. Details of this sensor selection process are as described above.

[0136] Furthermore, when receiving the instruction, the data providing device 24 may, as described above, change the AI ​​model used in the AI ​​analysis or shorten the time for which the analysis results are stored in the storage unit 248. Furthermore, when receiving the instruction, the data providing device 24 may change the schedule stored in the storage unit 248 to reduce the frequency with which the analysis results are updated.

[0137] If the second emission amount is equal to or less than the standard value for all of the one or more predetermined services, the instructing unit 278 sets the first emission amount per hour to a standard value or keeps it as it is. In the case of "setting the first emission amount per hour to a standard value," the instructing unit 278 may output an instruction to the data providing device 24 via the notification unit 270 to set the first emission amount per hour to the standard value.

[0138] When the first emission amount per hour returns from a reduced state to a standard value state, for example, one of the following controls is performed. The number of sensors 22 from which the data providing device 24 acquires primary data is restored from the reduced number to the original number. The time interval at which the sensor 22 transmits measurement data to the data providing device 24 is returned from a long state to the original short time interval state. The sensor 22 that transmits the measurement data is changed from one with a low CO2 emission to one with a high CO2 emission. · Change the AI ​​model used in AI analysis from one that takes a short time to output analysis results to one that takes a long time The frequency with which the data providing device 24 updates the analysis results is returned to the original state from the decreased state. -Returning the number of data items in the analysis results output by the AI ​​model from a reduced state to the original state

[0139] In the case of "maintaining the first discharge amount per hour as it is," the instructing unit 278 does not execute any processing on either the server 30 or the data providing device 24.

[0140] Although the above describes a case where the second emission amount is compared with a reference value, the instruction unit 278 may perform a similar comparison with the CFP instead of the second emission amount. Based on the comparison result, the method for updating the analysis result is changed. Alternatively, the instruction unit 278 may compare the second emission amount with a certain reference value and also compare the CFP of the target service with another reference value.

[0141] For example, the instruction unit 278 compares the magnitude relationship between the second emission amount and the third reference value for one or more services, and also compares the magnitude relationship between the CFP and the fourth reference value. If the second emission amount is greater than the third reference value or the CFP is greater than the fourth reference value for one or more services, the instruction unit 278 changes the first emission amount per hour so that it is reduced. In other cases, the instruction unit 278 sets the first emission amount per hour to a standard value or keeps it as is.

[0142] [Effect description] As described above, the instruction unit 278 may instruct the data providing device 24 to change the method of updating the analysis results based on at least one of the second emission amount or CFP and predetermined conditions. This allows the evaluation device 26 to change the method of updating the analysis results depending on the situation, thereby preventing the data providing device 24 from generating excessive CO2 emissions, and ultimately preventing the target service from bearing the burden of excessive CO2 emissions.

[0143] In the fourth and fifth embodiments, the second emission amount referred to by the control unit 276 or the instruction unit 278 may not be a confirmed value, but may be a predicted value before confirmation. The predicted value of the second emission amount is calculated using a predicted number of services or a predicted frequency of use. Details of this calculation method are as described in the third embodiment, and therefore description thereof will be omitted. In the fourth and fifth embodiments, the second emission amount referred to by the control unit 276 or the instruction unit 278 may be the latest second emission amount at the time of reference, instead of the confirmed second emission amount, or may be the average or median of past second emission amounts, etc. In the fourth and fifth embodiments, a predetermined range of values ​​may be set instead of a standard value.

[0144] Although the present disclosure has been described above with reference to the embodiments, the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments. Various modifications that can be understood by those skilled in the art can be made to the configuration and details of the present disclosure within the scope of the present disclosure. Furthermore, each embodiment can be combined with other embodiments as appropriate.

[0145] The evaluation devices shown in the second to fifth embodiments may be configured as a single computer device or as a distributed system having multiple computer devices, similar to the evaluation device 10 according to the first embodiment. Furthermore, some or all of the components of these systems may be provided on a cloud server built on a cloud, or on other types of virtualized servers generated using virtualization technology or the like.

[0146] In the above-described embodiments, this disclosure has been described as a hardware configuration, but this disclosure is not limited to this. This disclosure can also be realized by having a processor in a computer execute a computer program to perform the processing of the devices that make up the system described in the above-described embodiments.

[0147] 14 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of an information processing device (i.e., a computer) that executes the processing of the evaluation device shown in each embodiment. Referring to FIG. 14, an information processing device 90 includes a signal processing circuit 91, a processor 92, and a memory 93.

[0148] The signal processing circuit 91 is a circuit for processing signals in accordance with the control of the processor 92. The signal processing circuit 91 may include a communication circuit for receiving signals from a transmitting device.

