Silicon Valley Business Journal Interviews Locus’ CEO

Locus Technologies seeks to pioneer environmental information management through on-demand approaches.

Locus Technologies Receives Another Environmental Business Journal Business Achievement Award in Information Technology

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., February 20, 2008 — Locus Technologies (Locus), the world leader in on-demand environmental data and information management software, today announced that it has received a 2007 Business Achievement Award in Information Technology (IT) from the Environmental Business Journal (EBJ). This award recognizes Locus for achieving record sales to new Fortune 100 customers and for adding more than 30,000 new sites to its popular EIM database, representing a 600% increase over 2006.

Locus was also recognized for introducing the environmental industry’s first “software as a service” (SaaS) environmental portal (ePortal) to its Fortune 100 customers. Locus’ ePortal provides customers with a user-friendly interface to environmental information, business analytics and direct integration with Locus’ EIM environmental database. ePortal is based on next-generation portal technology that enables seamless information integration across multiple sources and includes sophisticated data mashups for enhanced environmental data visualization.

“We are honored to be recognized by the Environmental Business Journal for our sales and technical achievement,” said Neno Duplancic, President and CEO of Locus Technologies. “2007 was an outstanding year for Locus. We introduced an entirely new category of product for the environmental industry, and we significantly enhanced our Fortune 100 customer base who embraced our new offerings.”

Locus plans to keep the momentum going in 2008 with continued innovation in its products. According to Duplancic, “It’s no surprise that consumer social networking sites are driving business demand. After all, all the new Web 2.0 features people use everyday become so ingrained in our lives, we begin to demand the same features in business products.” Social Computing is radically changing today’s definition of collaboration and ECM (enterprise content management), prompting corporate environmental managers to reconsider how to make it easier for teams of environmental professionals to collaborate and securely manage content both inside and outside the organization.

After adopting the ePortal platform in 2007, Locus is perfectly positioned to add the features to ePortal that environmental customers are demanding, including enhanced collaboration and communication tools and more data mashups. Already in progress are enhanced linkages with Google Earth and GIS programs to extend ePortal’s mapping capabilities and enhanced business analytics to report enterprise environmental sustainability parameters.

Fortune 500 Chemicals Company Selects Locus Technologies SaaS for Environmental Data Management

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., November 19, 2007 — Locus Technologies (Locus), the market and technology leader in on-demand environmental data and information management software and services, today announced that Fortune 500 Chemical Company (The Company) has selected Locus’ award-winning Environmental Information Management (EIM™) on-demand system and ePortal environmental information portal to manage and organize their environmental information. The Company chose Locus’ SaaS EIM system to manage formerly inaccessible analytical laboratory data and will use ePortal’s strong business analytics to reduce overall environmental risk. As an On-Demand web-based solution, Locus’ EIM environmental database meets all project requirements for robust environmental data management, including quick deployment and multi-party access.

Established in 1912, The Company is a leading producer of specialty chemicals used in making a variety of products for home, office, and industrial markets. The Company joins more than 35,000 EIM sites of all sizes, industries, and locations now benefiting from Locus’ single centralized, comprehensive environmental data management solution, accessible at anytime, anywhere in the world.

With EIM, The Company can query and report a variety of data—visualize and spatially query environmental information through Locus Web 2.0 technologies, as well as create on-the fly Google Maps and boring logs all within an intuitive, user-friendly interface. The Company will also enjoy ePortal’s customized dashboards to display site-specific environmental compliance alerts. These advanced features will open a whole new world of environmental decision-making, as well as streamline existing business processes for The Company.

“Before EIM, The Company was using stand-alone systems and was unable to effectively share their environmental data or efficiently perform key business analytics or reporting. By putting the data back into the hands of the data owner, and providing a robust set of tools for environmental data management and visual analysis, The Company project managers and their suppliers will be able to quickly organize and share data on their projects, while significantly reducing the data management effort and cost,” said Neno Duplancic, President and CEO of Locus.

Santa Clara Valley Water District selects Locus Technologies for recycled water study

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., August 25, 2007 — The Santa Clara Valley Water District (SCVWD) selected Locus Technologies to perform a study of potential groundwater impacts from expanded use of recycled water for irrigation in the Santa Clara and Llagas Groundwater Sub-basins, California.

