Environmental Information Management | Page 12 of 38

A better way to manage all those ops readings

Manage all those ops readings without spreadsheets or paper forms

I am constantly reminded by the number of calls we receive, that no matter how robust a SCADA and HMI system is, there is always a requirement for in-field O&M verification and documentation. It’s almost universal, and spans a myriad of industries, large and small, the need to monitor and record thousands of periodic (daily/per shift/weekly, etc.) routine readings/recordings at a prescribed frequency often recorded on pen to paper field forms. The same processes sometimes use “template” spreadsheets for data collection that are then emailed/placed on shared file servers or otherwise sent to some central location for review and post processing. These processes are antiquated and subject to data quality and record keeping challenges.

It’s time for an upgrade!

Why simple form builders are not a good software solution for ops data

Electronic forms are great for collecting data and almost every business entity has built such forms in spreadsheets, word processing or simple databases to collect the information. In addition, there is a software category of form builders and they can certainly build forms. The question becomes is it a good fit so solve your business process issues?
Most customers have more sophisticated needs than simply collecting information on one or more custom forms – they want to do something with all the information collected far beyond what simple form builder tools can provide. Even customers with sophisticated spreadsheet forms, can’t manage them as they multiply exponentially or their Excel gurus retire.

Here are some examples of where you may require software tools beyond a simple form builder:

Collecting equipment readings on each shift at multiple locations and report the data to centralized management, who review the data, look for trends/ issues.
Verifying and validating data at the point of data entry to eliminate data entry errors.
Automatically visualizing (charts or tables) information in near real time to make operations decisions.
Sharing the information with others.
Scheduling activities related to periodic or infrequent data collection events.
Receiving notifications when actions are due.
Automatically creating regulatory reports in prescribed formats.
Creating complex work flows and audited approval processes.
Creating intelligent forms with calculations based on past data or other criteria

Forms with Benefits

Locus Platform is a configurable platform with standard applications that are easy to configure to customers unique requirements. One of its many strengths is its powerful form builder capable of creating simple or complex forms with simple or sophisticated logic. So for customers looking to move from paper and spreadsheet templates, it’s an excellent option to consider, especially if you require more than a simple “fill in the blank” form for transmittal using mobile devices. Best of all, the data are securely stored in a database structure for reporting and alternative business uses and analyses, compared to the almost impossible management of hundreds of spreadsheets or paper forms.

Here are some examples where sophisticated forms are integrated with a flexible database:

Water Utilities – Tracking chlorination and aerobic digestion processes with daily inputs/outputs with a monthly summary and chart, and tracking well production across well fields.
Water Utilities – Tracking periodic sewer discharges and water samples for permit compliance.
Agriculture – Monitoring food processing equipment for compliance with optimum equipment operating parameters for air permits.
Pharmaceutical/Chemical Manufacturing Facilities- Tracking EHS daily, weekly, monthly, etc. investigations and in-house audits.
Universities – tracking chemical inventories.
Facility Engineering – Documenting O&M activities for groundwater treatment systems.
Electric Utilities – Monitoring water/energy/gas usage from old style meters for sustainability reporting with data entry validation.
Refineries and Terminals – Collecting O&M, usage and wastewater data.

Locus Mobile integrates with Locus Platform

If you still rely on paper forms and template spreadsheets and are ready to streamline your process and enhance the value of your data, give us a call and we can show you a range of options that will retire the paper forms for good!

Contact us to learn more about Locus Platform

Locus announces EIM One — a new way to streamline environmental data management for projects of all sizes and needs

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., 12 March 2019 — Locus Technologies, (Locus), the industry leader in EHS, sustainability, and environmental compliance management software, is pleased to announce EIM One is available today, enabling a range of affordable solutions to automate laboratory analytical testing, analytical data workflow process, and meet environmental information management and EHS compliance needs.

“EIM has been a market leader since its introduction in 1999, and has a long history meeting the environmental compliance needs at a wide range of complex, technically challenging sites and enterprise deployments. However, some projects need a simpler, focused solution to manage analytical data for small sites or drinking water utilities. It’s for these projects that EIM One was created. EIM One can be deployed on hours’ notice and used for routine data collection needs often handled by spreadsheets or paper forms,” said Wes Hawthorne, President of Locus.

With today’s current push towards digital transformation, many consultants, small firms, water utilities, and others are ready to finally move away from ad hoc data management approaches and adopt a more robust and formal software solution. However, it is important that the solution be configurable, scalable and right-sized for their needs today and be able to expand as their needs and businesses change.

EIM One takes advantage of Locus’ 20-year history of EHS software in the cloud and includes all the essentials for environmental and analytical data management in a modular and scalable package. This means customers can start with the essentials and add functionality when and if they need it. This approach allows Locus to offer a range of attractive pricing options. With the essential EIM One configuration, customers will be loading analytical laboratory data and producing reports in record time and taking advantage of market tested SaaS-based database design, configurability, security, and accessibility.