[0149] The processor 92 is connected to the memory 93, and performs the processing of the system described in the above embodiment by reading and executing a computer program from the memory 93. As an example of the processor 92, one of a CPU (Central Processing Unit), an MPU (Micro Processing Unit), an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), a DSP (Digital Signal Processor), and an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) may be used, or a plurality of these may be used in parallel.

[0150] The memory 93 is configured with a volatile memory, a nonvolatile memory, or a combination thereof. The memory 93 is not limited to one, and multiple memories may be provided. The volatile memory may be, for example, a RAM (Random Access Memory) such as a DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory) or an SRAM (Static Random Access Memory). The nonvolatile memory may be, for example, a ROM (Read Only Memory) such as a PROM (Programmable Random Only Memory) or an EPROM (Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory), a flash memory, or an SSD (Solid State Drive).

[0151] The memory 93 is used to store one or more instructions. Here, the one or more instructions are stored as programs in the memory 93. The processor 92 can perform the processes described in the above embodiments by reading and executing these programs from the memory 93.

[0152] The memory 93 may include memory built into the processor 92 in addition to memory provided outside the processor 92. The memory 93 may also include storage located away from the processors constituting the processor 92. In this case, the processor 92 can access the memory 93 via an I / O (Input / Output) interface.

[0153] As described above, one or more processors included in each system or device in the above-described embodiments execute one or more programs including instructions for causing a computer to execute the algorithms described using the drawings. Execution of the programs enables the information processing described in each embodiment to be realized.

[0154] The program includes instructions or software code that, when loaded into a computer, causes the computer to perform one or more functions described in the embodiments. The program may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium or a tangible storage medium. By way of example and not limitation, computer-readable media or tangible storage media include random-access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), flash memory, solid-state drive (SSD) or other memory technologies, compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), digital versatile disk (DVD), Blu-ray disc or other optical disk storage, magnetic cassette, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices. The program may also be transmitted on a transitory computer-readable medium or communication medium. By way of example and not limitation, transitory computer-readable media or communication media include electrical, optical, acoustic, or other forms of propagated signals. The transitory computer-readable medium or communication medium may provide the program to the computer via a wired communication path, such as electrical wires and optical fibers, or via a wireless communication path.

[0155] A part or all of the above-described embodiments can be described as, but not limited to, the following supplementary notes. (Appendix 1) an acquisition means for acquiring, as a first emission amount, CO2 emissions resulting from updating of the data; a calculation means for calculating a second emission amount, which is a CO2 emission amount per service, when allocating the first emission amount to a plurality of first services that use the updated data during a first period, which is a period until the next update of the updated data; and an evaluation means for evaluating a carbon footprint of at least one service among the plurality of first services using the second emission amount. Evaluation equipment. (Appendix 2) The data acquisition system further includes a control unit that controls a frequency of data acquisition by the first service based on at least one of the second emissions or the carbon footprint of the first service and a predetermined first condition. 10. The evaluation device of claim 1. (Appendix 3) The data generation method further includes an instruction means for instructing an update device that updates the data to change a method of generating the data based on at least one of the second emission amount or the carbon footprint of the first service and a predetermined second condition. 3. The evaluation device according to claim 1 or 2. (Appendix 4) When there is no service that uses the data during the first period, the calculation means adds a predetermined amount of CO2 emissions to the amount of CO2 emissions caused by the data used by a second service that uses the data after the first period, The evaluation means evaluates the carbon footprint of the second service using the added CO2 emissions. 4. The evaluation device according to claim 1. (Appendix 5) when there is no service that uses the data in the first period, the calculation means adds, for the second service that uses the data in a second period that is a period after the first period, the predetermined amount of CO2 emissions, which is the CO2 emissions to which the first emissions are allocated, to the amount of CO2 emissions caused by the data used by the second service; 5. The evaluation device according to claim 4. (Appendix 6) further comprising a notification means for notifying an update device that updates the data so that a predetermined burden object bears the first emission amount when there is no service that uses the data during the first period; 6. An evaluation device according to any one of appendices 1 to 5. (Appendix 7) The system further includes a determination unit that, when a request for acquiring the updated data is received from a service and a plurality of pieces of data related to the acquisition request are available, determines which piece of data should be used by the service using first emission amounts related to the plurality of pieces of data. 7. An evaluation device according to any one of claims 1 to 6. (Appendix 8) the determining means further uses the carbon footprint evaluated by the evaluating means for the service related to the acquisition request to determine which data should be used for the service. 8. The evaluation device of claim 7. (Appendix 9) a generation unit that generates data catalog information related to the plurality of first services based on the second emission amount calculated by the calculation unit, 9. An evaluation device according to any one of appendices 1 to 8. (Appendix 10) and a determination means for determining the plurality of first services that will use the data during the first period, using at least one of information indicating whether or not the data will be used for each service based on an API (application programming interface) used by the service when using the data, or information related to a service's contract for using the data, The calculation means calculates the second emission amounts for the plurality of first services determined by the determination means. 10. The evaluation device according to any one of appendices 1 to 9. (Appendix 11) the calculation means calculates the second emission amount based on a frequency of use of the data related to each of the plurality of first services. 11. The evaluation device according to any one of appendices 1 to 10. (Appendix 12) The CO2 emissions resulting from the data update are acquired as the first emissions, Calculating second emissions, which are CO2 emissions per service, when allocating the first emissions to a plurality of services that use the updated data during a period until the next update of the data; using the second emissions to assess a carbon footprint of at least one service of the plurality of services; Computer-implemented assessment methods. (Appendix 13) The CO2 emissions resulting from the data update are acquired as the first emissions, Calculating second emissions, which are CO2 emissions per service, when allocating the first emissions to a plurality of services that use the updated data during a period until the next update of the data; using the second emissions to assess a carbon footprint of at least one service of the plurality of services; A program that makes a computer do something.

