Alstom and Locus announce strategic alliance agreement

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, AND STUTTGART, GERMANY, 31 January 2002 — Locus Technologies (Locus) and ALSTOM Power Environmental Consult, GmbH (ALSTOM Consult) announced today that the two companies will enter into a Strategic Alliance Agreement (SAA). Locus provides comprehensive consulting, engineering, Internet-based remote control, automation, and information management services for the environmental market. ALSTOM Consult is a leading provider of services in the areas of compliance audits; permitting; storage tank management; environmental, health, and safety (EH&S) management; and all aspects of the investigation, assessment, and cleanup of contaminated sites.

The SAA primarily covers the area of advanced information technology in the environmental industry and will provide increased value to Locus’s and ALSTOM Consult’s industrial clients by formalizing and expanding the companies’ collaborative efforts on numerous environmental projects in Europe. Under the agreement, ALSTOM Consult will become a distributor and an operator of Locus’s award-winning, web-based suite of applications, LocusFocus(SM). This suite includes modules for: (1) automating, operating, and controlling process and treatment systems for water, groundwater, wastewater, air, and soil; (2) managing environmental data; (3) conducting site audits; (4) storing and retrieving documents; and (5) collaborating on-line. In addition to innovations in technology, Locus and ALSTOM Consult will also benefit from teaming on professional and technical environmental projects in Europe and North America.

“We are very pleased to formalize our existing and long-standing relationship with ALSTOM Consult. This agreement will help Locus better serve our European-based clients and will facilitate deployment of our web-based technologies in Europe. With ALSTOM Consult’s distributed network of offices throughout Europe, we can now extend our services to an important market for our company,” said Dr. Neno Duplancic, President and CEO of Locus.

“ALSTOM Consult is very happy to start using and bringing Locus’s web technologies to the European market. We are also excited to expand our current relationship to provide value added technologies to existing and new markets in Europe and North America,” said Dr. Peter Rissing, Managing Director of ALSTOM’s environmental consulting business.

The European market for environmental goods and services is currently $149 billion and is expanding at the rate of approximately $4 billion dollars per year (California Technology, Trade and Commerce Agency, 2001). With Locus’s strong presence in North America and ALSTOM Consult’s high profile in Europe, the SAA is expected to bring significant benefits to both companies and their respective clients.
ABOUT ALSTOM
ALSTOM Power Environmental Consult is a recognized expert in environmental management services with an emphasis on contaminated land management, due diligence service in mergers and acquisitions, implementation of EH&S management systems, and ISO 14001, as well as occupational EH&S services. ALSTOM Power Environmental Consult is part of ALSTOM Power, which offers a range of boilers, energy recovery, and environmental equipment. ALSTOM has annual sales in excess of 22 billion euros and employs approximately 120,000 people in over 70 countries. The Company is listed on the Paris,London and New York stock exchanges. More information on ALSTOM can be found at www.alsto.com.

Locus Technologies Implements Environmental Industry’s First Scalable Vector Graphics-Based Geographic Information System

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., 1 December 2001 — Locus Technologies (Locus), a global leader in environmental information management, today announced it has released the first version of a web-based Geographic Information System (GIS) for its award-wining LocusFocus suite of Internet technologies. The system allows users to see a map of a site, click on a well on the map, and obtain chemical and water level information for that well, including a log, if one exists. Data can be displayed in tables or graphs, posted on the map, or downloaded. Such capabilities and features represent only a starting point. Locus also intends to expand capabilities into contouring, animation, and 3D visualization. What is exciting about this new development is that it is entirely based on a new Web graphics format and XML-based language called Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG).

