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6 Must-Haves for Upgraded Mobile Tracking Apps

Water and wastewater operation and maintenance (O&M) mobile tracking apps have existed for some time now. Users are now familiar with the benefits of these apps such as instant data collection and access to reference information for better, more reliable O&M monitoring. As technology progresses and makes improvements your current application might seem outdated. Upgrading to a custom application with excellent customer support is easy with Locus Technologies. Below we have compiled some of our “must-haves” when looking for an upgraded application. 

Unique and Custom Forms:  

For many O&M programs, you may have your own data collection needs that are specific to your facility or industry. Mobile O&M apps now allow you to tailor your input forms to add new data fields, remove unwanted fields, change some of the logic like making certain fields required, and make certain fields tied into established pick lists. Even better, you can match the mobile form to the original paper form, making the transition to mobile simple and intuitive for staff. The more the merrier, as modern mobile apps let you have multiple forms on the same app, so you have everything you need in one place.

Real-time entry validation: 

It is not enough to just enter your O&M information into a mobile device. You also want to make sure you are entering the correct data. Current O&M mobile tools can check your entry as you enter it and validate it against whatever criteria are established for that data. For example, make sure that you are entering a pH reading of 7.2, rather than 72. You can also use configurable pick lists to limit data entry to your specific desired entries and not have to correct misspellings or 16 different ways to say, “out of service”. Make sure that pick lists are configurable and can be shared with each of your company’s devices. 

Barcode and QR code scanning: 

You are already using your phone to compare prices at your local store. It is amazingly easy to simply scan a product’s barcode and instantly see the best available price locally or online. Since every phone/tablet now has a built-in camera, you can use that to scan barcodes or QR codes to associate data entry with a tagged sampling port or asset. This can save you from mismatched errors that can occur when simply selecting from a list or typing in data.

Use your voice: 

We are starting to use voice recognition technology in our mobile devices to quickly send out text messages. Why not use it for recording inspection/audit comments or field issues? Voice recognition is improving every year and can provide your comments onto a data collection form much faster than typing and can be especially useful for conditions where gloves are required and typing, or stylus input is not practical. Using the phone’s native abilities, take advantage of the voice feature to streamline note-taking, knowing that you can always fix up any issues back in the office. 

Review, Sync, Repeat: 

Mobile apps should have a summary screen to review your data before sending it back to your database, such as a summary form for all data collected during a shift. And once you do sync your data back to the main database (you have a main database, right???), instantly reset the form for the next day’s data collection event so you are always ready. 

No Internet? No Problem! 

Mobile apps that will not function when there is no connection should be abandoned. You need to be able to collect data no matter the location and the signal strength. Look for mobile apps that function with zero connectivity and save the data until a signal is found. Not every location at modern water and wastewater facilities has a hot spot, so be prepared with the right app. 

Locus-Mobile-Water-Sampling

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Make your O&M mobile apps work harder for you!

Mobile apps for water and wastewater operation and maintenance (O&M) activities have been around for some time now. Most users are familiar with the benefits such as instant data collection and access to reference information for better, more reliable O&M monitoring. However, as new software tools are consistently becoming more powerful and more accessible, that “ground-breaking” mobile app that you purchased five years ago may now be looking a little dated.  When you are ready to upgrade, here are some of the features that are the new “must haves”.

Unique and custom forms

For many O&M programs, you may have your own data collection needs that are specific to your facility or industry.  Mobile O&M apps now allow you to tailor your input forms to add new data fields, remove unwanted fields, change some of the logic like making certain fields required, and make certain fields tied into established pick lists.  Even better, you can match the mobile form to the original paper form, making the transition to mobile simple and intuitive for staff.  And, the more the merrier, as modern mobile apps let you have multiple forms on the same app so you have everything you need in one place.

Real-time entry validation

It is not enough to just enter your O&M information into a mobile device.  You also want to make sure you are entering correct data.  Current O&M mobile tools can check your entry as you enter it and validate against whatever criteria are established for that data.  So you make sure that you’re entering a pH reading of 7.2, rather than 72.  You can also use configurable pick lists to limit data entry to your specific desired entries and not have to correct misspellings or 16 different ways to say “out of service”.  Make sure that pick lists are configurable and can be shared with each of your company’s devices.

Barcode and QR code scanning

You are probably already using your phone to compare prices at your local store.  It is amazingly easy to simply scan a product’s barcode and instantly see the best available price locally or online.  Since virtually every phone/tablet now has a built-in camera, you can use that to scan barcodes or QR codes to associate data entry with a tagged sampling port or asset. This can save you from possible mismatch errors that can occur when simply selecting from a list or typing in data.

Use your voice

We are starting to use voice recognition technology in our mobile devices to quickly send out text messages.  Why not use it for recording inspection/audit comments or field issues?  Voice recognition is improving every year, and can provide your comments onto a data collection form much faster than typing and can be especially useful for conditions where gloves are required and typing or stylus input is not practical.  Using the phone’s native abilities, take advantage of voice feature to streamline note taking, knowing that you can always fix up any issues back in the office.