“EIM One is a great place to start if you’re new to digital transformation. We are excited to release EIM One and finally give customers the options they have been asking for and provide just the essentials they need so they can confidently start to digitally transform their older data management approaches at very affordable pricing” said Neno Duplan, Founder and CEO at Locus. “Today’s customer wants choice above all else, and EIM One gives them the options, including mobile, in a modern configurable SaaS solution.”

Locus Technologies receives the prestigious EBJ Award for innovation and growth for 13 consecutive years

Environmental Business Journal (EBJ) recognized the firm for growth and innovation in the field of Information Technology, customer diversification and IoT integration

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., 5 March 2019 — Locus Technologies, a leading provider of multi-tenant, SaaS-based EHS software, was awarded its 13th consecutive award by Environmental Business Journal (EBJ) for growth and innovation in the field of Information Technology. EBJ is a business research publication providing high-value strategic business intelligence to the environmental industry. Locus received the award for its 2018 customer diversification along with pioneering IoT integration for its various platforms and taking a leadership role in water quality management software for water utilities. Locus’ flagship products Locus EIM, Locus Platform and Locus Mobile continue to resonate with the marketplace and attract a wide range of forward thinking customers who rely on Locus software to provide innovative, secure and scalable applications to solve environmental compliance challenges.

“Locus continues to influence the industry with its forward-thinking product set, pure SaaS architecture, and eye for customer needs,” said Grant Ferrier, president of Environmental Business International Inc. (EBI), publisher of Environmental Business Journal.

“We are honored to receive the EBJ Information Technology award once again, and we shall continue to design robust solutions to meet diverse and complex EHS challenges with innovative cloud and mobile-based applications,” said Wes Hawthorne, President of Locus Technologies.

Solving water utility data management challenges—one conversation at a time

Last month I got the opportunity to attend AWWA Water Quality and Technology Conference in Toronto, Canada. I was very enthusiastic to interact first hand with end-users of different water technology tools, and interact with other water technology professionals. It’s one thing to design software and support it, it’s a whole different thing to sit and talk with the real customers and real end users and get unfiltered feedback.

As a Product Manager, I’m usually connected with our customers by the various email and messaging systems that provide an endless amount of documentation, but nothing can substitute for an in person conversation. I heard first-hand how there is a need to change existing business practices and stop using older, non-integrated systems that only provide part of the data solution. This scenario is not a new problem; there is a need by most water entities to centralize data, and more easily load, share, analyze and report data. I have had this general conversation many times, but the more in depth, one-on-one conversations about sample planning and data collection provided the most useful feedback. I had the opportunity to give a brief demonstration on “Scheduling and collecting routine water samples using Locus Mobile and EIM” at AWWA, which provided a great venue for candid feedback. Based on these conversations, I have summarized a list of frequent challenges that users encounter during their water sampling process and how they can be solved using the right tools or better communications.

Challenge 1: Finding a flexible sampling planning tool

The overall feedback I heard from attendees is their sampling is generally routine, but the planning tools need to allow flexibility in terms of different sampling intervals and date ranges, different field and analytical parameters, and account for location grouping. Using a well-designed application can pull together all of this detailed information, and can provide a summary view of the individual samples. A manager can easily view sample status, and whether the sample is complete, in process, or planned. A well-designed application can also generate the chain of custody (COC), and lab and sample shipping date information and labels per sample, which is a huge time saver. This type of sample tracking detail seemed to be very useful to many conference attendees to help ensure they are in regulatory compliance with required sampling frequencies. A key feature to look for is an application that is flexible enough that it can allow one-time, unplanned sample events such as water main breaks, customer complaints and schedule changes, and can handle complex multi-year routine sampling with ease. As a plus, it’s easy for you or your manager to know where you stand at any time.

Challenge 2: Eliminating data entry errors caused by hand data entry

Everyone I talked with had dealt with data entry errors and fixing bad data when it was transcribed from field notes to Excel or other programs. Everyone wanted a better way to streamline the error prone data collection process. Many attendees were interested in an alternative to the pencil/paper/clipboard method and had goals to move to tablet or smartphone for data collection. As a field data collection mobile product manager, this was my area of expertise. The universal wish list for mobile field applications included:

Easy to use and set up
Built in data validation to catch data entry errors at the source
Direct upload to a data system so the end of the day all the daily samples were in the system with the push of a button
Prepopulating locations especially for large water systems
Complete field instructions for samplers on what to collect and where to collect it to eliminate missed samples
Smart tracking to know on a daily/weekly basis, what samples were collected and what samples were still outstanding
Integrated with sample planning tools (See challenge 1) to automate the sampling instructions and track the data collection activities vs plan

Challenge 3: Getting the most out of their software, especially regarding updates

Everyone one is aware that software updates all the time. Sometimes its security enhancements and sometime feature enhancements or bug fixes. Based on feedback from attendees, a source of frustration is getting a software update and not knowing what was updated or how best to incorporate a new feature/enhancement into their established process. There was also concern for impact to an established routine with field crews that were used to the existing way of doing things. Even if a functionality improved the workflow, enhancements are only valuable to a user if they understand how to use them and how to incorporate them into their existing process.