SVG offers many benefits. Foremost among these is that it is not a proprietary technology. Rather, it has been developed as an open, vendor-neutral specification by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). Companies who have contributed to the specification include Microsoft, IBM, Hewlett-Packard, Autodesk, Apple, AOL, Sun, Adobe Systems, and Macromedia. SVG is compatible with other Web technologies like HTML, Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), Javascript, Document Object Model (DOM), and Java. As such, rich user interfaces and dynamically-generated, data-driven graphics can be easily developed. Because SVG is a vector format, images download faster, and users can zoom in on a section of a map or graphic without any loss of resolution and without having to reload the image. This is of particular importance for the environmental industry that deals with large amounts of information. Lastly, because it is entirely text-based, users can search for text (such as a well ID or a contaminant name) within the SVG image itself.

Traditional GISs, especially web-based versions, are expensive to purchase and difficult to implement. Most require extensive, time-consuming custom development. Personnel with the necessary experience and expertise are in scarce supply, in contrast to the number of programmers familiar with HTML, Javascript, and other common Web-based tools and languages. Those organizations that require sophisticated, enterprise-wide GIS functionality can justify the cost and complexity of implementing a GIS Internet Map Server (IMS). Most, however, cannot. Moreover, the vast majority of interactive Internet maps for the environmental industry don’t need to offer anything close to this level of functionality.

“The complexity and cost of traditional GIS software is amazing—even after all these years,” says Neno Duplancic, President and CEO of Locus. “In contrast, interactive, map-based systems using SVG can be developed in a fraction of the time and, as a result, for less money. SVG will form the foundation for all the graphics and GIS work that Locus will be undertaking in the near future. Most other consulting companies are either stuck with outdated approaches or have no GIS capabilities at all. We hope to seize this opportunity and make Locus an industry leader in applying this new and exciting web-based technology to the graphical display of environmental information.”

LocusFocus is a multi-channel, dynamic Web portal that provides for all aspects of environmental site management. LocusFocus has the potential to bring the benefits of Internet technology to the environmental industry and, as such, eliminate the many inefficiencies and incompatible technologies that afflict the industry.

Locus Technologies Announces Pocket PC Application for Environmental Health and Safety Audits and Inspection

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., 16 April 2001 — Locus Technologies (Locus), a global leader in environmental information management, announced today that it has completed work on an electronic system for conducting and managing Environmental Health & Safety (EH&S) audits and inspections. This system, named eSurvey, was developed for Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) using the Pocket PC operating system. Information recorded on the PDAs can be transferred to a company’s Intranet or to LocusFocus™, Locus’s award-winning environmental web portal. eSurvey brings Locus one step closer to its long-term goal of offering LocusFocus™ to clients, providing them with the tools and information they need to manage all EH&S aspects of their businesses over the Internet.

The use of Pocket PCs allows audits to be performed in facilities without Internet or Intranet connectivity, and in secure areas where a wireless device would not be allowed. The application consists of a set of screens, each with pull-down menus, data entry fields, and hyperlinks to other screens and information. After an inspection or audit is complete, all data that an auditor has entered into a Pocket PC can be uploaded to the main database. eSurvey has already been rigorously tested and successfully deployed and used by a major aerospace manufacturer in Southern California.

“eSurvey puts a valuable and cost-effective tool into the hands of EH&S inspectors,” said Neno Duplancic, President and CEO of Locus Technologies. “It provides access to inspection lists and pre-audit questionnaires that traditionally could not be hauled onto the audit floor. No longer do inspectors have to record findings once in the field and, again, enter these same findings into a database or spreadsheet back in the office. Moreover, with a local copy of their EH&S database on their Pocket PCs, auditors have access to historical information they may need when entering a finding. As a result, eSurvey streamlines the compliance process, decreases audit time, reduces resources and dramatically minimizes errors.”

The LocusFocus™ portal—Locus’s Environmental Information Management (EIM™) system, eWell (a wireless application for recording field data using hand-held Palm® Pilots), and automation and document management and collaboration capabilities—also includes tools to remotely control and monitor treatment systems. Locus’s web portal is hosted by Intel Online Services (IOS), which uses integrated technologies and proven processes to deliver optimal reliability, scalability, and performance at the highest levels of security to LocusFocus™ subscribers.