Review, Sync, Repeat

Mobile apps should have a summary screen to review your data before sending it back to your database, such as a summary form for all data collected during a shift.  And once you do sync your data back to the main database (you have a main database right???), instantly reset the form for the next day data collection event so you are always ready.

No Internet?  No Problem!

Mobile apps that won’t function when there is no connection should be abandoned.  You need to be able to collect data no matter the location and the signal strength.  Look for mobile apps that function with zero connectivity, and save the data until a signal is found.  Not every location at modern water and wastewater facilities has a hot spot, so be prepared with the right app.

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Locus makes ENR TOP 200 Environmental Firms as the only EHS Software company

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Locus Makes ENR’s Prestigious List of Top 200 Environmental Firms

Locus is a part of ENR’s Top 200 Environmental Firms

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Locus Adds Cost Cutting Tool to EIM Software

New EIM tool, LTMO, helps customers reduce groundwater well monitoring

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., November 23, 2009 — Locus Technologies (Locus), the industry leader in web-based environmental software, announced today the release of its Long Term Monitoring Optimization (LTMO) software that helps customers cut the cost of groundwater remediation projects. LTMO is built-in to EIM, Locus’ web-based application for managing sampling, analytical and geological data associated with environmental projects.

Long term monitoring of contaminated groundwater is one of the biggest costs of many environmental projects, often requiring that hundreds or more wells be sampled at regular intervals, with each sample event costing hundreds of dollars. Over time, changes in site conditions may mean the number of sampled wells or the frequency of sampling can be reduced. A number of analytical tools and approaches exist to identify redundant wells and pinpoint opportunities for sampling and monitoring reductions. MAROS (Monitoring And Remediation Optimization System) software application, developed by the Air Force Center for Engineering and the Environment, is one of the most popular of these tools. With the LTMO tool, Locus has incorporated many of the techniques and methodologies of MAROS, including trend analyses and the Delaunay triangulation method.

The Locus EIM LTMO tool offers several distinct advantages over MAROS and other existing stand-alone or spreadsheet-based applications that perform similar analyses. First of all, there is no need to export data in a special format to another application. All analyses are performed under the umbrella of EIM. Secondly, robust integrated Web 2.0 graphical tools and reports provide a wealth of options for examining the results of the analyses, including extensive backup data that can be supplied to regulatory agencies as needed. Finally, the results of any analysis can be saved and easily pulled up for review or modification.

“We expect the incorporation of the LTMO tool into EIM to be extremely beneficial to our large enterprise customers that have thousands of groundwater sites. Instead of the analyses being performed on the desktops of their many consultants, long-term groundwater management data resides in a single, central, web-accessible database. LTMO is a very powerful tool that significantly reduces the cost of long term stewardship of groundwater contaminated sites,” said Neno Duplan, President and CEO of Locus.

“The recent $11 billion bill passed to fix California’s water infrastructure includes a provision for mandatory monitoring of the state’s groundwater, which is often used during times of drought and is most vulnerable to contamination. From the onset of the new bill, Locus’ LTMO tool will be there to help industry and government to optimize groundwater monitoring programs,” added Duplan.

Contact Locus today for a demonstration of this exciting new feature and see how Locus EIM can help you reduce your long-term sampling and analytical costs.

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1-4 Dioxane Treatment in Mountain View, Calif.

Pollution Engineering, Casebook

Mountain View, Calif. 1 July 2004 — As the consultant for a Fortune 500 semiconductor company at the San Francisco Bay Area Superfund site, Locus Technologies was facing a number of challenges. In 2003, the California Regional Water Quality Control Board requested that the effluent of all treatment facilities within the Superfund site be sampled for 1,4-dioxane. Data obtained during these tests indicated that 1,4-dioxane was present in the effluent at levels of 15 ppb, whereas the statutory discharge limit for 1,4-dioxane was 5 ppb. Additionally, local residents had raised concerns that airborne volatile organic compounds (VOCs) should not be discharged into the atmosphere. Based on these issues, Locus’s client desire to replace its existing air stripping/vapor carbon/aqueous carbon polishing treatmrnt technolgy with an innovative treatment technology that would:

  • Remove or destroy VOCs and 1,4-dioxane
  • Provide cost-efficient treatment
  • Be easily expandable in the future
  • Be able to meet projected EPA discharge requirements

The design flow rate for the treatment system was 50 gpm. Influent groundwater concentrations had a significant bearing on both the capital and the operation and maintenance (O&M) costs for the required treatment technology. The design influent concentrations are shown in Table 1.

During the early stages of the design process, Locus personnel brought a mobile advanced ozone/peroxide pilot treatment facility known as ozone peroxide, to the site. The engineers also ran a series of performance tests on the actual groundwater. Meanwhile, groundwater samples were sent to various UV/peroxide manufacturers and equipment suppliers so as to obtain process design requirements, capital price quotations and O&M cost for each of the various process treatment systems being considered.