For this project, Locus will be using several investigative techniques to assess the potential impact to groundwater from use of recycled water. In addition to fate and transport evaluation of recycled water chemicals of concern, such as NDMA, HAA5, and trace metals, Locus will perform soil core bench tests and conduct a full-scale pilot test to monitor chemical concentrations as recycled water percolates through the vadose zone. From these tests, Locus will assess the soil aquifer treatment capacity, evaluate the potential of recharged recycled water to degrade the groundwater quality, and develop water quality standards for the recycled water to be used in the Llagas and Santa Clara Groundwater Sub-basins. To help the stakeholders in their practice, Locus will identify best management practices for irrigating with recycled water and identify necessary ongoing monitoring requirements to protect groundwater resources.

This award cements Locus’s reputation as a company on the forefront of the high-end environmental consulting business on complex groundwater problems.

“This is an important win for us at the time when companies and government are under pressure to achieve sustainability goals,” said Mr. Elie Haddad, Vice President of Locus’s Environmental Services Division. “On one hand, there is a push to reuse recycled water, and, on the other hand, this reuse should not degrade our precious groundwater resources. Our study will bring the balance between what seems to be competing goals. We are very pleased to be selected through a competitive bidding process by SCVWD for this important groundwater study. We look forward to continue partnering with industry and local governmental agencies to protect the precious Silicon Valley groundwater resources and provide long term stewardship for this most important resource.” added Haddad.

Project execution will come primarily from Locus’s office in Mountain View, California.

Web 2.0 to the Rescue For Dirty Data Management in the Environmental Industry

Environmental Business Journal, Instruments and Information Systems

Locus introduces environmental Electronic Data Deliverable (EDD) standards

A growing need exists for a standardized format for transmitting environmental electronic data. There are more than 15 different standards in use in the U.S. alone, most of which are antiquated. Locus leverages the latest XML technology to drive standard consolidation and ease of use.

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., May 30 2007 — Locus Technologies (Locus), the industry leader in web-based environmental data management software, announced today the release of a set of its first standard Electronic Data Deliverable (EDD) formats for the reporting of environmental laboratory analytical data. With the recent signings of several large Fortune 100 clients, and the upcoming tenfold increase in the number of sites with data in the company’s flagship product, EIM™, a growing need exists for a standardized format for transmitting electronic data. Several EDD formats already exist in the environmental industry—some promulgated by government agencies—and others by vendors of commercial software products. However, some of these format “standards” suffer from the requirement that data be submitted in multiple files, while other formats, have antiquated requirements related to field lengths or valid values that originated at a time when hard disk space was at a premium.

Locus’s Extensible Markup Language (XML) formatted single-file standard EDD allows for much more flexibility in file structure, because the data self-identifies each field using labels to bracket its contents. The content is similar and compliant with the (Staged Electronic Data Deliverable (SEDD) format. SEDD is an inter-agency effort spearheaded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to create a generic XML-based format for electronic delivery of analytical data for environmental industry.

To simplify the work of legacy systems, Locus is also releasing an EDD standard format, which consists of 53 explicitly defined fields maintained in a single file. Clients may request that additional custom fields be included to meet specific agency, the major state submission, or project requirements. The selection of the fields that are included in the Locus EIM EDD format was based on input from Locus’s user community and experts in analytical data management, as well as a review of the most popular currently used EDDs. The contents of the format permit data to be validated to EPA Level II, if a customer so desires. Locus envisions this format to be transitional for the companies and laboratories that are not yet ready to adopt XML-based technology, but are tired of dealing with multiple and antiquated file formats, which only serve to increase IT costs.

Since the release of EIM in 1999, Locus has allowed companies to design their own EDD formats, and Locus will continue to support this flexibility in its systems. However, Locus believes that the promulgation of a standardized format will allow laboratories to reduce the costs of creating EDDs, minimize errors in the reporting of data, and more quickly support new EIM clients.

“As the leader in environmental data management software, Locus strives to provide guidance, direction, and endorsement to the best ideas in an effort to standardize data management processes. Currently, there are more than 15 different standards for analytical data submittals, and this needs to change,” said Locus’s president and CEO, Neno Duplancic. “We believe that the standards we are releasing today, one transitional and one XML-based, will take steps toward achieving that goal and will help drive uniformity in the marketplace. With more than 35,000 sites reporting through LocusFocus EIM, Locus customers represent the largest users of environmental lab data, so this effort should help drive consolidation of the standards. Locus is committed to meeting all federal and state EDDs and leading the industry in reducing proliferation of incompatible formats by strongly endorsing XML-based SEDD standards,” added Duplancic.

Locus’s XML-based EDD accepts files in Stage 2a SEDD format, which contains the basic analytical results (including the sample ID, analyte, result, and qualifier) plus method quality control data. The EIM import module includes data verification and consistency checks outlined in the Document Type Definition (DTD) for Stage 2a, as well as forms for viewing the data in the imported SEDD file. Both formats can be downloaded for free from the Locus’s website at www.locustec.com.

