The Environmental and Sustainability Big Data Era is Here

Move over ‘social media’ and ‘apps’, there’s a new buzzword in town. And it’s beginning to roll off the tips of the tongues of techies just like ‘green’ does for environmental professionals. They call it ‘big data’.

Big data refers to the massive amount of data compiled over time that becomes difficult to manage and analyze due to its size. When you think about all the environmental and sustainability information that’s being collected nowadays- analytical data, emissions data, geology, water quality, toxic waste data, hazardous materials, health and safety data, exposure data, as well as videos, photos, activity logs, and social media posts – when does it become too much? Because of the enormous quantity of environmental data, we begin the difficult task of looking for useful information, like searching for a needle in a haystack, and we often end up never finding it. We are witnessing a huge data explosion happening in our industry and few companies are ready to deal with the data avalanches heading their way.

Peter Thiel, co-founder of Palantir, the California start-up working to transform how information is analyzed, has an insightful take on this topic. “Most of ‘big data’ is a fraud, because it is really ‘dumb data,’” he says. “For the most part, we would need something like artificial intelligence to turn the ‘dumb data’ into ‘smart data,’ and the reality is that we are still pretty far from developing that sort of artificial intelligence.”

The unavoidable truth is that all this information can become a problem, and can easily overwhelm those dealing with it- to the point where the information’s value is completely overlooked. However, while technology is far from handling this perfectly, it can still arise to the challenge of placing big data on a sensible diet. By sensible, I mean breaking down the fat into healthier, more digestible chunks. This functionality helps to cure headaches and quells the instinct to immediately sweep big data under the rug. So, how can this much-needed level of sensibility be reached in the environmental and sustainability industry?

Enter: the Cloud. Web-based, user-friendly platforms have the capability to store large amounts of data while also dissecting and organizing it into more manageable and comprehensible bits of information. Locus Cloud was developed specifically as a big data management platform for the environmental and sustainability industry. It gives large corporations dealing with big data the ability to pull essential facts and intelligence out of the depths of information overload and turn it into actionable information that not only helps with compliance and reporting, but also stands to significantly lower the company’s operating cost.

It’s time for today’s environmental, health, safety, and sustainability professionals to capitalize on the benefits that big data present. Stop quivering with intimidation, stand up and look your big data square in the eye, and wring it like a wet towel, squeezing out all the value that you possibly can.

Locus Adds New Functionality to Generate AREOR Data Summary Tables in its EIM Software

Locus’ Nuclear Customers can Easily Meet Regulatory Compliance with EIM

SAN FRANCISCO, 25 February 2013 — Locus Technologies (Locus), the industry leader in Cloud-computing enterprise software for environmental, energy, air, water, and compliance management, has added brand new functionality to its flagship EIM product that gives customers the ability to easily generate the Annual Radiological Environmental Operating Report (AREOR) Data Summary Tables.

Any organization that has a Radiological Environmental Monitoring Program (REMP) must submit this report on an annual basis. The AREOR is highly analytical and requires specific groupings and summary statistics in order for an organization to meet regulatory compliance. Typically, generating these AREOR annual data summary tables are a tedious and time-intensive process.

Locus recognized this reporting difficulty after speaking with one of its customers, PG&E’s Diablo Canyon Power Plant. After listening to the current challenge and PG&E’s suggestions, the importance of building the AREOR data summary tables as a formatted report and making it available to all of EIM’s nuclear customer databases was apparent. Now, what used to take multiple weeks to complete is condensed down to a few hours.

“REMP professionals who create their site’s AREOR know how long it takes to generate data summary tables. Every year I spent around one to two weeks manipulating data in Excel spreadsheets creating these sampling matrix data tables for my AREOR,” said Martin Wright, Senior RP Engineer at Diablo Canyon. “With Locus EIM formatted reports, each sampling matrix data summary table is now generated in one to two seconds, with just a few clicks. The initial one time setup of the formatted templates took me about two hours to understand and actually setup in EIM. Once the templates are in place in EIM, I simply change the date ranges when generating the annual summary tables for my report. This feature will save 40 to 80 hours of workload for me each year.”

