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The Convergence of Augmented Reality and GIS

November 17, 2021/by Dr. Todd Pierce

Today is GIS Day, a day started in 1999 to showcase the many uses of geographical information systems (GIS). Earlier blog posts by Locus Technologies for GIS day have shown how GIS supports cutting-edge visualization of objects in space and over time. This year’s post explains how GIS supports augmented reality.

Augmented reality (AR) is a technology that enhances how we experience the real world by overlaying your surroundings with computer-generated objects. It differs from virtual reality (VR) because in VR, everything you see is computer generated, but in AR, the majority of what you see is real – your experience of reality is enhanced (augmented) but not totally replaced.

You are probably familiar with one AR application already if you watch American football. The ‘virtual’ first down line that appears on field before each play is projected there by computer and is not really painted on the field. If you follow soccer (or football to the rest of the world), AR is used by a Video Assistant Referee (VAR) to objectively determine tight offsides decisions. Digital lines are drawn across the field to show whether or not attackers are illegally past the last defender or not. Another AR example is the popular game Pokémon Go that shows cute virtual creatures in your living room or your front yard.

To experience AR, you need something to project the non-real objects onto your view of the world. Many AR applications use mobile phones or other devices. An AR application uses the camera view to show you the world around you and then overlays virtual objects onto the view. Other devices such as head mounted displays, ‘smart glasses’, or even ‘bionic contact lenses’ can use AR, but have not been as popular as phones or other mobile devices. In contrast to AR, VR cannot be fully supported with just a mobile device and usually requires headsets to immerse you in a virtual world. Because of this need, AR is much less intrusive than VR is.

Countless other examples of AR already exist in many fields. A few selected applications include:

Online shoppers at some e-commerce sites can use smart devices to project furniture into their home to see how the pieces look before making a purchase.
Some clothing stores can project clothing onto shoppers’ bodies to check appearance without having to change clothes. These applications require the user to be in a special dressing booth with full body scanning capabilities.
Urban planners use AR to display how planned buildings, cell towers, wind turbines, and other structures would look in the existing space. Planners can walk the streets and view how proposed projects would alter the existing cityscape.
AR is used in manufacturing to display operation and safety instructions in a worker’s field of vision using head mounted displays, which circumvents the need to refer to bulky paper manuals.
Utility managers can see underground pipelines, water lines, sewer pipes, electrical lines, and other infrastructure projected below their feet.

So how does GIS relate to AR? There are three main uses of GIS in AR:

Location: Any AR application must know where the user is and where to place virtual objects. In most cases, full GIS capabilities are not needed; instead, the application accesses a GPS (global positioning system) to find locations. Consider the Pokémon Go application mentioned before. The game knows where the various Pokémon need to appear. When a user plays the game, it uses GPS to find the user, and then shows any Pokémon that are near the user based on their locations.
Layers: An AR application may need to show features that are not visible to the user, such as underground electrical lines, earthquake fault lines, property lines, or planned buildings. All these features can be stored as GIS map layers in the cloud and then displayed in the AR application as virtual overlays projected on the real world. Furthermore, a user could select a displayed item and view related attribute information in the GIS layer. For example, a user could view the condition, age, and repair status of a selected water pipeline.
Navigation: An AR application may also need to help a user get from point A to point B, for example in a crowded airport or in a large warehouse. Such navigation could be facilitated by showing virtual route markers and arrows on the real world.

Locus has been exploring environmental uses of AR and GIS by adding AR to Locus Mobile, which is the Locus app for collecting field data, completing EHS audits, tracking waste containers, and completing other tasks requiring users to gather data out of the office. Locus Mobile now features an AR mode to assist users when taking field samples. When the user activates AR mode, the app uses the camera to show the user’s immediate area. The app then puts multiple virtual markers on the display corresponding to sampling points located in that direction. As the user moves or rotates the phone to change the viewing area, the markers change to reflect the locations in the user’s line of sight. Clicking a marker provides more information including the location name and the distance from the user.

Locus Mobile uses all three ways to combine GIS with AR:

By using GPS to find the user’s location and the locations of nearby sampling points.
By using GIS to display the layer of sampling points.
By using GIS to assist with navigation to sampling points by showing distance and direction.

Here is a sample image from Locus Mobile showing three nearby sampling locations along with information about past events or measurements at the locations. The three blue banners are the augmented reality displayed on top of the view of the nearby surroundings.

By using GIS and AR to assist users in finding sampling points, Locus Mobile makes field personnel more productive. Samplers can find field locations quickly and can easily pull up related information. Locus continues to explore using AR to expand the functionality of its environmental applications.

