Locus Again Recognized as Carbon Software Leader

Groom Energy Research Study Reveals Carbon Software Growth

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., January 25, 2010 — Locus Technologies was recognized as one of the leaders in software for greenhouse gas (GHG) accounting and reporting by Massachusetts-based research firm Groom Energy Solutions. Their Enterprise Carbon Accounting (ECA) report is titled “2010 Enterprise Carbon Accounting: An Analysis of Corporate-Level Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emission Reporting and a Review of GHG Software Products.” This report comes only weeks after UtiliPoint International, Inc., a key utility and energy industry analysis and consulting firm, in a similar report recognized Locus as one of the oldest and most comprehensive providers of GHG software.

“We are very pleased that some of the leading industry analysts, first UtiliPoint, followed by IDC, and now Groom Energy, have recognized Locus as one of the most established and versatile companies in the sustainability and environmental software space,” said Dr. Neno Duplan, President and CEO of Locus.

Founded in 1997, Locus pioneered the use of the Internet’s power to manage all aspects of environmental business, focusing on environmental information management (EIM) developed on a Software as a Service (SaaS) platform and delivered through Cloud Computing. In addition, ePortal, the Locus environmental executive dashboard, brings key environmental information to the user’s desktop in a Yahoo!-style single sign-on (SSO) interface, providing the ability to drill into the data when a more in-depth view is needed.

“With our suite of diverse but well integrated products offered through an SSO, along with our stellar client list who manage environmental information in real time using Locus Cloud Computing software at over 36,000 sites around the world, Locus is well positioned to continue to lead the environmental software market,” added Dr. Duplan.

Thirteen years after Locus’ founding, environmental software has become a multi-billion dollar industry with new players entering almost daily. In its report, Groom Energy stated that more than $46 million in venture capital was invested in ECA startup companies in 2009, while large software companies like Microsoft and SAP also entered the market. The research also confirmed that the number of corporations disclosing GHGs increased significantly in 2009 and predicts that ECA software purchases will increase 600 percent by 2011. To distinguish Locus from competition, Locus offers a proven track record of delivering complex environmental information management and compliance solutions over the Internet for over 10 years.

The New York Times, in commenting on the Groom Energy Study, reports that the current ECA industry leaders are a mix of longtime software players and startups. The newspaper predicts that winners will be the companies that can integrate various applications that not only manage GHGs but also provide management of other, mission-critical environmental data and information, such as water quality and consumption management.

The analyst reports highlight Locus’ experience in Cloud Computing, not only for the company’s GHG emissions management, but also for its general leadership in the complex space of environmental sustainability software, including water quality management.

Locus is an industry leader in providing Web-based Cloud Computing information technology to help manage data and information related to water supply and quality to meet the growing need for clean water.

Any climate bill before the U.S. Congress is almost certainly to be delayed after the 19 January 2010 special election of Massachusetts Republican Scott Brown to fill the U.S. Senate seat of the late Democratic Sen. Edward Kennedy. However, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency last December declared greenhouse gases a danger to public health. The “endangerment finding” announced by EPA will allow EPA to manage GHG emissions under the 1970 Clean Air Act, and opens up large emitters such as power plants, oil refineries, chemical plants and metal smelters to regulations that limit their output of carbon dioxide and other gases. Managing GHG under the Clean Air Act will be more costly to the industry. The biggest threat of huge new energy taxes and government controls right now comes not from cap-and-trade legislation, but from the existing regulation such as the Clean Air Act and the Clean Water Act. As a result, the industry will focus on the broad spectrum of existing environmental compliance issues, all of which require specialized software and a deep knowledge of regulations, all of which Locus developed and deployed over the last 13 years.

Requirements for environmental compliance have existed for years. The Mandatory Reporting of Greenhouse Gases Rule of September 2009 represents yet another element (and a relatively small one at that) in a long list of environmental compliance activities to which U.S. companies are subject. In particular, oil and gas companies are facing increased regulation and enforcement by the EPA.

As a result, many companies are revisiting their environmental, health and safety (EH&S) strategies and are looking for software applications not only to manage GHG or environmental data, but also to improve operational efficiency and reduce operating costs.

“Locus has served this market exceptionally well since 1997, and maintains the leading position in many of its segments,” noted Dr. Duplan.

ZDNet GreenTech Pastures | Need to verify your greenhouse gas emissions? Locus Tech has your back

Environmental software developer Locus Technologies has earned the right to provider greenhouse gas emissions verification services by the California Air Resources Board.

Locus Technologies Offers Greenhouse Gas Emissions Verification Services

Locus is one of only a few California Air Resources Board certified GHG verification organizations

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., January 18, 2010 — Locus Technologies (Locus), the industry leader in web-based environmental compliance and information management software, has been accredited by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to provide greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions verification services. Locus is one of just a few companies to obtain this accreditation.

The accreditation allows Locus to provide verification services for GHG emissions reports. The verification team at Locus consists of experts in all reporting requirements. Locus’ in-house Lead Verifiers are certified in all sectors including refineries, cement production and electricity transactions to provide verification services for all reporting scopes.