Some suggestions from the attendees included:

Concurrent documentation updates with software updates
“Quick start” guides for new functionality
Online training on the new functionality with recording for later viewing
Heads up on what is coming in the next several months so they can do strategic planning (sharing the roadmap)
Sandbox environment to test the enhancements before going in production so they can plan how to incorporate the features into their process and train field crews

Mobile applications, which appear very simple to the users, are in reality complex software and require careful integration with the receiving database for a range of complex use cases. This makes rolling out new mobile features challenging for both the developers and the users. Enhanced customer/developer communication along with a sandbox environment can go a long way towards solving some of the inherent issues with rapid innovations and updates associated with cloud and mobile software.

Take Aways

In person feedback beats everything
Communication is key.
Software tools are available and can solve a lot of the common data management challenges, but know what you want, know the problem you are trying to solve, and know it will take some time and effort but the end result will significantly improve your business processes.

About the author—Bill Donaldson, Locus Technologies

Mr. Donaldson has 5 years experience in SaaS systems, performing Product Management and QA/QC of Locus Mobile iOS application and Locus’ Environmental Information Management system (EIM). While completing his B.S., Mr. Donaldson held several paid internships, where he configured a Relational GeoDatabase and a Database Management System (DBMS), for biological data entry.

PennJersey Environmental Consulting selects Locus EIM SaaS-based software for its environmental compliance data

Locus’ EIM Solution Will Streamline PennJersey Consulting’s Entire Environmental Laboratory Data Validation and Reporting

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., 11 December 2018 — Locus Technologies, (Locus), the industry leader in EHS, sustainability, and compliance management software, is pleased to announce that PennJersey Environmental Consulting (PennJersey), a leading environmental site assessment and remediation firm located in Milford, New Jersey, has selected Locus EIM SaaS-based software to more efficiently track analytical data, automate its field data collection, laboratory analyses, and overall enterprise data consolidation for its clients.

“With Locus EIM, our professionals and staff will be positioned to manage our laboratory data more efficiently. We were especially drawn to the ability to automate the laboratory data validation to assure the quality and usability of the data. EIM will provide our clients greater efficiency and allow us to focus on providing the timely and cost-effective solutions to their assessment and remediation challenges,” said Rodger Ferguson, President of PennJersey.

“Our deep understanding of the EHS compliance market enables us to quickly address environmental mandates, such as PennJersey’s tracking and management of soil, air, and groundwater data, with precision,” said Neno Duplan, Founder and CEO of Locus. “Locus EIM can indicate what levels of target compounds are in the soil, air, or water samples, how the data are trending, and provide real-time alerts to abnormalities. Overall, our solution ensures better monitoring, real-time analysis, aggregations and reporting of data that leverages a modern SaaS-based platform.”

Cut your monitoring costs with EIM sample planning

Sample planning can be a valuable and necessary tool for many in highly regulated fields, including water utilities, where adherence to regulatory defined sampling schedules is essential. Moreover, if you have reviewed the drinking water requirements, you know the regulations require complex and variable schedules ranging from monthly samples at routine locations for a set list of parameters to once every five, seven, or nine years at other locations for a completely different list of parameters. Missing a required sampling event can mean fines and public notice to customers.

Other industries face similar complex sampling needs and the financial and reputational impacts can be hefty for missing required samples. So if you are currently an EIM user, or considering an environmental information management system, don’t forget about sample planning components that will save you time and money.

Here are some benefits of Sample Planning that may make you a believer.

Streamline routine or repetitive sampling – set it up once and reuse or modify as needed

Sample Planning in EIM excels in streamlining repetitive sampling, such as required drinking water samples, or quarterly monitoring well samples. Any sampling events with a schedule from daily to once every 10 years can be planned in EIM’s module and reused again and again, even with tweaks to the schedule for the samples to be collected. Imagine the time savings and the simplicity of having your regulatory requirements all lined out for the year and not have to worry about missing required samples. For water utilities, this is especially valuable given the very strict schedules and the public health implications of missing sampling events.