[0156] Some or all of the elements (e.g., configurations and functions) described in Supplements 2 to 11 that are dependent on Supplement 1 may also be dependent on Supplement 12 and Supplement 13 in the same dependency relationship as Supplements 2 to 11. Some or all of the elements described in any Supplement may be applied to various hardware, software, recording means for recording software, systems, and methods.

[0157] Although this disclosure has been described above with reference to the embodiments, this disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments. Various modifications that can be understood by those skilled in the art can be made to the configuration and details of this disclosure within the scope of this disclosure. Furthermore, each embodiment can be combined with other embodiments as appropriate. [Explanation of symbols]

[0158] 10 Evaluation equipment 102 Acquisition unit 104 Calculation unit 106 Evaluation unit 108 Generation unit S Data Usage System 22 Sensors 24 Data providing device 242 receiving unit 244 analyzing unit 246 transmitting unit 248 Memory section 26 Evaluation equipment 262 Acquisition unit 264 Judgment unit 266 Calculation unit 268 evaluation unit 270 notification unit 272 storage unit 274 judgment unit 276 control unit 278 instruction unit 30 servers

Claims

1. CO generated by updating data ２ an acquisition means for acquiring an emission amount as a first emission amount; A CO 2 per service when allocating the first emissions to a plurality of first services that use the updated data during a first period that is a period until the next update of the updated data. ２ a calculation means for calculating a second emission amount, which is an emission amount; and an evaluation means for evaluating a carbon footprint of at least one service among the plurality of first services using the second emission amount. Evaluation equipment.

2. The data acquisition system further includes a control unit that controls a frequency of data acquisition by the first service based on at least one of the second emissions or the carbon footprint of the first service and a predetermined first condition. The evaluation device according to claim 1 .

3. The data generation system further includes an instruction unit that instructs an update device that updates the data to change a method of generating the data based on at least one of the second emission amount or the carbon footprint of the first service and a predetermined second condition. The evaluation device according to claim 1 or 2.

4. When there is no service that uses the data during the first period, the calculation means calculates, for a second service that uses the data after the first period, CO2 caused by the data used by the second service. ２ For emissions, a given CO ２ Add up the emissions, The evaluation means evaluates the sum of the CO ２ using the emissions to assess the carbon footprint of the second service; The evaluation device according to claim 1 or 2.

5. When there is no service that uses the data in the first period, the calculation means calculates, for the second service that uses the data in a second period that is a period after the first period, the CO2 caused by the data used by the second service. ２ CO to which the first emission amount is allocated ２ The predetermined CO ２ Adding up emissions, The evaluation device according to claim 4 .

6. further comprising a notification means for notifying an update device that updates the data so that a predetermined burden object bears the first emission amount when there is no service that uses the data during the first period; The evaluation device according to claim 1 or 2.

7. The system further includes a determination unit that, when a request for acquiring the updated data is received from a service and a plurality of pieces of data related to the acquisition request are available, determines which piece of data should be used by the service using first emission amounts related to the plurality of pieces of data. The evaluation device according to claim 1 or 2.

8. the determining means further uses the carbon footprint evaluated by the evaluating means for the service related to the acquisition request to determine which data should be used for the service. The evaluation device according to claim 7 .

9. CO generated by updating data ２ The emission amount is taken as the first emission amount, CO per service when allocating the first emission amount to a plurality of services that use the updated data during a period until the next update of the data ２ Calculate the second emission amount, which is the emission amount, using the second emissions to assess a carbon footprint of at least one service of the plurality of services; Computer-implemented assessment methods.

10. CO generated by updating data ２ The emission amount is taken as the first emission amount, CO per service when allocating the first emission amount to a plurality of services that use the updated data during a period until the next update of the data ２ Calculate the second emission amount, which is the emission amount, using the second emissions to assess a carbon footprint of at least one service of the plurality of services; A program that makes a computer do something.

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