Compute Workflow

The service calculates all configured environmental impact indicators in one request. A CE-RISE Product System selects the foreground activities, and LCI Dataset records supply their inventory flows. The bundled BONSAI-EF3.1 project provides background activities, elementary flows, and characterization factors. The service validates the input records, calculates the inventory once, and returns all indicators in a validated CE-RISE Integrated LCA object.

Required Inputs

POST /compute accepts a JSON object with these four fields:

Field	Required content
`model_versions`	`product_system`, `lci_dataset`, and `integrated_lca` schema versions registered in HEX Core. These are model versions, not versions of the individual records.
`product_system`	One Product System record with `product_system_identifier`, `lci_dataset_references`, selected `activity_references`, and `reference_flow_specification`.
`lci_datasets`	A non-empty array of LCI Dataset records with the referenced identifiers, activities, and flows.
`functional_unit`	`reference_flow_identifier`, positive `quantity`, and `unit` for the requested assessment.

Record Relationships

The Product System’s dataset references must match exactly one supplied LCI Dataset each; referenced record versions must also match. Selected activities must exist in those datasets. The Product System reference flow must be a product flow produced by a selected activity, and its identifier, declared amount, and unit must match the LCI flow. The functional unit repeats that flow identifier and unit, while its quantity is the amount to assess.

Foreground and Background Links

The foreground is the inventory supplied in the LCI Dataset records. The background provides the external activities and elementary flows referenced by that inventory.

Internal foreground links are resolved from the selected activities and their flows. External product inputs can identify a background activity with counterpart_activity_reference or output_of_activity_reference; external waste treatment uses counterpart_activity_reference. These must resolve to activity codes in the configured background database. Elementary flows use flow_object_reference values that resolve in the configured biosphere database. The service converts compatible flow units and rejects unresolved or incompatible links. The bundled BONSAI background is prepared by the image build or local setup. Activity and elementary-flow identifiers in the input records provide the links to it.

In the bundled project, external activities resolve in BONSAI and elementary flows resolve in ef31_biosphere. See Methods and Background for database contents, characterization factors, and geographic treatment.

Send a Request

Start the service with HEX_CORE_BASE_URL pointing to a reachable HEX Core that has the requested Product System, LCI Dataset, and Integrated LCA schemas. See Deployment.
Check GET /capabilities for the background and GET /methods for the configured indicators.
Send the model versions, Product System, LCI Dataset records, and functional unit to POST /compute.

The PV Example provides the input records, request commands, and complete calculated result for a photovoltaic panel.

Read the Response

A successful response has one lca_analysis_instances entry containing all 25 assessment_results.assessment_indicators entries.

Location within the analysis instance	What it records
`study_metadata.functional_unit_specification`	Reference flow, assessed quantity, and unit.
`study_metadata.database_info`	Background database name and available release version.
`study_metadata.software_info` and `study_metadata.assessment_toolchain`	Service name/version, calculation timestamp, and Brightway library versions.
`assessment_inputs.input_references`	Product System, selected LCI Datasets, and background project and source release.
`assessment_results.assessment_indicators[]`	Every environmental indicator’s method, available method version and factor-set reference, numeric score, and result unit.

The API Reference shows the full result shape. If the technosphere is singular, POST /compute instead returns status: "not_calculable" with a SINGULAR_TECHNOSPHERE diagnostic and identified activity groups. This response has no calculated indicators. Invalid models or links return 422; unavailable HEX Core validation returns 503.

Diagnostic Requests

POST /compute/diagnostics accepts the same inputs and performs the calculation, but returns only whether it is calculable or a singularity diagnostic. Use POST /compute to obtain the indicators; a separate diagnostic request is not required before computing results.

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