“Locus has a strong presence in the nuclear industry, and after hearing about the difficulties that our customers were experiencing when completing AREOR data summary tables, we knew it was necessary to make the AREOR tables an off-the-shelf formatted report within EIM,” said Neno Duplan, President and CEO of Locus. “This is a good example of when ‘wisdom of the crowd’ helps to advance knowledge and streamline otherwise tedious, but necessary processes. With a great idea from one customer—all EIM customers will benefit almost instantly and reduce their operating cost in years to come. That is the real power of a web-based system with a rolling upgrade model. We are grateful to PG&E for working with us and sharing their knowledge and experience in promoting the industry’s state-of-the-art technology.”

 

EPA Researches Possible Impacts of Hydrofracking on Drinking Water

Thanks to advances in horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing technologies, the U.S. now has access to immense reserves of natural gas. While the proper development of this resource offers numerous benefits for our country, it has also become clear that as the use of hydrofracking has gone up, so has the concern about its possible health and environmental impacts, particularly on drinking water.

I recently came across the report that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released in December 2012 in response to this concern, Study of the Potential Impacts of Hydraulic Fracturing on Drinking Water Resources. Its purpose is to determine and examine the possible impacts of hydrofracking on our drinking water, and to identify what exactly causes these impacts.

The EPA’s research set out to answer questions that focus on the five stages of the hydrofracking water cycle: water acquisition, chemical mixing, well injection, flowback and produced water, and wastewater treatment and waste disposal. The report describes the progress made as of September 2012 on 18 research projects, and covers research activities such as laboratory studies, toxicity assessments, and case studies.

With drinking water being at the top of the list of precious resources, this is yet another reminder that hydrofracking must be engaged in responsibly, and that it is important for energy companies to be transparent in the management of their data. For that reason, Locus has developed a special functionality within its award-winning SaaS application EIM to help upstream divisions of oil and gas companies better manage and account for their data associated with hydrofracking.

Locus Technologies Wins Environmental Business Journal’s 2012 Business Achievement: Information Technology Award

Environmental Business Journal is proud to announce its 15th annual business achievement awards. Our 2012 winners succeeded in a relatively difficult business climate, so we salute the dedication and commitment of the companies awarded.

San Francisco, Calif., 21 January 2013 —Locus Technologies (Locus) announced today that Environmental Business Journal® (EBJ) granted the company the award for Information Technology in the environmental and energy industry for the record-breaking seventh time.

Locus is one of 50 companies EBJ has honored for revenue growth, acquisitions, innovative project designs, technology applications, new practice areas, social contributions, and industry leadership in 2012. Locus was recognized for continuing to enhance its position in the energy, sustainability, and compliance software markets by growing its Fortune 100 and Department of Energy (DOE) customer lists and also pursuing and achieving essential certifications and reports.

In 2012, Locus had its best year yet in terms of expanding its software offerings and diversifying its customer base across many new industries. Locus added two of the three world’s largest chemical companies to its list of customers this year, and also one of the largest companies in the agribusiness industry, expanding Locus’ impressive penetration in the food and biotech industries. Locus also welcomed two DOE research laboratories to its list of customers and signed a contract with the Honolulu Board of Water Supply that opened the door to water quality management for water utilities.  In the private sector Locus signed numerous new customers including Kelly-Moore Paint Company, Jack Engle & Co. and the University of Texas at El Paso.

Other notable accomplishments for 2012 include a 100 percent renewal rate for Locus’ carbon verification services administered under the California AB 32 program, and several Locus staff members being certified as carbon offset verifiers by the California Air Resources Board. In order to assure its growing list of customers that they can trust Locus with their data, Locus pursued and obtained Service Organization Controls reports, both SOC 1 (SSAE 16) and SOC 2. Locus also became an approved contractor with the federal General Services Administration (GSA) for a range of services, and was recognized by Verdantix, one of the top industry analysts, as one of 12 leading environmental management software suppliers globally.