Interested in Locus’ GIS solutions?

Locus GIS+ features all of the functionality you love in EIM’s classic Google Maps GIS for environmental management—integrated with the powerful cartography, interoperability, & smart-mapping features of Esri’s ArcGIS platform!

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About the Author—Dr. Todd Pierce, Locus Technologies

Dr. Pierce manages a team of programmers tasked with development and implementation of Locus’ EIM application, which lets users manage their environmental data in the cloud using Software-as-a-Service technology. Dr. Pierce is also directly responsible for research and development of Locus’ GIS (geographic information systems) and visualization tools for mapping analytical and subsurface data. Dr. Pierce earned his GIS Professional (GISP) certification in 2010.

5 Ways to Manage Your Hazardous Waste

May 28, 2021/by Locus Product Team

The Locus Waste Management application enables EHS professionals to manage wastes across their entire enterprise. Locus Waste Management enables users to easily track and report on all types of wastes, including hazardous, non-hazardous, universal, recyclable, and PCB. The app is highly configurable, conforming easily with any organization’s waste management process. Prepare your Biennial and other reports with just one click. See below to learn how Locus streamlines the cradle-to-grave waste tracking process.

Contact us to see a demo of the Waste app

Top 10 Enhancements to Locus EHS Compliance Software in 2020

January 8, 2021/by Locus Product Team

Locus Platform is a configurable cloud-based solution for managing EHS&S compliance-related information. Let’s take a look back on the most exciting new features and changes made to the platform in 2020!

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1. Mobile Photo Support

Users can now take photos with the Locus Mobile app for the picture fields on the form. The images are uploaded to the server on sync and can be seen with the record in the web application. Feature requires minor configuration for existing mobile-enabled entities.[/sc_icon_with_text]

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2. Enhanced Search Functionality

The application header has been redesigned to have quick access to the search box, calendar, and your subscribed apps. The search box can be used to find application menu items and directly navigate to those screens, or to directly navigate to a record using the record number.[/sc_icon_with_text]

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3. Improvements to Waste App

For off-the-shelf Waste Management app users, enhancements include new reports, EPA SI and GM forms, GHS labels in container and legends, and tooltips for dashboards.[/sc_icon_with_text]

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4. Streamlined User Navigation

New “Screens” functionality enables access to same entity types across multiple applications in LP. With improved dashboards and streamlined workflow, users no longer have to jump between applications to get things done.[/sc_icon_with_text]

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5. Improvements to Compliance App

The enhanced Compliance and Task Management app now allows admins to define and generate groups of similar tasks at once, without waiting for the completion of previous tasks. This simplifies the completion process and is especially useful for recurring inspections.[/sc_icon_with_text]

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6. Triggered and Sequenced Tasks

Users can now set up sequenced tasks to be triggered once an initial task is completed. For example, completing a sampling event can trigger a set of follow-up tasks such as “create report” and “submit to regulator” where each completed task triggers the following one.[/sc_icon_with_text]

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7. Improvements to Export Functionality

Users can now export date columns in an Excel-friendly format, eliminating date formatting issues common with some Excel downloads.[/sc_icon_with_text]

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8. More Convenient Dashboards

Filter criteria are now displayed atop dashboards to visually document the applied filters, which is handy when querying large amounts of data on the dashboards.[/sc_icon_with_text]

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9. Enhanced CSV Support

Added support for CSV exports, including zipped files, to better support regulatory submittals.[/sc_icon_with_text]

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10. Upgrades to Sustainability App

Users now can run calculations on a subset of sustainability indicators. Calculations can be split between multiple phases, with the ability to use previous phase results on subsequent calculations without the need to recalculate.[/sc_icon_with_text]

Contact us to see a demo of Locus Platform

Then and Now: Locus Platform for EHS&S

September 24, 2020/by Locus Product Team

Locus Platform (ePortal)

Ahead of its time in 2002, Locus Platform (formerly ePortal) has seen a huge change over time from a simple portal at the beginning of the SaaS movement, to a fully configurable multi-tenant platform. Locus Platform (LP) houses any number of off-the-shelf and custom applications to meet EHS customer needs. LP is designed handle the ever-changing complexities of EHS information management and to adapt seamlessly to the integration and interoperability demands of today’s modern users.

Whether you are designing your own app, linking with your corporate SAP system, or reporting data to EPA, Locus Platform’s modern architecture represents state-of-the-art in EHS platforms.