Automatically generate COCs and bottle labels

When samples are planned in EIM, it is a few simple clicks of the mouse to generate COCs, work lists, and bottle labels for the field crew. This saves time for the field and office staff, and helps ensure they collect the needed samples and not miss a collection or a field or laboratory parameter. Moreover, higher levels of accuracy and fewer transcription errors are ensured as sample IDs and requested analyses are printed electronically rather than entered by hand.

Its fully integrated with Locus Mobile – you can send your Sample Plan to field staff to ensure they collect the samples needed

For customer’s considering using Locus Mobile to streamline their field data collection, Sample Planning is a natural fit. All the samples planned in the Sample Planning module can be delivered directly to Locus Mobile for one or more field staff. You can even have multiple different events sent to the field crew so they can plan ahead in the field. All the collected data is uploaded to EIM in real-time (if service is available) or later (if not) for review and final checks after the field event is concluded. Imagine giving your sampling teams the weekly plan and tracking the progress each day as they sync their data. A handy feature of Locus Mobile, it can remove all the previously collected samples from the plan each day to make your field sampler’s life much simpler.

Larger drinking water utilities will find the integration of Sample Planning and mobile quite appealing, especially with daily sampling by multiple sampling teams and a large number of required routine samples.

All your required field sample information is already in EIM for your sampling event.

When lab data comes back from the lab, you no longer need to enter in the field sample information, it will already be in EIM.

For drinking water utilities, where you may be sampling daily for chlorine at your sample locations, imagine seeing the results across your distribution system instantly, and ability to see it on a map in near real time. Even better, you can share the results with your operations team with a simple dashboard link.

Always know where you stand on your sampling activities

By using Sample Planning, you will know exactly what samples have and have not been collected. You will also know which ones were collected late, and which ones are yet to be collected. This type of information can help ensure you don’t’ miss required samples, and identify schedule impacts when collection is not going according to plan.

When missed samples are identified, its easy to add to the next day’s sampling and send that information to field teams using the integrated mobile app.

Gain ability to track receipt of laboratory results with fine precision

For customers that need to track laboratory results down to the method and analyte level, Sample Planning will make that tedious task easy. Therefore, if you ordered an EPA Method 6010C analysis and no result for lead is reported, you will know immediately when the results arrive back from the lab that the deliverable is incomplete. EIM will also tell you when the lab substituted one method for another. You can then decide whether this change is acceptable or not. Because most regulations include a long list of required analytes and acceptable methods, this type of detail is invaluable to help ensure that you remain in compliance.

Make review of laboratory invoice easy as pie

Trying to review laboratory invoices, especially for large sampling events or complex sampling programs, can be a chore. With EIM’s Sample Planning module, most of the hard work is already done for you. Once you have all your data back, EIM will tell you:

If the quantity invoiced is more than the order
If an invoiced line item has been invoiced previously
If an invoiced line item total cost and/or unit cost is incorrect

5 tools to get more EHS tasks done with less staff

EHS software can be a boon or a bane of your life at work. Here are the 5 time- saving tools Locus’s EIM provides that can be the difference between the former versus the latter.

1. Mobile

Do you enter field data onto a paper form, and then have to manually type it into a spreadsheet or database when you get back to the office? Or have you ever been in the field and entered data into your remote mobile device and have lost the data due to the lack of internet signal? Locus’ Mobile application allows you to sync with your server to create data collection profiles on a mobile device, whether it’s your phone or a tablet. This application will allow you to click through and enter data on the device and store the data, even when you are offline. As a result, data only need to be entered once on your device, and then they are seamlessly loaded into your cloud-hosted solution.

Using Mobile you have data entry directly on the mobile device, with immediate data availability on the cloud when you reach an internet signal. Other advantages include location metadata and mapping integration, bar-code/or code scanning, voice recognition and form customization. If you would like to know more, check out the Top 10 cool features in Locus Mobile.

2. EDD Loader

With EIM’s electronic data deliverables (EDD) loader, you can upload and validate several thousand records within a minute. Laboratories are not required to use the same reporting format, yet the results will still end up at the same place in the database where sample data came from. Locus EIM also has a special lab interface so that your labs (with your permission) can upload their own EDDs. You no longer need to spend time receiving and processing EDD files from your lab. The labs simply log in directly, upload your reports, and they are immediately available to you.

EIM provides you access to popular features such as a planning module, forms for entering field data, a utility to upload EDDs, built-in mapping tools, and an extensive reporting and plotting module. It also has a calendar module for viewing information on sampling events and uploaded EDDs, automated exceedance notifications, and sophisticated statistical evaluation tools designed specifically for environmental data.

3. Sample planning

Setting up and implementing a complex sampling plan can be a time-consuming effort. Depending on the purpose and extent of the sampling plan, you may have dozens of analyses to complete at varying frequencies and locations. You may also have multiple compliance programs with overlapping requirements. EIM’s sample planning can save you valuable time and effort by assembling your requirements into a concise calendar, preprinting all of your chain of custody records and bottle labels, and tracking the collection of samples from the field to the lab. As an added bonus, the automation of this process ensures you’ll never miss another required sample.