On December 6, 2007, pursuant to the California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006, the CARB approved the Mandatory Reporting of Greenhouse Gas Emissions regulation. The regulation requires the mandatory reporting and verification of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Facilities subject to GHG reporting are mandated to have their greenhouse gas emissions verified beginning in 2010, for their 2009 reported emissions. Facilities will be subject to either annual or triennial verification. Only CARB accredited verification bodies and verifiers may provide GHG emissions reporting verification.

“GHG emissions are becoming important parameters to accurately measure and report. Locus is excited to offer services to aid clients in meeting the new GHG reporting requirements,” stated Dr. Neno Duplan, President and CEO of Locus.

Locus has also developed a cloud computing based software program to collect, manage, and report GHG emissions. “With the training and certification in validation, we are confident that the emissions data in our software can be quickly and easily verified by a third party,” said Dr. Duplan.

Orion Environmental Inc. Selects Locus Environmental Software

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., January 11, 2010 — Locus Technologies (Locus), the industry leader in web-based environmental compliance and information management software, today announced that Orion Environmental Inc. has selected Locus’ Environmental Information Management (EIM) system to streamline environmental data management at its clients’ environmental remediation sites.

EIM streamlines the data entry, analysis, and reporting of water, air, and soil data uploaded from laboratories or input from the field, so that Orion Environmental can get reports and answers quickly. This data is stored in a central, secure location and can be easily shared with regulators, clients, or in-house management. EIM also provides standard analytical chemistry tools and report generation in an easy-to-use system for Orion Environmental.

Locus has also released a new utility that offers customized reporting using templates based on customer formatting and document requirements. Users can define filtering, data sequencing and formatting, and footnotes for a report and save all criteria for later use. This new utility allows EIM users to generate report quality data tables with only a few clicks without any required third party software. Reports can be run on any computer that has a web browser allowing for report generation at any time and any place. This utility has great potential to reduce reporting costs and labor.

According to Jeff Gwinn, Vice President at Orion Environmental, “Locus EIM has improved our productivity through automatic data quality checks, real-time data queries and graphics, and automated data tables for regulatory reports. EIM’s ability to manage our data, including direct laboratory upload of sampling results, saves us and our client’s time and money. EIM’s ability to manage multiple sites within a single database is perfect for our larger clients.”

“We are very pleased that Orion Environmental has joined the rapidly growing list of Locus’ customers to streamline environmental information management services. This example is very significant proof of what an astute environmental consulting company is able to achieve through a partnership with Locus. Through the use of Locus EIM, Orion is able to provide superior data management services to their customers using cloud computing and bring cost efficiencies throughout the business process, resulting in a win-win for both Orion and their many customers.” said Dr. Neno Duplan, President and CEO of Locus.

In addition to EIM, Locus provides advanced enterprise environmental information management software systems to the environmental industry. Locus’ ePortal product gives small and large enterprises a world class option for management of all environmental and sustainability data, from compliance tracking to greenhouse gas accounting tools, in a simple and easy to use dashboard based system.
ABOUT ORION ENVIRONMENTAL INC.
From its Long Beach, California, headquarters, Orion provides industry and government clients with environmental services ranging from site investigation to remediation and closure. Orion’s engineers and hydrogeologists specialize in designing, installing, operating, and enhancing remediation systems to clean up contaminated soil and groundwater.

For more information, visit www.orionenv.com or contact Mr. Jeff Gwinn at (562) 988-2755.

ZDNet GreenTech Pastures | Need to verify your greenhouse gas emissions? LocusTec has your back

Environmental software developer Locus Technologies has earned the right to provider greenhouse gas emissions verification services by the California Air Resources Board.

Locus Recognized as Carbon Software Leader

Emissions Trading & Monitoring Software Study Applauds Locus

 

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., December 14, 2009 — In the midst of climate change discussions in Copenhagen, Locus Technologies (Locus), was recognized as one of the oldest and most comprehensive providers of greenhouse gas (GHG) software in a study just published by UtiliPoint International, Inc., a key utility and energy industry analysis and consulting firm.

The UtiliPoint study focuses on both software aimed at emission reporting and software aimed at emissions trading as well as the need for a link between the two types of software. “We are very pleased with leading industry analyst UtiliPoint’s comprehensive study of software providers for greenhouse gas management and with their recognition of Locus,” said Dr. Neno Duplan, President and CEO of Locus.

The Emissions Trading & Monitoring Software Study highlights Locus’ experience in the domain of Software as a Service (SaaS), not only for GHG emissions management, but also as a general leader in the complex space of environmental sustainability software, including water quality management. UtiliPoint predicts that Locus’ record of environmental software expertise will help Locus to become a top player in the emerging field of GHG data management and reporting.

eGHG, Locus’ GHG emissions monitoring software, is applauded in the UtiliPoint report. This software can create an emissions inventory that can be easily verified and reported to various emissions reporting programs in the US and internationally.

