Real-Time Data Collection for Product Carbon Footprints in Transportation Processes Based on OBD2 and Smartphones

Calculating product carbon footprints (PCF) is a central function of Environmental Management Information Systems (EMIS). Collecting accurate data for EMIS in general and PCF in particular is a critical issue. Nowadays, emission data of transportation processes are mostly based on averages and estimations, as data on actual emissions of transportation processes are costly to collect. In this paper, we propose a cost-efficient system for real-time data gathering for PCF in transportation processes based on vehicle on-board systems and smartphones. We present the system architecture, outline the application logic and - based on a generic multi-echelon transportation network - we specify its application and integration into EMIS.