4. Discharge Monitoring Reports

Locus’ EIM DMR tool solves the problem of time-consuming, labor-intensive, and expensive manual report generation by automating the data assembly, calculations, and formatting of Discharge Monitoring Reports. Depending on the type of discharge and the regulatory jurisdiction, you may be required to report information such as analytical chemistry of pollutants, flow velocity, total maximum daily load, and other parameters. For companies that report from 100 to 1,000 facilities, producing a DMR also becomes a major expense.

Thanks to Locus’ DMR reporting tool, companies can generate DMRs within minutes with validated data in approved formats, with all of the calculations completed according to regulatory requirements. Companies can set up EIM for its permitted facilities and realize immediate cost and time savings during each reporting period.

5. Formatted Data Tables

For most environmental database systems, getting the right data out is just the first step in assembling your reports. Comprehensive systems rarely store data in a format that is ready to submit to a regulatory agency or other party. Typically, you have a labor-intensive process of restructuring, labelling, footnoting, formatting, and paginating the data into tables that can be readily interpreted. EIM’s formatted reporting tools allow you to set up any number of table formats with specific grouping, sorting, footnotes, headers, and other data processing steps. Then you just select your data range, pick your format, and the table is ready to download or print directly from your web browser. And if you make a mistake, the report can be instantly regenerated without any effort.

Taking your environmental data to the next level with advanced integrated GIS features

In our last GIS blog, we covered some tips for choosing an integrated GIS/environmental data management system. Now let’s look at some more advanced features that may be appealing to a wide range of data managers and facility owners.

1) Look for ways to integrate GIS base maps from other sources—so you can easily add piping diagrams, facility building layouts, or watersheds and drainage.

A map is much more meaningful with your facility information. Google maps are great, but they won’t show your current building layout and your pipe and sewer diagrams. So look for the capability to display maps created by other internal departments, like facilities or operations, so you can gain more insights from your data and have information readily available to share with other parts of the company who may disturb the area with digging or construction activity.

GIS+ - Intellus - historical buildings and watersheds

In this example from the Intellus website, environmental data can be visualized in relation to historical buildings and watersheds, both elements created by internal mapping departments. Internal base maps can also replace default maps from Esri or Google.

2) Load in other data from the Esri cloud to leverage a wide range of available data for your facility and use it with your GIS+ layers.

With the right GIS solution, it’s easy to bring in data from any public source, including government agencies, such as EPA. Combining your map with the world of online data can bring fresh insights to your environmental compliance challenges.

In this example, GIS is used to merge Audubon bird points with Los Alamos National Laboratory (using the Intellus website).

3) Add reference information, such as photos and reports, to locations, and access them from the map.

Using a freeform polygon search (another must-have in a GIS tool), users can highlight an area and—with a single click—see all the data, field photos, and reports associated with that area. This is especially useful for active facilities where activities are planned in areas with legacy contamination (“know before you dig!”). This type of functionality makes it simple for less savvy map users to easily get the information they need.

In this example, a polygon tool was used to highlight an area, and all data, documents, reports associated with ALL locations within the selected area are available from the map. These functions let facility staff review key environmental information before conducting activities at a facility location.

4) Better understand complex and dense maps with clustered locations.

Some facilities or sites have very dense sampling locations that can be a challenge to view on maps due to overlapping data points. Using the concept of clustering, one can more easily view the dense data, with results color-coded to help focus the review. Clicking on the cluster reveals the details underneath for more close review.

In this example, tritium in monitoring wells at the Los Alamos site in New Mexico is being reviewed on the map. Without clustering, the map is impossible to read or use effectively. With clustering, the orange circles (“clusters”) indicate higher concentrations of the contaminant, and clicking on the cluster reveals the individual data points it contains.

Before clustering is applied, we have a very difficult-to-read map.

After clustering is applied, the map is much more useful—colors focus the user on the higher concentration areas.

5) Watch trends or changes over time with time layers.

Imagine being able to watch changes in data over time with a simple slider control. An integrated GIS can provide that clarity over all the data in your database, so you can watch the progress of a cleanup, track chemicals in your water distribution system, or watch a groundwater plume move over time.

6) Search for sampling results near a given address or within a given distance from selected map features.

For sites with concerned neighbors, it’s key to know what chemicals or other environmental conditions may be affecting them. With GIS tools, it’s easy to put in an address and see what is within a radius, or to look within a distance from a specific location. In this example, you can see that there are no sampling locations within a 2000-ft radius from the center point. You can also type in an address and see what is nearby.

Looking at a 2000-ft radius from a location to see what is nearby.