Based on data from pilot studies, treatability studies and evaluations using carbon isotherms, each of the equipment suppliers was able to provide lump sum capital and guaranteed O&M costs for the influent groundwater specified (see Table 1). The scope of services specified for this treatment project were quite specific and required forfeiture of equipment costs should the treatment process not meet the discharge requirements and/or the O&M costs exceed those values provided. Plugging the design groundwater specified into its equations the manufacturers provided equipment capital cost pricing and annual O&M cost. Locus presented its findings in a Basis of Design Report that determined the construction cost and 15-year total present value for each system. Based on the strength of both pilot study results and guaranteed capital and O&M costs, the client chose to proceed with the ozone perioxide system.

Locus proceeded to order the specified equipment and begin construction. Following installation of the equipment, the manufacturers started and operated the treatment system for a period of one week. During that time, the company’s personnel carried out a detailed performance test to verify the destruction efficiency of the process and calculate the actual cost to operate the system. After completing the test phase, the manufacturer provided filed training for the Locus O&M staff.

Locus personnel discovered satisfactorily that the ozone peroxide system completely destroyed 1,4-dioxane without producing measurable air emissions. The fully automated system utilized multiple ozone injection points that increased treatment efficiency. Ozone was injected at high pressure to improve its solubility and thus reduce operational costs. The system could be easily expanded to accommodate changes in flow rates or contaminant concentration. costs to operate the system were very definable and reliable.

The ozone peroxide system has operated flawlessly since it was commissioned in December 2003 and maintained consistent effluent results. Furthermore, the O&M costs have remained below those values that were guaranteed in the original equipment proposal.

For more information about the remediation of 1,4-dioxane and the use of the treatment system at the San Francisco Bay Area Superfund Site, visit www.locustec.com.

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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

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Locus Technologies awarded groundwater contract at Singer-Friden Site in San Leandro, Calif.

WALNUT CREEK, Calif., 24 May 2000 — Locus Technologies (Locus) today announced that they were awarded a contract for construction of the groundwater treatment system for the Singer-Friden site in San Leandro, CA.

The contract was awarded by URS Corporation of San Francisco, California, who designed the project under contract to the California Environmental Protection Agency’s Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC). The construction work to be performed by Locus is the final part of the clean up of solvents in the groundwater underneath the Singer-Friden site. These actions being taken were outlined in the Remedial Action Plan approved for the site in 1995. Locus’s scope of work includes completing the groundwater extraction well system, installing conveyance piping, constructing a fully automated groundwater treatment plant designed for remote operation, and startup and shakedown services.

“This is obviously an important win for us,” said Neno Duplancic, President and CEO of Locus Technologies. “It demonstrates our competitiveness and ability to provide the full range of services that are required for cleaning up contaminated groundwater. We are happy that our experience constructing advanced automated groundwater treatment
systems has allowed us to compete successfully for this major project at the DTSC-Singer-Friden site.” With this award, Locus reinforces its position as the nation’s leading provider of groundwater services. Locus is a pioneer in the use of Internet technologies to automate groundwater treatment and information management through their LocusFocusTM web portal.

Project execution will come jointly from Locus Technologies’ offices in Mountain View and Walnut Creek, California. The contract requires construction to be completed within 60 days. Construction is to begin immediately.

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Best Projects – Internet Breaks New Ground for Superfund Remediation and Redevelopment

ENR Magazine

Read the Press Release Here

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Locus Technologies awarded groundwater implementation at three Philips Semiconductors sites in Silicon Valley, CA

WALNUT CREEK, Calif., 7 July 1999 — Locus Technologies (Locus) today announced that they were awarded a contract for groundwater remediation and operation and maintenance services at three Philips Semiconductors sites in Silicon Valley, CA.

The three sites include Arques (on-site and off-site), Evelyn, and Kifer. Each site has a California Water Quality Control Board (RWQCB) Cleanup and Abatement Order and a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit. Locus’s scope of work includes management of the groundwater program, operation, maintenance, monitoring, and optimization of extraction and treatment systems, information management, automation, permitting, groundwater elevation monitoring and sampling, and regulatory agency reporting.

“This is obviously an important win for us,” said Neno Duplancic, President and CEO of Locus Technologies. “It demonstrates our competitiveness and ability to provide Philips Semiconductors with a single source for managing their groundwater programs in the Silicon Valley. We are happy that our approach to groundwater operation and maintenance, VOC experience in the Silicon Valley, and Internet-based automation solutions will help lower the overall cost of the Philips Semiconductors groundwater program.” With this award, Locus reinforces its position as the largest groundwater consultant and remediation company in the Silicon Valley. (The San Jose Business Journal, March 19, 1999).

Project execution will come primarily from Locus Technologies’ office in Mountain View, California. The term of the contract is one year with two optional renewal years. The project started in June 1999.