Method and apparatus for generating standardized environmental benefit credits

• US 7,415,418 B2
• Filed: 08/09/2005
• Issued: 08/19/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/10/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: South Dakota School of Mines and Technology
• Original Assignee: South Dakota School of Mines and Technology
• Inventors: Zimmerman, Patrick Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): Borissov; Igor N
• Application Number:
  US11/200,889
• Publication Number:
  US 20050273358A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,106 Days
• Field of Search: 705/1, 705/7, 705/8, 705/10, 705/11, 705/37, 705/26, 705/36.R, 705/412, 702/19, 119/174, 47/581.R, 703/2, 703/5, 703/11, 703/12, 700/266
• US Class Current: 705/308
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/04 Forecasting or optimisation specially adapted for administrative or management purposes, e.g. linear programming or "cutting stock problem" market predictions or forecasting for commercial activities G06Q30/0202
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06375 Prediction of business process outcome or impact based on a proposed change
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/30 Administration of product recycling or disposal
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/163 Real estate management
• CPC Class Codes: Y02W 90/00 Enabling technologies or technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to greenhouse gas [GHG] emissions mitigation

Abstract

A method and apparatus for determining standardized environmental attributes is disclosed, including a method and apparatus for generating and quantifying standardized carbon emission reduction credits. General data and site-specific data, if available, are input into a suitable model to determine the approximate change in the environmental attribute as a result of a human-caused change. An uncertainty analysis is conducted on the results to quantify and normalize the environmental attribute. Standardized environmental attributes may be compiled for trade and other standardized environmental attributes are placed in reserve.

Claims

1. A computer-based method of generating standardized environmental attributes, comprising:

receiving with a computer system data specific to a first parcel of land and relevant to at least one environmental attribute;

retrieving with the computer system data general to the geographic region encompassing the first parcel of land and relevant to the at least one environmental attribute;

processing the data specific to the first parcel of land and the data general to the geographic region encompassing the first parcel of land with an environmental attribute model running on the computer system to determine a change in the environmental attribute over a first specified time period;

conducting with the computer system an uncertainty analysis on the determined change in the environmental attribute in the first parcel of land over the first specified time period, wherein the uncertainty analysis produces an uncertainty data based at least in part on the data specific to the first parcel of land; and

identifying with the computer system a total number of environmental attributes for the first parcel of land comprising a first quantity of standardized environmental attributes and a first quantity of reserve environmental attributes, wherein the first quantity of reserve environmental attributes is a fraction of the total number that is unavailable for trade with the fraction being selected based on the produced uncertainty data; and

outputting a report including the first quantity of standardized environmental attributes.

2. The method of generating standardized environmental attributes of claim 1, wherein the data specific to the first parcel of land comprises land use history data for the first specified time period received via a user interface provided on a user node by the computer system.

3. The method of generating standardized environmental attributes of claim 1, wherein the data general to the geographic region encompassing the first parcel of land comprises at least one of land use history data, climate data and soil texture data and the retrieving comprises accessing a data base in memory by the computer system.

4. The method of generating standardized environmental attributes of claim 1, wherein the data specific to the first parcel of land comprises data beginning from a predetermined base year.

5. The method of generating standardized environmental attributes of claim 1, wherein the data general to the geographic region encompassing the first parcel of land comprises data from at least as early as a predetermined base year.

6. The method of generating standardized environmental attributes of claim 1, wherein the first specified time period begins with a predetermined base year.

7. The method of generating standardized environmental attributes of claim 1, wherein the first specified time period begins with a predetermined base year and ends with the year of identifying the first quantity of standardized environmental attributes.

8. The method of generating standardized environmental attributes of claim 1, wherein the first specified time period begins with a predetermined base year and ends at a selected year into the future.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the first specified time period begins with the year of identifying the first quantity of standardized environmental attributes and ends at a selected year into the future.

10. The method of generating standardized environmental attributes of claim 1, wherein the first specified time period begins with the year of identifying the first quantity of standardized environmental attributes and ends 20 years thereafter.

11. The method of generating standardized environmental attributes of claim 1, further comprising comparing the data specific to the first parcel of land to the data general to the geographic region encompassing the first parcel of land and based on the comparing, reporting missing, incomplete, or improperly entered portions of the data specific to the first parcel of land.

