Knowledge Management Framework for Assessing Environmental Impact in the Enterprise

Abstract Since enterprises are highly involved systems, decision-making becomes a highly challenging task, and decision process is usually separated in several levels. Nevertheless, such levels are closely related, since they share data and information. Therefore, effective integration among the different hierarchical levels, by means of tools improving information sharing and communication, may play a crucial role for the enhanced enterprise operation, and consequently for fulfilling the enterprise’s goals. Ontologies stand for an excellent choice for building complex models maintaining a high level of flexibility, re-usability, usability and easiness of maintenance. This work proposes the re-use of an ontological model for the integrated enterprises structure in order to include the environmental assessment function. The ontological framework facilitates integration among the different decision levels, and works as the mechanism for information and knowledge sharing for multiple applications. An example related to the waste-to-energy problem in the industry illustrates the opportunity for providing decision makers with new technologies to assess and evaluate the plant performance.