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The SPOLD Data Exchange Software
The SPOLD Data Exchange Software is a Windows 95(or later)/NT-compatible software to create, view, edit, import and export data in the SPOLD '99 format.
For more information, see the general information and help files of the program, once you have installed it on your computer.
New features in the SPOLD Data Exchange Software
Compared to its predecessor (the SPOLD Format Software, published in 1997) the SPOLD Data Exchange Software has been improved in several ways:
- It contains an administration function that allows you to place data in a SPOLD Information System.
- It has an improved user interface.
- It uses the new SPOLD ’99 format.
Improvements in the user interface include:
- All text fields can now be expanded by the command 'End' or by double-clicking on the field.
- Units can now be entered directly and the entries are automatically checked against a standard list, which can be edited and amended by the user.
- It is now possible to change the Type of a dataset from System to Unit Process and vice versa (use 'Change Type...' under Options in the Data Set List ('Database...' in File menu)).
- Free text search has been enabled in the Data Set List ('Database...' in File menu).
- Inputs and outputs to nature can be displayed in SPOLD nomenclature or with the user-defined synonyms (e.g. in local language or using abbreviations such as CO2 for carbon dioxide). This also allows the user to see "foreign" datasets with his own terminology. The user can toggle between the SPOLD nomenclature and the user-defined nomenclature.
- The look-up for StatisticalClassification has been improved and the name of the selected class is now displayed (not just its classification number).
- The explanations in the help file has been improved.
The SPOLD '99 format is an improved version of the SPOLD '97 format, where:A complete comparison of the SPOLD ’99 format to the SPOLD ’97 format can be found in the document The SPOLD file format '99.
- Some fields have been enlarged in size, to accommodate user requirements (notably the fields containing telephone and telefax numbers). Some fields are now unlimited, including the field "Other.InformationNotMentionedElsewhere", which means that no data should be lost when transferring data from other formats.
- It is now possible to report Services as an input from technosphere. This allows better and more consistent reporting of links to process datasets describing transports.
- Fields have been added for reporting Copyright and AccessRestrictedTo, and there are now several distinct fields for reporting Representativeness.
- Fields that were found to be meaningless in the SPOLD '97 format have been removed. This concerns the field TransportType for inputs and outputs of Unit Processes and the possibility to report allocation with different fractions for different co-products.
- The most important improvement, however, has no consequences for the user interface: It concerns the total number of fields, which has been reduced by normalising field areas that had very similar content in the '97 format. This is mainly of interest for mapping towards other data formats, while also simplifying future maintenance and updating of the SPOLD format.
The import function of the SPOLD Data Exchange Software ensures a thorough validation of the imported files, informing the user of critical errors in the file to be imported, and placing non-conforming field entries in the FieldOverflow. This provides a good validation tool for software developers wishing to provide output in the SPOLD '99 format.
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