12. The method of generating standardized environmental attributes of claim 1, further comprising:

providing data specific to a second parcel of land and relevant to to the at least one environmental attribute to the computer system;

with the computer system, retrieving data general to the geographic region encompassing the second parcel of land and relevant to to the at least one environmental attribute;

processing the data specific to the second parcel of land and the data general to the geographic region encompassing the second parcel of land with the environmental attribute model;

determining a change in the environmental attribute over a second specified time period;

conducting with the computer system an uncertainty analysis on the determined change in the environmental attribute in the second parcel of land over the second specified time period, wherein the uncertainty analysis produces an uncertainty data based at least in part on the data specific to the second parcel of land and that differs from the uncertainty determined for the first parcel of land;

identifying with the computer system a total number of environmental attributes for the second parcel of land comprising a second quantity of standardized environmental attribute and a second quantity of reserve environmental attributes that is a fraction of the total number for the second parcel of land and that is determined based on the uncertainty data determined for the second parcel of land;

compiling the first quantity of standardized environmental attributes and the second quantity of standardized environmental attributes into a primary pool available for trade; and

compiling the first quantity of reserve environmental attributes and the second quantity of reserve environmental attributes into a reserve pool identified as unavailable for trade;

outputting a report including results of the compiling step.

13. A method of generating standardized environmental attributes comprising:

with a computer linked to a communications network, obtaining data for a first parcel of land through an interactive interface accessed via a computer node linked to the communications network by a potential producer of environmental attributes;

obtaining data with the computer from a database in memory containing data relevant to at least one environmental attribute for the first parcel of land;

inputting selected data obtained from the potential producer and from the database into an environmental attribute model running on the computer;

determining a change in the at least one environmental attribute in the first parcel of land over a first specified time period;

conducting with the computer an uncertainty analysis to generate a set of environmental attributes for the first parcel of land based on the determined change in the at least one environmental attribute including a quantity of standardized environmental attributes available for trading and a quantity of reserve environmental attributes unavailable for trading, the quantity of reserve environmental attributes being a fraction of the set of environmental attributes that is selected based on results of the uncertainty analysis; and

operating the computer to display a report on the interactive interface including at least the quantity of standardized environmental attributes.

14. The method of generating standardized environmental attributes of claim 13, wherein the data obtained from the potential producer comprises data beginning from a predetermined base year.

15. The method of generating standardized environmental attributes of claim 13, wherein the database comprises data from at least as early as a predetermined base year.

16. The method of generating standardized environmental attributes of claim 13, wherein the first specified time period begins with a predetermined base year.

17. The method of generating standardized environmental attributes of claim 13, wherein the first specified time period begins with a predetermined base year and ends with the year of identifying the first quantity of standardized environmental attributes.

18. The method of generating standardized environmental attributes of claim 13, wherein the first specified time period begins with a predetermined base year and ends at a selected year into the future.

19. The method of generating standardized environmental attributes of claim 13, wherein the first specified time period begins with the year of identifying the first quantity of standardized environmental attributes and ends at a selected year into the future.

20. The method of generating standardized environmental attributes of claim 13, wherein the specified time period begins with the year of identifying the first quantity of standardized environmental attributes and ends 20 years thereafter.

21. The method of claim 13, wherein the first specified time period comprises a period of time before the obtaining of the data through the interactive interface and further comprising conducting an uncertainty analysis to identify a first quantity of future standardized environmental attributes and a first quantity of future reserve environmental attributes for a time period extending from the obtaining of the data through the interactive interface to a selected date in the future.

22. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

changing at least one value for at least one of the selected data inputted into the environmental attribute model to determine an alternative change in the environmental attribute in the first parcel of land over the specified time period; and

conducting an uncertainty analysis to identify a first quantity of alternative standardized environmental attributes and a first quantity of alternative reserve environmental attributes, wherein the first quantity of alternative standardized environmental attributes is selected based on the conducted uncertainty analysis.

23. The method of claim 13, wherein the at least one environmental attribute is associated with production of a commodity on the first parcel of land and the method further comprises operating the computer to monetize the quantity of standardized environmental attributes and attaching the monetized quantity to a product produced from the commodity.

24. The method of claim 13, wherein the interactive interface comprises at least one of verbal, written and digital inquires for response by the potential producer of environmental attributes.

25. The method of claim 13, wherein the interactive interface comprises digital responses to digital inquires for data for the parcel of land.

26. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

obtaining data for a second parcel of land through an interface with a second potential producer of environ mental attributes;

obtaining data from a database containing data relevant to the environmental attributes for the second parcel of land;

inputting selected data obtained from the potential producer and selected data from the database into an environmental attribute model running on the computer to determine a change in the environmental attributes for the second parcel of land over a second specified time period;

conducting an uncertainty analysis to identify a second quantity of standardized environmental attributes and a second quantity of reserve environmental attributes for the second parcel of land;

compiling the first quantity of standardized environmental attributes and the second quantity of standardized environmental attributes into a primary pool; and

compiling the first quantity of reserve environmental attributes and the second quantity of reserve environmental attributes into a reserve pool;

outputting a report including results of the compiling step.