7) Turn data into insights with data callouts.

The more information you can provide to users in a format that highlights results in a meaningful way, the more you can help streamline review and analysis for any data review effort. GIS tools that support data callouts (with logic to highlight actionable results) can quickly convert a mass of data into a clear picture of the issues at a facility or site.

In the map below, data summaries are presented on a facility map to show areas with results above an action limit and associated with other detected parameters. Reviewers can easily see the exceedances (in red) and pinpoint where the issues lie. Although these maps may look complicated to produce, they can be integrated with standard reporting tools that generate maps at the click of a button.

Intrigued by the possibilities?

When you’re evaluating an integrated GIS solution, make sure to dig deeper than the obvious necessary features to learn about all the advanced functionality that is available or on the product roadmap. The best solutions will already have some truly powerful capabilities available, with an even longer list of upcoming features.

Your environmental information management will evolve to the next level when you have the flexibility of visualizing your data in so many ways. Happy mapping!

Screenshot of Locus GIS location clustering functionality

See your data in new ways with Locus GIS for environmental management.
Locus offers integrated GIS/environmental data management solutions for organizations in many industries.
Find out more >

Get a demo of Locus GIS

Error: Contact form not found.

Tips for choosing a GIS application for your environmental database

You can turbocharge your water data management by including a geographical information system (GIS) in your toolkit! Your data analysis efficiency also gets a huge boost if your data management system includes a GIS system “out of the box” because you won’t have to manually transfer data to your GIS. All your data is seamlessly available in both systems.

Not all GIS packages are created equal, though. Here are some tips to consider when looking at mapping applications for your environmental data:

1) Confirm that integration is built-in and thorough

Mapping is easy when properly integrated with your environmental database. You should not need extra filters or add-on programs to visualize your data. Look for built-in availability of features, such as “click to map”, that take the guesswork and frustration out of mapping for meaningful results.

Good integration means mapping is as easy as clicking a “show on map” button. In Locus EIM, you can run a data query and click “Show results on map” icon, change the default settings if desired, and instantly launch a detailed map with a range of query layers to review all chemicals at the locations of interest.

All the query results are presented as query layers, so you can review the results in detail. This map was created with the easy “show results on map” functionality, which anyone can use with no training.

2) Check for formatting customization options

Look for easy editing tools to change the label colors, sizes, fonts, positioning, and symbols. Some map backgrounds make the default label styles hard to read and diminish the utility of the map, or if you’re displaying a large quantity of data, you’ll almost certainly need to tweak some display options to make these labels more readable.

Default label styles are legible on this background, but they are a bit hard to read.

A few simple updates to the font color, font sizes, label offset, and background color make for much easier reading. Changes are made via easy-to-use menus and are instantly updated on the map, so you have total control to make a perfectly labeled map.

3) Look for built-in contouring for quick assessment of the extent of the spatial impact

Contours can be a great way to visually interpret the movement of contaminants in groundwater and is a powerful visualization tool. In the example below, you can clearly see the direction the plume is heading and the source of the problem. An integrated GIS with a contouring engine lets you go straight from a data query to a contour map—without export to external contouring or mapping packages. This is great for quick assessments for your project team.

Contour maps make it easy to visualize the source and extent of the plumes. They can be easily created with environmental database management systems that include basic contouring functionality.

4) Look for something easy to use that doesn’t require staff with specialized mapping knowledge

Many companies use sophisticated and expensive mapping software for their needs. But the people running those systems are highly trained and often don’t have easy access to your environmental data. For routine data review and analysis, simple is better. Save the expensive, stand-alone GIS for wall-sized maps and complex regulatory reports.

Here is a simple map (which is saved, so anyone can run it) showing today’s chlorine data in a water distribution system. You don’t have to wait for the GIS department to create a map when you use a GIS that’s integrated with your environmental database system. When data are updated daily from field readings, these maps can be incredibly helpful for operational personnel.

See your data in new ways with Locus GIS for environmental management.
Locus offers integrated GIS/environmental data management solutions for organizations in many industries.
Find out more >

Get a demo of Locus GIS

Error: Contact form not found.

Taking the next steps

After viewing some of the many visualization possibilities in this blog, the next step is make some maps happen!

Make sure your environmental data system has integrated mapping options.
Make sure your sampling/evaluation/monitoring locations have a consistent set of coordinates. If you have a mixed bag of coordinate systems, you will need to standardize. Otherwise, your maps will not be meaningful. Here are some options to try, as well as some good resource sites:
- https://epsg.io/ (transformations)
- http://www.earthpoint.us/Convert.aspx (transformations)
Start with a few easy maps—and build from there.

Happy mapping!