“In what is widely regarded as a stable market, a number of companies exceeded the norms of low single-digit growth with double-digit growth or ambitious ventures into new practice areas or technology development,” said Grant Ferrier, president of Environmental Business International Inc. (EBI, San Diego), publisher of Environmental Business Journal. “Locus continues to influence the industry with its forward-thinking product set and eye for customer needs.”

“We are very proud to be selected for the seventh time for the prestigious EBJ Information Technology award in environmental business,” said Neno Duplan, President and CEO of Locus. “I believe our success is due to our cutting edge technology that has been tested in the Cloud longer than any other in our space, the domain knowledge of our team, and their dedication to the company’s mission to organize environmental, sustainability, energy and related compliance information in a single integrated enterprise software offered via the Cloud. I thank and congratulate the entire Locus team, and our customers who entrusted Locus to put their data in the Cloud, for making this award possible.”

The Environmental Business Journal is a business research publication that provides high-value strategic business intelligence to the environmental industry. The 2012 EBJ awards will be presented at a special ceremony at the Environmental Industry Summit XI in Coronado, Calif., March 6-8, 2013. The Environmental Industry Summit is an annual three-day event hosted by EBI Inc.

About Locus Technologies:
Locus provides businesses with the power to be green on-demand and has pioneered web-based environmental software suites. Locus’ software enables companies to organize and validate all key environmental information in a single system, which includes analytical data for water, air, soil, greenhouse gases, sustainability, energy, compliance, and environmental content. Locus software is delivered through Cloud Computing (SaaS), so there is no hardware to procure, no large up-front license fee, and no complex set-ups. Locus also offers services to help implement and maintain environmental programs using our unique technologies.

For more information, visit http://www.locustec.com  or email: info@locustec.com.

Locus Technologies Receives 2012 EBJ Business Achievement Award

Environmental Business Journal Recognizes Locus for Growth and Innovation for the Seventh Time

San Francisco, Calif., 21 January 2013 — Locus Technologies (Locus) announced today that Environmental Business Journal® (EBJ) granted the company the award for Information Technology in the environmental and energy industry for the record-breaking seventh time.

Locus is one of 50 companies EBJ has honored for revenue growth, acquisitions, innovative project designs, technology applications, new practice areas, social contributions, and industry leadership in 2012. Locus was recognized for continuing to enhance its position in the energy, sustainability, and compliance software markets by growing its Fortune 100 and Department of Energy (DOE) customer lists, and also pursuing and achieving essential certifications and reports.

In 2012, Locus had its best year yet in terms of expanding its software offerings and diversifying its customer base across many new industries. Locus added two of the three world’s largest chemical companies to its list of customers this year, and also one of the largest companies in the agribusiness industry, expanding Locus’ impressive penetration in the food and biotech industries. Locus also welcomed two DOE research laboratories to its list of customers, and signed a contract with the Honolulu Board of Water Supply that opened the door to water quality management for water utilities.  In the private sector Locus signed numerous new customers including Kelly-Moore Paint Company, Jack Engle & Co. and the University of Texas at El Paso.

Other notable accomplishments for 2012 include a 100 percent renewal rate for Locus’ carbon verification services administered under the California AB 32 program, and several Locus staff members being certified as carbon offset verifiers by the California Air Resources Board. In order to assure its growing list of customers that they can trust Locus with their data, Locus pursued and obtained Service Organization Controls reports, both SOC 1 (SSAE 16) and SOC 2. Locus also became an approved contractor with the federal General Services Administration (GSA) for a range of services, and was recognized by Verdantix, one of the top industry analysts, as one of 12 leading environmental management software suppliers globally.