Locus Platform (ePortal) Then:

Locus Platform Now:

Locus Waste Management

Locus’ Waste App started in the mid-1990s as a robust desktop software. Over 20 years later the basic functions remain the same, but the usability, integration, and features evolved with the industry. The software moved to the cloud, taking advantage of integration with EPA and vendor cloud systems. The Waste App is now part of Locus Platform’s basic offerings, integrated with Tasks and Compliance and Sustainability and any customer designed apps.

So whether you want to submit an eManifest to EPA, or prepare your biennial report online, Locus’ Waste App will make this necessary process more streamlined and accessible to users.

eWaste App Then:

Waste App Now:

Locus Sustainability

Locus has provided Sustainability tracking software since the emergence of mass global sustainability awareness in the early 2000s. Our earliest customers were early adopters of sustainable indicators disclosure and Locus has kept up with the demand for indicator tracking regardless of complexity. Locus’ staff of environmental scientists and engineers “walked the walk” in our personal and professional lives, making developing Sustainability tracking software a passion and a business. Locus’ Sustainability software brings the modern tools to enable a streamlined process, integrated with a wide range of data providers.

Sustainability App Then:

Sustainability App Now:

Locus Compliance and Task Management

Compliance Management has been a cornerstone of our EHS software since day 1. The fundamental workflow and functionality of Locus’ Compliance Management has been the focus from the beginning; managing a huge amount of prescribed obligations and requirements. The user interface and experience has grown with the times, as we have improved over two decades.

With today’s modern requirements, task outcomes can be anything from a simple completion form to a complex inspection checklist. With Locus Compliance and Task Management, outcomes can be recorded simply on mobile devices in the field. With configurable workflows and notifications, custom escalation notifications and approvals can be defined to ensure key compliance obligations are never missed.

Compliance and Task Management Then:

Compliance and Task Management Now:

Locus has evolved and innovated SaaS solutions to meet the needs of our EHS and Water Quality customers for over 20 years. As technology and regulatory requirements change, rest assured Locus is working hard so that your organization can be ahead of the curve.

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Recology selects Locus Technologies EHS Compliance software

December 4, 2018/by Danny Moore

Locus Platform will provide “out-of-the-box” configurable software to streamline Recology’s compliance tracking and reporting.

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., 4 December 2018 — Locus Technologies, the leader in enterprise EHS compliance and sustainability software, today announced that Recology, an integrated resource recovery company headquartered in San Francisco, California had selected Locus Platform EHS software for its system of record for EHS compliance activities.

“With Locus’ out-of-the-box solution, we can configure the applications to align with our current workflow and tailor the functionality to our specific needs. The Locus Platform integration with the compliance content provider RegScan will help our Environmental Compliance team keep on top of all the regulations throughout California, Oregon, and Washington,” said Amy Dietz, Director of Environmental Compliance for Recology.

“By using Locus Platform Compliance application with integrated regulatory content services, Recology is combining the advantages of off-the-shelf software with Locus Platform’s powerful configuration tools. This means Recology will get exactly the software solution they need to fit their business processes in the shortest time,” said Wes Hawthorne, President of Locus.

Locus is ready for e-Manifest

May 15, 2018/by Locus Product Team

EPA is establishing a national system for tracking hazardous waste shipments electronically. This system, known as “e-Manifest,” will modernize the nation’s cradle-to-grave hazardous waste tracking process. EPA is on schedule to launch e-Manifest on June 30, 2018.

Download the latest fact sheets for e-Manifest stakeholders.
These fact sheets provide an overview of the e-Manifest program and the impacts it will have on each stakeholder. Each fact sheet outlines basic information about the e-Manifest system, how the specific stakeholder will be impacted, and what actions they need to take to use the e-Manifest system.

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Have a question about Locus’ e-Manifest support?

Salt River Project selects Locus SaaS for waste information management

February 26, 2018/by Danny Moore

Locus Platform provides “out-of-the-box” configurable software to streamline SRP’s Waste Management compliance tracking and reporting

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., 27 February 2018 — Locus Technologies (Locus), the industry leader in EHS, sustainability, and compliance management software, is pleased to announce that Salt River Project (SRP) selected the multi-tenant SaaS Locus Platform to streamline its waste management and tracking, as part of its ongoing environmental stewardship and sustainability initiatives. A key factor for SRP was the “out-of-the-box” configurability of Locus Platform, plus the ability to perform their own data migrations and build APIs to integrate with internal tools, such as their LIMS system.