12 ways commercial SaaS can save your complex environmental data (part 4/4)

Continued from Part 3

11) Databases are simply more capable when it comes to data stewardship

Data management is a broad term that includes the range of activities that we have discussed elsewhere in this blog series, including sample planning and collecting, inputting data, uploading EDDs (Electronic Data Deliverables), and analyzing and reporting environmental data and information.

However, the full scope of data stewardship is even broader than this, including necessary things like knowing where your data is located and knowing the quality of the data used in your regulatory reports.

Here at Locus, we have had new customers come to us with some incredible horror stories:

data “held hostage” by third parties
data lost over time with multiple contractor changes
data stored in email or file cabinets
data in scattered piles of PDF documents or hard copies (very typical for boring logs)
labs unable to generate fresh EDDs due to laboratory LIMS system changes or industry consolidation

These are just some of the latest examples we have encountered. We are constantly surprised and concerned at the variety of ways that organizations can unwittingly put their critical data at risk.

The key to effective data stewardship is to know where it is, know its quality, and have uninterrupted access to it. This is something that Excel can’t offer, and it’s also something a hodgepodge of spreadsheets, emailed PDF files, stacks of hard copy boring logs in multiple offices, and custom-built databases simply can’t do.

12) Databases are more supportive of software quality assurance practices

Quality assurance is a popular topic of discussion, but few people consider it in terms of the configurations (behind the scenes code) that people add to popular off-the-shelf programs such as Excel or Access. Of course, these programs go through rigorous quality assurance testing before being released to the public to ensure they perform as expected. After all, no one questions that Excel can perform math correctly.

However, what is often not considered, are the macros, custom functions, and calculations that are often added to spreadsheets when deployed for managing environmental data and other tasks.

Here at Locus, we have yet to encounter one Excel spreadsheet or Access database from a customer that has been documented, testedand comes with clear user instructions. We also have never encountered anyone that has never made errors in Excel by picking the wrong cells for a formula.

You would avoid these types of oversights and lax QA protocols with commercial software that relies on expert functionality for its business. For example, if Locus EIM did not perform proper calculations (repeatedly) or load data properly (repeatedly), the product would not be successful in the marketplace, and we wouldn’t have thousands of users who trust and use our software every day. This level of quality assurance is simply not found in user-configured, ad hoc “databases” built-inExcel or Access.

As more environmental sites become embroiled in litigation, or are in the process of making health and risk clean up decisions, the importance of data quality assurance cannot be ignored. Water utilities that are charged with providing clean safe drinking water to the public can’t rely on ad hoc Excel or Access systems to analyze such critical data.

Custom databases built in-house vs. commercial software

If you’re serious about rethinking your environmental data management system and finally ditching your spreadsheets for a more mature and secure solution, you might be considering the advantages of having an in-house team or a contractor build a custom database system for you with Access or another widely available tool.

After all, only you know the idiosyncrasies that your organization deals with, right? You can have your developers tailor your system to fit your needs exactly.

Moreover, with a custom solution, you can make sure that it’s integrated with your organization’s other systems and processes, like document management and invoicing.

Some of this might be true, but let’s take a closer look—and consider the tradeoffs.

Is your organization as unique as you think?

Every organization is different, especially if we’re comparing organizations and businesses across different industries. Water utilities face an entirely different set of challenges than a multinational oil and gas corporation. Despite these differences, diverse organizations share some remarkable similarities when it comes to managing environmental data, and in most cases, you’re not the only environmental professional who has experienced most of the challenges your organization has faced.

A commercial software vendor with customers in a wide variety of industries naturally collects an aggregated body of knowledge about the environmental data management needs (and quirks) of their customers. By adopting existing commercial software, your organization can benefit from the wisdom of this crowd, getting access to functionality and modules that can streamline your processes in ways you couldn’t imagine (or afford to develop).

On top of this, commercial software solutions that have been around for a while usually have pretty good support for various API integrations of commonly-used systems, or they can easily build the integrations into their solution (usually for a small fee). Attempting to build these integrations into a custom, in-house solution can lead to astronomical costs and unforeseen complications that often can’t be accurately estimated until the work is well underway.

Can your in-house resources fully examine your business processes and accurately identify your needs?

Commercial software vendors are in the business of translating real customer needs into successful software products. As an environmental professional, you probably have a good understanding of your business processes, but do you trust yourself and your development team to find and implement the most efficient, effective, and scalable solution for managing your ever-increasing amounts of data?

“Off-the-shelf” can sometimes be a misnomer. Many commercial vendors nowadays have learned to build their platforms to be configurable and customizable, to better accommodate the wide variety of customer industries and organization-specific needs. Don’t be afraid to reach out to a few vendors to see what they can offer. Consider a vendor that has experienced domain experts, that have been in your shoes and are motivated to help you solve your problems, and deliver the solution you need.