Whitman Strategy Group and Locus Partner to help business, government optimize environmental information management using the Web

Greening of America Through On-Demand Software

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., and WASHINGTON, D.C., April 20, 2007 — The Whitman Strategy Group, a consulting firm that specializes in energy and environmental issues, and Locus Technologies (Locus), the industry leader in Web-based environmental data and information management services, announced today that the two companies are partnering to help businesses and government better manage environmental data and information using the Web.

By the year 2020, the environmental industry is expected to generate more data than the Department of Defense, the Department of Energy, the Internal Revenue Service, and the financial and health industries combined. To make intelligent decisions about site cleanups, reductions in CO2, clean energy, and other factors affecting the quality and sustainability of life, businesses and government entities must have better tools to manage and interpret this information in real time. Robust information management systems are needed to store and analyze this data, yet, until recently, spending on such systems has been almost non-existent.

For example, the issue of global climate change is getting much more serious attention in our country. A major reason for the increased attention is that quantifiable data is available. One of the ongoing challenges is for companies to be able to adequately measure and track their greenhouse gas emissions. The ability to accurately collect and analyze information regarding the extent of an environmental problem and to estimate the costs associated with it are critical steps in environmental remediation and restoration.

With their combined environmental consulting services and information management expertise, The Whitman Strategy Group and Locus plan to help government agencies and businesses improve on the management and accessibility of this data through the use of Locus’s Web-based environmental information management systems.

“Advances in technology in recent years have made instant access to environmental data a reality. Coding this data by geography and making it available on the Web will help government and industry expose information they have been collecting for years and put it to beneficial use,” said Christine Todd Whitman, President of The Whitman Strategy Group and former EPA Administrator and Governor of New Jersey. “Locus can help businesses and government entities characterize their environmental problems faster and easier, so that valuable technical resources can be spent designing solutions, instead of searching for information.”

Environmental compliance currently ranks high on the list of corporate responsibilities. Companies that prove they are being environmentally responsible are increasingly attractive to investors, and they increase their global competitiveness. Yet, even the most sophisticated organizations acknowledge that assessing and quantifying environmental liabilities can be extremely challenging. “By improving consumer and business access to geocoded environmental data and overlaying it with other data sources, tremendous opportunities open up for greater understanding of and support for environmental issues,” said Dr. Neno Duplancic, president and CEO of Locus.

Many companies that have made a commitment to environmental stewardship and sustainability use Locus’s Environmental Management Information (EIM™) software and services to make better use of their technical resources. Locus is currently working with the U.S. Department of Energy and such companies as Alstom, Chevron, ExxonMobil, Philips Electronics, and Raytheon to help them better manage their environmental data. Locus Technologies makes it easier for organizations to comply with local and international regulations and laws, while increasing productivity of their environmental staff and consultants, and significantly reducing IT costs. By keeping all information about sites in LocusFocus ePortal, a single, centralized, Web-based system, companies can aggregate information in real time, automate the flow of laboratory data, check the clean-up status of every site, monitor the financial performance of consultants and contractors, and obtain and comply with ISO 14001 requirements.

ABOUT WHITMAN STRATEGY GROUP
The Whitman Strategy Group (WSG) is a consulting firm that specializes in government relations and environmental and energy issues. The firm was founded by Christine Todd Whitman, former EPA Administrator and New Jersey governor. Governor Whitman is currently co-chair of the National Smart Growth Council and serves on the Board of Directors of the Council on Foreign Relations and The Millennium Challenge Corp.,as well as several corporate boards.

For more information about The Whitman Strategy Group, visit www.whitmanstrategygroup.com.

Locus delivers U.S. EPA Superfund data through ePortal and Google Maps Mashup

Users can instantly see information on U.S. EPA Superfund sites

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., April 2, 2007 — Locus Technologies (Locus), the industry leader in Web-based environmental data and information management services, announced today that it has expanded its hugely popular Web-based LocusFocus ePortal Google™ Maps Mashup to include U.S. Environmental Protection Agency data. With Locus’s portal toolset and Google’s Map API (application program interface), users can now look for data in a rich map interface and gain instant access to data once hidden away in governmental data silos.

Using Locus’s Mashup, users can search by map location, zip code, or state and instantly see information on the U.S. EPA Superfund sites in their area. With the same ease as finding addresses or driving directions, anyone can now access U.S. EPA Superfund data previously only available in much more complex interfaces or not available at all.