“In what is widely regarded as a stable market, a number of companies exceeded the norms of low single-digit growth with double-digit growth or ambitious ventures into new practice areas or technology development,” said Grant Ferrier, president of Environmental Business International Inc. (EBI, San Diego), publisher of Environmental Business Journal. “Locus continues to influence the industry with its forward-thinking product set and eye for customer needs.”

“We are very proud to be selected for the seventh time for the prestigious EBJ Information Technology award in environmental business,” said Neno Duplan, President and CEO of Locus. “I believe our success is due to our cutting edge technology that has been tested in the Cloud longer than any other in our space, the domain knowledge of our team, and their dedication to the company’s mission to organize environmental, sustainability, energy and related compliance information in a single integrated enterprise software offered via the Cloud. I thank and congratulate the entire Locus team, and our customers who entrusted Locus to put their data in the Cloud, for making this award possible.”

The Environmental Business Journal is a business research publication that provides high-value strategic business intelligence to the environmental industry. The 2012 EBJ awards will be presented at a special ceremony at the Environmental Industry Summit XI in Coronado, Calif., March 6-8, 2013. The Environmental Industry Summit is an annual three-day event hosted by EBI Inc.

New Rules for Hydrofracking Proposed: This Time in California

Going along with the same theme from my last post, new rules have been proposed for hydrofracking, but this time in California. Governor Jerry Brown’s administration released these draft regulations that would require energy companies, for the first time ever, to disclose what chemicals they are releasing into the ground during the fracking process. These companies would also have to reveal the locations of their wells where this process is occurring.

These proposed regulations have arose because energy companies are looking into tapping the state’s Monterey shale, which runs from Northern California to Los Angeles and contains approximately 15 billion barrels of oil- making it the largest shale formation in the continental U.S.

A recent conclusion was drawn from a Bloomberg News study that in their disclosure reports, companies nationwide withheld one out of every five chemicals they used in fracking. Perhaps this is why nine other states have deemed these new rules appropriate, and why California is proposing them as well.

Under these new rules, companies would be required to disclose chemicals 60 days after completing fracking. They would also have to test their wells before fracking to ensure that leaks don’t occur, and provide the results of those tests to regulators before starting to drill.

With regulations around fracking steadily increasing, transparency has never been more essential for energy companies. By using SaaS based Locus EIM software to better organize, validate, and report all of the data and information involved with fracking, companies would be able to prove that when fracking is engaged in, it is engaged in safely. Locus’ EIM has already been proven to assist companies in showing that obtaining these valuable fossil fuels while remaining environmentally responsible is an attainable feat.

Latest version of proposed regulation changes on hydrofracking expected this week

It’s no secret that hydraulic fracturing, or hydrofracking, has been a popular topic for debate in recent years. Another occurrence revolving around this that has garnered support from some, and opposition from others, is Texas’ oil and gas regulatory agency, the Railroad Commission, updating its rules to address all aspects of the drilling process.

The latest version of the proposed rule changes is expected this week, and will be the largest revamping of Texas well construction regulations since the 1970s. These rules are important to ensure that toxic, fracking-related fluids do not leak into aquifers due to poor construction of oil and gas wells. These regulations will require examinations of things such as the quality of the protective cement placed between layers of pipe in a well, and a pressure test for the pipes themselves.

Keeping with the controversial theme around hydrofracking, some say the rule changes are too restrictive, and others say they aren’t enough. But most agree that hydrofracking does have the potential to contaminate groundwater if not performed correctly.

The contamination of groundwater can occur from faulty drilling or well completion. For the natural gas industry to ensure this doesn’t happen and to stay in compliance with these new regulations, it must keep up with an ongoing monitoring of site conditions and air emissions, management of production water, and the remediation of adverse environmental impacts: all of which involve the collection and analysis of large quantities of complex data.