“The scalable, easy-to-use configuration in Locus Platform will allow us to standardize our waste management and reporting process, and integrating with Locus Mobile will simplify data collection and container management at our waste-generating facilities,” said Noah Manwaring, environmental systems development lead at SRP.

”Locus Platform will help our Waste Management resources to more effectively track, manage, and report information to regulatory agencies, facility managers, and corporate staff, and we can completely customize the solution using the built-in Configuration Workbench tool.”

Locus Platform’s Waste application allows waste-generating facilities to manage waste cradle to grave—including waste streams, processes, detailed profiles, container details and weights, and storage locations—and to produce various report outputs like labels, manifests, and LDR generation.

At the enterprise level, powerful dashboards and reports show users how each facility is generating and managing its waste, and built-in labeling and tracking streamlines workflows to create a full EHS compliance solution.

“By taking our existing Waste application and adding in their API integrations, SRP is combining the advantages of off-the-shelf software with Locus Platform’s powerful configuration tools. This means SRP will get exactly the software solution they need to fit their business processes,” said Wes Hawthorne, President of Locus.

Locus Technologies releases new Waste Management in Locus Platform

February 28, 2017/by Sasha Kerbel

The Locus waste management application is fully integrated with the dynamic Locus Platform and will automate waste management for small and large enterprises.

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., 28 February 2017 — Locus Technologies (Locus), the leader in cloud-based environmental compliance and sustainability management software, introduces a powerful waste management application to Locus Platform. Our new waste management app redefines how companies organize and manage their waste profiles and support EPA reporting requirements for hazardous and non-hazardous waste. With the click of a button the platform will be able to generate waste manifests, shipping labels or other documents populated with data from your records. The Locus Platform, a true multi-tenant SaaS, presents a highly flexible, user-friendly interface to meet individual organizations’ environmental management needs.

Nearly everything that doesn’t leave your facility as a product eventually becomes waste that needs to be tracked, managed, disposed of, and reported. Regardless of hazardous, universal or recycling waste stream, Locus Platform is ready. Locus’ waste module brings an organized approach and workflow process to schedule, sample, and analyze results.

One of the standout features that Locus Platform offers is the ability to generate new waste profiles. The flexibility of the platform allows users to create these manually, link to Locus’ EIM system or a third party’s testing results. You will be able to quickly reuse existing profile sheets, only updating the changed information. The platform will help consolidate your profiles in containers or whole areas, and features built in maps to help your transporter know exactly where to go to pick up the ready waste. Users are able to manage the composition of profiles through adding multiple chemical components to the profiles and accounting for their make-up of the whole profile.

Locus Platform is ready out of the box to track waste at any number of locations. You are able to add or remove waste containers, storage locations, etc. from your generating facilities, and allow any user to create their own way of organizing their data by generating filtered dashboards. At the enterprise level powerful dashboards will help you understand how each facility is generating waste, and how it is being handled. With the platform’s flexibility, facility information can be automatically populated based on the user credentials, saving your team time and frustration.

With Locus Platform’s waste management module you will also have real-time insight into your generator status. If your facility is expecting growth we can help you understand when you may reach small quantity generator status, setting up notifications when you approach the threshold limit. Forms will also automatically adapt to a change in status, prompting users to provide different data points when your generator status has changed. The new waste application is fully mobile-enabled to track container location and ensure storage compatibility in satellite accumulation areas. When paired with Locus’ EIM system, the tool can also track all of the waste sampling and characterization processes, and use that information directly to generate waste profiles.

“Waste management processes require coordination between EHS managers, field staff, laboratories, TSD facilities, and other parties. For compliance purposes, it is critical to make sure that information is exchanged correctly and comprehensively between all of these entities in a timely manner. The Locus Platform gives you the notifications, mobile tools, and reporting tools to make waste management processes seamless for any organization. For companies that need to characterize hazardous waste and track detailed analytical data for profiling, this solution integrates directly with the Locus EIM system, giving an expanded toolset for validating and reviewing laboratory data.” said J. Wesley Hawthorne, President of Locus.

The new TSCA law not REACH (in data requirements)

May 25, 2016/by Neno Duplan

After a bipartisan accord, the US Congress overhauled the 40-year-old Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), with legislation to give the EPA greater powers to regulate about 100 hazardous chemicals. This is the first major statutory update to US environmental law that’s been passed in over 25 years. On a 403-12 vote, the U.S. House of Representatives on 24 May 2016 approved bipartisan legislation to amend the key provisions of the TSCA.