“Advances in technology have made instant access to EPA Superfund data a reality,” said Dr. Neno Duplancic, president and CEO of Locus. “With an XML data stream provided by the EPA, Locus was able to quickly create a user-friendly map view into complex Superfund data. As the EPA releases more information, the application database can easily grow to display all types of environmental information, from regulatory permits on a site to other EPA program data such as the latest Toxics Release Inventory chemical information.”

“We are thrilled to see innovative technologies from private industry enabling the delivery of environmental data from government-managed data resources to the Web,” said Pat Garvey, a Geospatial Download Service Manager with the EPA. “It is gratifying to see the private sector take the initiative to deliver EPA data in an engaging and easy-to-use Web interface that allows citizens, as well as companies, to make use of the vast amounts of data the EPA has collected.”

The LocusFocus ePortal Google™ Maps Mashup can be viewed at www.locustec.com. In addition, Locus will be presenting the Mashup and other innovative technologies at the EPA-sponsored “Long-Term Stewardship Roundtable and Training” in San Diego, Calif., April 4-5, 2007.

Customers who already use Locus’s Environmental Information Management system can Mashup their own site data and access it through their existing interface. By zooming in on a site through Locus’s Google Map interface, customers can click on soil boring and groundwater monitoring well locations to retrieve analytical, geotechnical, geological, or any other data available for these or other locations.

“This advancement will help the EPA reach out to constituents and share information it has been collecting for years,” said Rick Bergquist, chief software evangelist for Locus. “It’s a win-win for all parties: citizens can easily access data they never had before, and the EPA can easily deliver data to the public at no cost to the government. This service is now possible because of Locus’s innovative On-Demand environmental information products.”

Locus’s environmental data Mashup is part of the company’s commitment to providing innovative, cost-effective environmental data management solutions to the environmental community and giving companies that want to become “green” the state-of-the-art tools they need to manage, show and document their progress.

US Navy lists Locus’s innovative technology for heavy-end hydrocarbons in the Defense Environmental Network and Information Exchange (DENIX)

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., March 26, 2007  — Locus Technologies (Locus), the industry leader in specialty environmental services and web-based environmental information management, announced today that it has been selected by the US Navy’s Innovative Technology program to deploy the Continuous Circulation Surfactant Enhanced Recovery (CCSER) remediation technology to various government entities. CCSER is an evolution of the field-proven Closed-Loop Bioremediation process promoted by Locus and its affiliate partner, MCC Technologies. CCSER has been designed and formulated specifically to treat highly immobile and weathered heavy-end hydrocarbons/fuel oils/and highly viscous carrier oils that contain harmful toxic components (such as PCBs, PAHs), but are recalcitrant to traditional remediation designs. Locus’s selection by the US Navy is further endorsement of company’s cutting-edge approach to promote innovative remediation technologies to deal with complex environmental issues.

After stringent technical review, the Navy found Locus’s abstract eligible for the Navy’s Environmental Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) program. The Locus abstract will be entered as part of an on-line database, referred to as “DENIX,” the Defense Environmental Network and Information Exchange. DENIX is available to all DOD field activities seeking solutions for their environmental program needs.

“We are pleased to be able to support the US Navy and other Department of Defense (DOD) branches with this innovative technology solution for difficult-to-remediate, heavy-end hydrocarbons,” said Mark Bittner, Locus’s Regional Director. “The DOD will now have access to a superior technology for heavy-end hydrocarbon recovery and remediation,” added Mr. Bittner.

Locus to support SoCal Edison with environmental screening of oil field production risks

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, October 25, 2006 — Locus Technologies (Locus), the industry leader in specialty environmental services and web-based environmental information management has been selected to support Southern California Edison with property acquisition evaluations at various sites in Southern California.

As a part of the contract, Locus will provide investigation expertise and site characterization services for property development which includes screening for potential oil and gas field environmental and safety hazards, not uncommon to Southern California. This award adds an important client for Locus in rapidly expanding and fiercely competitive Southern California market.

“Locus is pleased to support Southern California Edison with our unique blend of environmental consulting and knowledge of investigation techniques for evaluating potential risks associated with former or operating petroleum production and exploration properties. This project is an example of the specialized consulting services Locus offers to our clientele,” said Mark Bittner, Regional Director for Locus Technologies.

“We are very pleased to add another energy client on the long list of energy companies that Locus has been serving since its inception. Our expertise for liability management associated with real estate transactions, coupled with the state-of-the art technology to manage environmental information over the web was, again, the winning combination that resulted in Southern California Edison choosing our company,” added Mr. Neno Duplancic, President and CEO of Locus.