“Whether or not carbon is regulated through the Clean Air Act as announced by EPA last week, or a United States Federal cap-and-trade program is created in the near future, a comprehensive monitoring and reporting system is still needed for compliance with the Clean Air Act, various voluntary registries such as The Climate Registry or Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), and for trading with the various international programs already in place. We are already witnessing an explosive growth in carbon data, analysis, and reporting that comes on top of other environmental data streams such as water and sustainability. Locus provides one stop shopping for all enterprise environmental software needs,” added Dr. Duplan.

ZDNet GreenTech Pastures | Locus adds water module to environment software application portfolio

Water management problems capture more attention from environmental technology player Locus.

Read full article here.

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.

Focus on Water: Who will disclose to CDP Water Disclosure?

What I have noticed missing from the dialogues on climate change is discussion on water and water quality as it relates to carbon emissions. Oil industry, for example, consumes and contaminates huge quantities of water and newer hydro fracturing technologies indicated more is on the way. Water management is a significant part of carbon management and translates directly into tones of GHG. It is also 100+ years problem (unlike air contamination). Most of companies have no established methods for water and groundwater accounting. Some progressive oil companies have made first steps in this direction and are quantifying their (dirty) water footprint. In my recent discussion with executives from several large companies it appears nobody wants to touch this subject.  Yet, this is unavoidable issue that will move into the center stage as soon as GHG bubble bursts. Here is some interesting statistics on groundwater:

  • 22% of all freshwater withdrawals
  • 37% of agricultural use (mostly for irrigation)
  • 37% of the public water supply withdrawals
  • 51% of all drinking water for the total population (US)
  • 99% of drinking water for the rural population (US)

___________________________________

Source: 2005 United States Geological Survey (USGS)

Water is often undervalued and wasted – the OECD forecasts that 47% of world population will be living in areas of high water stress by 2030 unless new policies are introduced. Water, like climate change, is set to be a key issue for the 21st century. It is through water that the impacts of climate change are most likely to be felt, with changing patterns of precipitation and melting glaciers affecting the supply of this critical resource. At the same time population growth, urbanization and rising per capita consumption are expected to result in rapidly increasing demand for water. Businesses will be impacted positively and negatively, and will have a significant role to play in developing and implementing solutions to the water challenge. At present, however, awareness and understanding of water-related risks and opportunities is generally limited in the business and investment communities.  For that reason, CDP initiated the Water Disclosure project.

Here are some other compiled facts on water from various sources:

  • Less than 1% of the world’s fresh water (or about 0.007% of all water on earth) is readily accessible for direct human use.
  • 3.575 million People die each year from water-related disease. •
  • 84% of water-related deaths are in children ages 0 – 14.
  • 98% of water-related deaths occur in the developing world.
  • 884 million people, lack access to safe water supplies, approximately one in eight people.
  • The water and sanitation crisis claims more lives through disease than any war claims through guns.
  • At any given time, half of the world’s hospital beds are occupied by patients suffering from a water-related disease.
  • An American taking a five-minute shower uses more water than the typical person living in a developing country slum uses in a whole day.
  • There are over 2 million known contaminated sites in the US. 80% of them have contaminated groundwater.
  • About a third of people without access to an improved water source live on less than $1 a day. More than two thirds of people without an improved water source live on less than $2 a day.
  • Poor people living in the slums often pay 5-10 times more per liter of water than wealthy people living in the same city. • Without food a person can live for weeks, but without water you can expect to live only a few days.
  • The daily requirement for sanitation, bathing, and cooking needs, as well as for assuring survival, is about 13.2 gallons per person.
  • Over 50 percent of all water projects fail and less than five percent of projects are visited, and far less than one percent have any longer-term monitoring.

California Passes $11B Water Deal

California passed a bill to fix our water infrastructure. This is the most comprehensive water infrastructure package in the history of California. And this is an $11 billion package that will be leveraged against an additional $30 billion that will be asked by the state’s voters next November in bonds to help finance new infrastructure and water ecosystem restoration, especially in places like the delta. That is altogether a $41 billion project.

In a series of bills that cleared the Legislature in largely bipartisan votes early Wednesday after all-night sessions, California’s water supply would be guaranteed through steps such as mandatory monitoring of groundwater reserves and expanded conservation.
“Without clean, reliable water, we cannot build, we cannot farm, we cannot grow and we cannot prosper,” said Mr. Schwarzenegger, the Governor of California.

An important part of the bill is a compromise that was reached on the issue of mandatory monitoring of the state’s groundwater supplies, which are often used during times of drought and are most vulnerable to contamination. Many Democrats wanted the monitoring, which has been optional, done by the state, if local agencies failed to do it. But some Republicans insisted the monitoring be handled locally to help allay fears among some water agencies of too much state intrusion. Under the deal, local agencies will do the monitoring.

Locus is very pleased with the outcome of this bill as it addresses groundwater monitoring and water quality management. Locus’ EIM SaaS water quality management software is market leader in this space with thousands of sites already using it to manage their groundwater quality.