Under existing law, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has succeeded in regulating only five toxic chemicals since 1976, prompting public health advocates to decry TSCA as broken. Part of the problem is that the law grants EPA only 90 days to decide whether a new chemical poses “unreasonable risk” before it can enter the market, and agency officials say they rarely get the toxicity data they need to make that call in time.

The compromise legislation will remove those procedural hurdles, require EPA to focus on “high priority” chemicals such as arsenic and asbestos, and give the agency new tools to collect data from companies. It also grandfathers in some existing state chemical safety laws, such as those enacted under California’s Proposition 65, but limits states’ authority to create their own restrictions on chemicals in the future. State pre-emption was a key point of contention between Democrats and Republicans during negotiations.

So how does the new TSCA law compare to the EU REACH program? REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemical substances) is a regulation of the European Union, adopted to improve the protection of human health and the environment from the risks that can be posed by chemicals. REACH also promotes alternative methods for the hazard assessment of substances to reduce the number of tests on animals. Under the REACH Regulation, companies are responsible for providing information on the hazards, risks and safe use of chemical substances that they manufacture or import.

One notable difference between REACH and TOSCA is how they support downstream users in implementing their chemicals management programs. Regarding knowing chemicals in products, REACH provides clear direction that downstream users must communicate uses up to suppliers and know and publicly disclose (if requested) if their product contains substances of very high concern (SVHC). The TSCA does essentially nothing to support downstream users in knowing chemicals in products and disclosing them to the public, and its requirements for upstream communication to suppliers on uses are uncertain.

Significantly, REACH requires companies to provide minimum data sets on the inherent hazards of chemicals. This data enables downstream users to evaluate and compare chemicals on their hazard characteristics. TSCA, while expanding the ability of the US EPA to require testing of chemicals, explicitly prohibits the agency from requiring minimum data sets.

While it is important to avoid the unnecessary testing of chemicals, it is also vital to have a data set on chemicals that enable their comparison on a common set of endpoints. The EPA needs the authority to establish a minimum data set on chemicals, although this may differ depending on the specific chemical.

On assessing the hazards of chemicals, the new US law falls short of REACH and impedes harmonizing European and US requirements for chemical testing. Given that most US chemical companies sell into the European market, and therefore are already meeting those requirements, it is inefficient and wasteful to establish a totally separate testing regime in the US.

To support the use of inherently safer chemicals, REACH provides a clear and more streamlined process for identifying and restricting SVHCs. Over the course of seven years, the Regulation has identified 161 Candidate SVHCs, while over five years, the US bill only requires the designation of 25 high priority chemicals and with new law extending that number to about 100 chemicals. Harmonization, consistency, and predictability are critical for downstream users, and these elements are all lacking in the new TSCA law.

Locus has been awarded by the Environmental Business Journal (EBJ) for a tenth year running!

February 3, 2016/by Rebekah David

Environmental Business Journal (EBJ) Recognizes Firms for Growth and Innovation in 2015

MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA–(Marketwired – February 02, 2016) — Locus Technologies announced today that Environmental Business Journal (EBJ), a business research publication which provides high value strategic business intelligence to the environmental industry, granted the company the 2015 award for Information Technology in the environmental and sustainability industry for the tenth year running.

Locus was recognized for continuing its strategic shift to configurable Multitenant pure Software as a Service (SaaS) EHS solutions and welcoming new, high profile customers. In 2015 Locus scored record revenue from Cloud software with annual growth over 20 percent. Locus also achieved a record renewal rate of 99 percent and signed up new customers including Shell Oil Company, Philips 66, Ameresco, California Dairies, Cemex, Frito-Lay, Genentech, Lockheed Martin, PPG Industries, United Airlines and US Pipe & Foundry. Locus also became the largest provider of SaaS environmental software to the commercial nuclear industry; currently over 50 percent of U.S. nuclear generating capacity uses Locus’ flagship product. Locus’ configurable Locus Platform gained momentum in 2015 with new implementations in the manufacturing, agricultural and energy sectors, including a major contract with Sempra Energy for greenhouse gas management and reporting.

“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 very proud and honored to receive the prestigious EBJ Information Technology award in environmental business for a tenth time. We feel it is a testament to our unwavering commitment and dedication to accomplish this level of recognition, especially now as we lead the market by providing robust solutions for the emerging space of cloud and mobile-based environmental information management,” said Neno Duplan, President and CEO of Locus Technologies.

The 2015 EBJ awards will be presented at a special ceremony at the Environmental Industry Summit XIV in San Diego, Calif. on March 9-11, 2016. The Environmental Industry Summit is an annual three-day executive retreat hosted by EBI Inc.