Owners of hydrofracking sites and drilling companies need to take advantage of existing software tools to better organize their hydrofracking waste and water quality data. By using SaaS based software like Locus’ EIM to organize, manage, validate, visualize, store, and report this information, they can effectively demonstrate that this drilling can be done safely and transparently.

Kelly-Moore Paints Selects Locus Cloud Software for Compliance and Safety Management

Paint Company Takes Major Step to Integrated Compliance Management

SAN FRANCISCO, 3 December 2012 — Kelly-Moore Paint Company, Inc., a leader and innovator of waterborne-coating technology and one of the first companies to offer recycled paints and higher performance no-VOC paints, announced it has selected Locus Technologies’ award-winning ePortal™ platform to provide a comprehensive, integrated system for environmental compliance and safety management throughout the corporation’s facilities.

ePortal will provide Kelly-Moore with enterprise tools to manage compliance activities. The software will allow the company to take a more holistic view of its operations, enabling it to reduce both compliance expenditures and costs at all of its locations.

Through a single Cloud-based secure system, the Locus platform will help the company collect, monitor, analyze, and report multiple streams of environmental data flowing from Kelly-Moore operational locations. Compliance and safety modules of ePortal will be deployed first to organize and manage relevant data, tasks, permits, safety, and regulatory reporting. Strong ePortal business analytics will be used to prepare management reports and dashboards.

“Companies are looking beyond single solution or single medium to manage all of their compliance and safety reporting,” said Neno Duplan, President and CEO of Locus Technologies. “They seek solutions that help to align their compliance, safety, environmental emissions, and resource management strategies to become more efficient, integrated, and automated to not only comply with regulations and reporting requirements, but also to lower their operational cost. ePortal provides that simple, integrated system, similar to ERP, that manages all compliance, environmental, energy, water, air and other sustainability needs under a single portal infrastructure and Single Sign On (SSO) on the Web.”

Kelly-Moore has always pursued an aggressive agenda for environmental compliance and sustainability. Kelly-Moore was also recognized for its carbon offset program resulting in the San Carlos Plant becoming carbon neutral.

Kelly-Moore has received several widely recognized green business awards from the state of California and San Mateo County for its outstanding efforts to reduce pollution and solid waste, and conserve water, energy, and other natural resources, including the recent ”Large Green Business of the Year” award for its recycling effort, a rare achievement for a company in the chemical-based paint industry.

“Managing our environmental impact has always been a major priority for our organization; by working with Locus’ Cloud software, we will improve our ability to analyze and forecast our reliance on critical environmental resources and perform better compliance management. This will not only help the company meet its compliance goals, but will also improve our financial performance,” said Mr. Robert Stetson, Director of Risk Management. “Management of our complex set of activities requires robust software architectures that are best delivered via the Cloud. We found all of these in Locus’ platform.”

ABOUT KELLY-MOORE PAINT COMPANY
Headquartered in San Carlos, Calif., Kelly-Moore is one of the largest employee-owned paint companies in the United States, where each employee-owner is committed to offering exceptional customer service. When you call or visit a Kelly-Moore store you are speaking with an owner. A leader and innovator of waterborne-coating technology, Kelly-Moore was the first major paint company to offer recycled paints, along with the largest selection of stock colors. Kelly-Moore is one of the few companies to continue to offer stock colors for superior color consistency. Trusted and preferred by professionals since 1946 as the “Painter’s Paint Store” for its high quality, performance and consistency, Kelly-Moore’s paints are safe and easy to use for everyone. The company’s environmentally friendly paint factory in San Carlos, Calif., is the recipient of four widely recognized and among the most stringent environmental awards. Kelly-Moore is dedicated to giving back to the communities it serves. This ethos is reflected in its corporate giving program and its numerous industry-leading green business accolades. For more information, visit www.kellymoore.com

Locus Featured in 12 Environmental Management Software Developers to Watch

Enablon, IHS and SAP have emerged as key application providers for forward-thinking businesses looking beyond compliance for ways energy and resource conservation can make them more competitive.