Mobile Computing Improving EH&S Management

EH&S Software Online

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., 1 January 2001 — Mobile computing has been around for a long time, but EH&S professionals are just beginning to realize its potential. Judging by the recent increase in the number and variety of applications, the EH&S software industry has embraced mobile tools as an integral component of the future of EH&S automation. But the market still seems to be a few years behind the technology.

Most of us think of mobile computing in terms of laptops or notebooks, or those Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) that are nothing more than a battery-operated Rolodex and appointment calendar. Despite the computer industry’s continuing efforts to make lighter, more portable, and more powerful tools, most people continue to view these devices as an extension of the desktop with limited potential for hardcore field work. We listen to the rhetoric about new capabilities for data entry and retrieval using a variety of handheld devices, but remain skeptical that these promises can actually be realized.

Meanwhile, many analysts are predicting an increase in the use of mobile computing, especially in the business sector. According to IDC, the market for smart handheld devices will grow from 12.9 million units in 2000 to over 63.4 million by 2004. These include devices like PDAs, smartphones, keypad handhelds, and pen-based notepads. Some offer wireless access to the Internet or to a local area network (LAN), while others can be used in the field to collect data, then transported back to the office to upload the data to a PC.

According to an article in PDA News, companies that incorporate handheld computing devices into their daily business operations have experienced “greater efficiency and faster fulfillment of client requests due to: reduced double handling of information; greater interaction with ordering systems; and a reduction in the number of mistakes made due to keying errors.”.

Despite these advantages and recent advances in technology, EH&S applications for mobile computing have evolved more slowly than the industry as a whole and have yet to achieve broad acceptance in the market. But that’s all about to change. If you’ve been following the EH&S Software News over the past few issues, you may have noticed that the number and variety of information systems that include applications for handheld computers or PDAs is on the rise. With the right combination of software and hardware, you can now track hazardous materials, record sampling data, audit EHS compliance, or retrieve material safety data sheets (MSDSs) whenever and wherever they are needed, anywhere within your facility or out in the field. Following are some examples.

Hazardous Material/Waste Tracking
Handheld computers/PDAs are helping Penn State Environmental Health and Safety (EH&S) personnel enhance field operations and automate government-mandated record keeping [www.psu.edu]. Harold L. Brungard III, a member of Penn State’s hazardous waste (HazWaste) management staff, has been participating in the field tests of the new paperless system. He estimates that the PDAs are saving 5 to 10 hours a week of data entry time as well as improving data management accuracy. Brungard explains that the HazWaste staff respond to between 75 and 150 requests to collect and manage hazardous waste each month. The materials include flammable solvents, corrosives, toxic materials, and other hazardous wastes. On average, the team picks up about 500 containers and more than 15,000 pounds of waste each month.

With the new system, University personnel who want to dispose of waste material, visit the University’s EH&S website where they complete an online form to send information about the waste electronically to the EH&S department. The information from a completed form is then loaded into a database. The HazWaste staff uses the database to generate an itinerary for their daily collection rounds. They can also download information from the database into their 3-Com Palm III computers and edit this information while en-route.

The Rockwell Science Center developed a prototype, called EnvInv, for inventorying hazardous materials using a PDA.  According to Corinne Clinton Ruokangas, a member of the technical staff, “PDAs serve as low-cost information collectors – providing a level of accuracy and feedback not available with paper forms – and support the automatic transfer of data to workstations and central databases. She suggests that “PDAs can also be used as handheld manuals” to display diagrams, suggest scheduling and routing locations, and provide maintenance or diagnostic information to a user in environments where laptops may not be feasible.
They can provide “remote access to reference materials which may be hyperlinked.”

