A variety of LCI databases are available for use in SimaPro that cover various research topics. Such databases include ecoinvent, ESU Food Database, DataSmart, ELCD, and Social Hotspot Database. Single processes or databases in OpenLCA format provided by other vendors (e.g. GaBi Databases) can be imported to SimaPro through format conversion.

Benefits for students: data coverage for many research topics.

SimaPro offers data import and export in various data formats including .txt, .csv, EcoExplod, and ILCD in which the user can take LCI data or a model for further calculations or analysis in Microsoft Excel or to exchange data with the LCA tools. Imapro can export data in .csv format for Microsoft Excel. The advantage of this feature is to export data for various LCA computing tools and to exchange data with other SimaPro users

Benefits for students: exchange project-related data between various students and when co-authoring an academic paper. In addition to that, students have the ability to import LCI processes specifically for their projects.

A user can quickly switch between different Life Cycle Impact Assessment (LCIA) methods. SimaPro supports CML-IA baseline and non-baseline, Eco Indicator 99, Ecological Scarcity 2003, EDIP 2003, EPD 2000, EPS 2000, and ReCeipe (Endpoint and Midpoint), BEES+, TRACI 2.1, and others.

Benefits for students: by switching between LCIA methods, students can learn better about each method and its suitability for their projects.

SimaPro offers a comfortable view of inventory results. They are a list of substance emissions to soil, water and air, and raw materials. This feature is helpful to establish an inventory analysis of your LCA model.

Benefits for students: inventory analysis is the final results of your LCA project that you may want to summarize, illustrate and explain in your academic paper. Inventory analysis shows you a comprehensive estimation of emissions to air, water, and soil. You can also export the results quickly to Microsoft Excel for further analysis or for presenting your results.

Through tracking the model on the process tree, a user can identify hotspots of the week points in the environmental impact assessment. This also helps on how to improve an individual product or a system for better environmental performance.

Benefits for students: identify the hotspots of your model.

In SimaPro, a user can find out which processes are playing a significant role in your results of the entire LCA model.

Benefits for students: it is always important to learn more about your LCA model. Here, you can find out which process or processes that contribute the most to your results. It is also useful to go deeper with further analysis with your model and to figure out opportunities for improvement.

Applying sensitivity analysis demonstrates how the change of the parameter (s) with a standard deviation alters the results. It will be the tool to test the results towards a change of a particular parameter (s) by +/- value of standard deviation. With this type of analysis, you will get a better understanding of how different assumptions affect the results.

Benefits for students: when collecting foreground data, there might be limitations or less accuracy for a particular parameter. Sensitivity analysis expresses how your results are sensitive to the data or parameters you used in your model.

SimaPro offers parameter setting in which the user can analyze the influence of a single parameter on the overall model without the demand to change variables for each scenario. This feature offers scenario development that gives flexibility on changing variables and assumptions. Comparing between those scenarios through parameters is also possible.

Benefits for students: with parameter settings, students can take theories to practice. They can examine how the results change when a parameter changes. They can also better create a sustainable solution for products and systems by examining different scenarios.

SimaPro allows users to perform calculations on uncertainty analysis of the results of the user’s model. This feature gives the user an indication of how the results are reliable. It allows examining if the results change at an individual random parameter constellation. That can be considered in assigning random values between a lower limit and a maximum into all parameters.

Benefits for students: see how reliable are your results and your input data. Learn more about your results by asking what is the uncertainty in the results?

SimaPro has a powerful network view to analyze and present your results. It lets you dig deep into your model and visualize your results.

Benefits for students:  dig deeper into results, find hotspots, and points of improvement. In addition to that, better present your model in a visualized way with a Sankey view

Input-output databases in SimaPro contain data per economic sector rather than per process as seen in traditional databases.

The advantage of using this type of data is that you have an assessment of an entire economy. It is also possible in SimaPro to export your data in matrix format for further analysis in Microsoft Excel.

Benefits for students: this feature is useful when you want to consider economic values with your LCA analysis.

SimaPro users can easily exchange SimaPro projects through the Export SimaPro database feature. Users can benefit from this feature (for example, for research collaboration).

Benefits for students: exchange your SimaPro project (database) with another SimaPro user.