A good vendor will ask many questions about your business processes, your current system, and your pain points. You might be surprised at how easy-to-configure and flexible “off-the-shelf” systems can be.

Think forward—could today’s “bells and whistles” become tomorrow’s critical features?

Are GIS and mobile part of your current environmental data management process? If so, you will absolutely want to have them integrated with any database solution. Otherwise you’ll be dealing with a mess of duplicate and out-of-date data all over again. Building integrations with these complex systems can be just as challenging as building the database management system itself.

A robust commercial software solution comes with these features built-in.

Let’s go even further—have you ever thought about how automation, the Internet of Things, or artificial intelligence could impact your business processes in 5 or 10 years (or sooner)? Commercial software vendors often have the resources and the incentives to explore new frontiers of technology and stay on the cutting-edge of their market. When your peers or competitors start integrating these new technologies into their workflows, will your custom system be able to adapt and keep up?

Hopefully, by this point, we have convinced you of the superiority of database management systems over spreadsheets when it comes to managing environmental data. Now, it’s time to make some efforts to examine the specific shortcomings of your current system and consider your options.

Now that you have had the opportunity to consider why SaaS databases allow you to manage your complex data efficiently, make data integration and reporting faster and easier and scale to your requirements, contact Locus Sales at (650) 960-1640 or fill out the contact form below to find out what Locus can do for you.

Make sure to read the entire series to find out about 12 reasons commercial SaaS databases excel at managing complex environmental data!

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4

About the author—Gregory Buckle, PhD, Locus Technologies

Dr. Buckle has more than 30 years of experience in the environmental field, most of which have been devoted to the design, development, and implementation of environmental database management systems. When he joined Locus in 1999, he was responsible for building and deploying Locus’ cloud-based EIM software. He was also instrumental in customizing EIM for the water utility industry and developing EIM’s powerful Sample Planning and Data Validation modules. The latest iteration of the Sample Planning module that Dr. Buckle built is currently being used by Los Alamos National Laboratory and San Jose Water Company to plan and schedule thousands of samples per year.

About the author—Marian Carr, Locus Technologies

Ms. Carr is responsible for managing overall customer solution deployments and customer relationships with Locus’ government accounts. Her career at Locus includes heading the product development team of the award-winning cloud-based environmental ePortal solution as well as maintaining and growing key customer accounts with Locus’ Fortune 100 enterprise deployments. In addition, Ms. Carr was instrumental in driving the growth and adoption of the Locus EIM platform with key federal and water organizations.

Manage all those ops readings without spreadsheets or paper forms

Why simple form builders are not a good software solution for ops data

Forms with Benefits

Contact us to learn more about Locus Platform

Challenge 1: Finding a flexible sampling planning tool

Challenge 2: Eliminating data entry errors caused by hand data entry

Challenge 3: Getting the most out of their software, especially regarding updates

Take Aways

Streamline routine or repetitive sampling – set it up once and reuse or modify as needed

Automatically generate COCs and bottle labels

Its fully integrated with Locus Mobile – you can send your Sample Plan to field staff to ensure they collect the samples needed

All your required field sample information is already in EIM for your sampling event.

Always know where you stand on your sampling activities

Gain ability to track receipt of laboratory results with fine precision

Make review of laboratory invoice easy as pie

1. Mobile

2. EDD Loader

3. Sample planning

4. Discharge Monitoring Reports

5. Formatted Data Tables

1) Look for ways to integrate GIS base maps from other sources—so you can easily add piping diagrams, facility building layouts, or watersheds and drainage.

2) Load in other data from the Esri cloud to leverage a wide range of available data for your facility and use it with your GIS+ layers.

3) Add reference information, such as photos and reports, to locations, and access them from the map.

4) Better understand complex and dense maps with clustered locations.

5) Watch trends or changes over time with time layers.

6) Search for sampling results near a given address or within a given distance from selected map features.

7) Turn data into insights with data callouts.

Intrigued by the possibilities?

Get a demo of Locus GIS

1) Confirm that integration is built-in and thorough

2) Check for formatting customization options

3) Look for built-in contouring for quick assessment of the extent of the spatial impact

4) Look for something easy to use that doesn’t require staff with specialized mapping knowledge

Get a demo of Locus GIS

Taking the next steps

11) Databases are simply more capable when it comes to data stewardship

12) Databases are more supportive of software quality assurance practices

Custom databases built in-house vs. commercial software

Is your organization as unique as you think?

Can your in-house resources fully examine your business processes and accurately identify your needs?

Think forward—could today’s “bells and whistles” become tomorrow’s critical features?

Make sure to read the entire series to find out about 12 reasons commercial SaaS databases excel at managing complex environmental data!

Have a question about Locus’ cloud-based environmental software?

Locus Technologies

Quick Links

Site Search