Data Collection in the Field
PDAs are particularly helpful for recording data in the field. Several software developers are now offering products to meet these needs. For example, EarthSoft recently announced the development of Pocket EQuIS, for collecting and managing data at the point of generation [www.earthsoft.com]. Similarly, FieldWorker Products Limited offers FieldWorker Pro, which allows relational data collection projects to be developed on the desktop or on a mobile device. Field workers can refer to images stored on the device’s desktop, or link data to a specific image, then connect to a GPS receiver to create point, line, and polygon geographic information. The company claims the product can be used with a variety of mobile devices, from laptops to palm tops to smart phones [www.fieldworker.com].

Potential data collection applications extend to just about any EH&S-related activity, such as natural resources inventories, water testing, and air emissions monitoring. For example, Two Dog Forest Inventory Software, by Foresters Incorporated, is a software suite with data collection, processing, and inventory capabilities. The product is used on handheld and desktop computers to inventory forests and to collect data on flora, fauna, and other site attributes in support of multi-resource inventories and certification.

DataPort, a hand-held data entry unit by AllMax Professional Solutions Inc. targets the field data collection needs of municipal and industrial wastewater and water treatment facilities. These devices include built-in scanners and fit in your pocket. Users can download data (e.g., material inventories or meters/gauges that must be monitored) from a PC to the DataPort device, then use the device to print barcode labels, scan barcodes,
enter field data, and upload the information back to the PC.

LEADERS™ LDRS by Environmental Monitoring Service is fugitive emissions software based
on a relational database. Features include LEADERS FieldSmart™ handheld software and DeskSmart™ desktop software.

Locus Technologies announces hosting agreement with Intel® Online Services, Inc.

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., 23 March 2001 — Locus Technologies (Locus), a leader in environmental information management, today announced that they will host LocusFocus(TM), Locus’s environmental Application Service Provider (ASP) web portal, with Intel Online Services.

Locus will be using AppChoice(sm) Managed Hosting Service from Intel Online Services to provide optimal reliability, scalability and performance for LocusFocus. The LocusFocus portal includes remote control and monitoring of treatment systems, Environmental Information Management (EIM[TM]), and document management and collaboration tools. The EIM(TM) database is designed to manage the vast quantities of sampling, analytical and
geotechnical data that are typically collected during the investigation, cleanup and monitoring of contaminated sites.

“We chose Intel Online Services for the reliability of the Intel Online Services managed service offering,” said Mr. Neno Duplancic, president and chief executive officer of Locus.” By taking advantage of these capabilities, we can focus our attention to reducing costs in the environmental industry through the application of a centralized web-based system that Locus now offers.”

 

ABOUT INTEL ONLINE SERVICES
Intel Online Services, Inc., provides global Web services that manage the complexities of eBusiness computing. Intel Online Services uses integrated technologies and proven processes to deliver a range of Web services for optimal reliability, scalability and performance.

Locus Technologies takes environmental industry wireless

WALNUT CREEK, Calif., 30 November 2000 — Locus Technologies (Locus), a global leader in environmental information management, today announced they have released the environmental industry’s first wireless Internet application for recording water level data in the field. The application is called eWell and uses the popular Palm® operating system. It can be used as an independent wireless application or with LocusFocus™, Locus’s environmental web portal. The system has been deployed on several large groundwater monitoring sites in California. The LocusFocus™ portal includes remote control and monitoring of treatment systems, Environmental Information Management (EIM™), and document management and collaboration tools. The EIM™ database is designed to manage the vast quantities of sampling, analytical and geotechnical data that are typically collected during the investigation, cleanup and monitoring of contaminated sites.

eWell is the first in a series of wireless applications for the LocusFocus™ Environmental Co Pilot Suite that is designed to bring the full functionality of Locus’s environmental-based Internet technologies to wireless devices. Locus intends to expand wireless applications to operate on a Pocket-PC® platform and Symbol Technologies™ devices equipped with barcode readers.

The release of eWell brings the power of LocusFocus™ to wireless cyberspace and completes the delivery triangle (Internet, microcomputer and wireless handheld device) for Locus’s Internet-based environmental services. “This new wireless technology application equips field technicians and engineers with the tools they need to stay productive while working remotely. The system eliminates manual entry of information into the project database and makes validated information available to engineers instantly. By extending our Internet offerings to include wireless devices, we are one step closer to our vision of a totally automated, Internet-based data collection, management, retrieval and reporting system that can be accessed from anywhere at anytime,” said Neno Duplancic, President and CEO Locus Technologies.

“The immediate benefits of the system include less data entry and transcription, simplified QA/QC, better access to key information and a reduction in the time required to upload field-generated records into the project or site database. Ultimately, the system promises to significantly reduce the overall cost of environmental monitoring and sampling,” said Duplancic.

Locus advises Adtranz and Lucchini Group on sale of manufacturing facilities in United Kingdom and Sweden

PARIS, FRANCE AND WALNUT CREEK, CA., 17 November 2000 — Locus Technologies International, LLC (Locus), a fully owned subsidiary of Locus Technologies, today announced that they acted as environmental consultant to ADtranz and Lucchini Group for environmental due diligence and site investigation during sale of ADtranz Wheelset manufacturing facilities in Manchester, UK and Surahammar, Sweden to the Lucchini Group of Brescia, Italy. The ADtranz facilities being sold produce approximately 50,000 wheels and some 3,200 assembled wheelsets annually for various railway applications. Together, the ADtranz Wheelset plants have more than two centuries of experience in the production of wheels, with the first such activities dating back to 1866 in Surahammar and 1908 in Manchester. Locus performed fast-track field investigation at the Surahammar facility and supervised field investigation performed at the Manchester site. Locus also assisted in review of legal documents and insurance guarantees related to environmental liabilities.

“We are very pleased that Locus was selected to assist ADtranz and Lucchini with this important transaction,” said Neno Duplancic, President and CEO of Locus. “Locus was able to mobilize necessary resources in a short period of time and perform field investigation at manufacturing facilities that have been in operation over a century. This performance demonstrates our ability to provide excellent services to our clients around the globe on short notice. We are also pleased that Lucchini has expanded its relationship with Locus from environmental projects in France and Italy to include newly acquired sites in the UK and Sweden. We believe application of Locus’s award-winning Internet portal, LocusFocus™, to these environmental projects is a big reason for this expansion.”

The Lucchini Group, with 20 plants throughout Europe (10 in Italy, nine in France, and one in Poland), is a leader in the manufacturing of quality long-steel products. The Lucchini Group has annual revenues of 1.7 billion Euros. ADtranz is a leading global provider of railway services, systems, and rolling stock and operates under the legal name “DaimlerChrysler Rail Systems” and had 1999 total sales of 3.5 billion Euros.”

Monitoring Waste From a Safe Distance

ENR Magazine

Walnut Creek, Calif., 7 August 2000 — Locus Technologies announced June 26 that its Environment Information Management System has finished a testing period and is now being offered as a Web-based application.

Locus provides consulting, engineering and construction management services to help solve design and construction problems associated with hazardous materials handling and other waste management tasks.

The company’s EIMS system manages the large amounts of sampling, analytical, and geotechnical data that is typically collected during the investigation and cleanup of contaminated waste sites.

The system can be used to plan and schedule sampling events, input field data, upload electronic data from analytical laboratories, produce downloadable reports and files, perform statistical and trend analysis, and create and display plots and other graphics. It also is capable of sophisticated numerical modeling for surface water, groundwater and air and contaminant migration.

“We have a very comprehensive Website where we manage all information associated with contaminated sites,” says Neno Duplancic, Locus president and CEO. “We not only manage it but also provide a means to interpret the data and use automated systems that are plugged into the same Website to control treatment itself. We can press the buttons on the screen and turn on the pumps all over the world.”

Duplancic says the software can “eliminate the need for somebody to sit in a pickup truck and go to the site to change a filter or turn on a pump.”

By Tom Sawyer