Tag Archive for: Drinking Water

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.

EIM screenshot of sample planning edit form with email notification and calendars popouts

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

Locus Mobile

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.

Locus training and support

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

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.

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.

EIM screenshot of sample planning edit form with email notification and calendars popouts

 

 

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.

Screenshots of sample planning module with form and environmental reporting output

 

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.

Locus Mobile

 

Analytical Results GridAll 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.

 

 

Locus sample planning module with configurable calendars and email notifications

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.

 

 

Environmental data management and environmental reporting software- EIM screenshot in labGain 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.

 

 

Locus EIM - Lab invoice trackingMake 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

 

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.

Locus GIS+ Analytical Query

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.

Locus GIS+ Analytical Query Map

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.

Locus GIS+ label styles

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

Locus GIS+ label styles

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.

Locus GIS+ contours

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.

Locus GIS+ saved chlorine map

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.

Screenshot of Locus GIS location clustering functionalitySee 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

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Taking the next steps

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

  1. Make sure your environmental data system has integrated mapping options.
  2. 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:
  3. Start with a few easy maps—and build from there.

Happy  mapping!

Improving Arsenic detection and keeping it out of drinking water

Arsenic, a naturally occurring element, is one of the many drinking water contaminants actively monitored by drinking water systems because it can result in adverse health conditions, including an increased risk for a range of cancers. U.S. EPA and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) are joining forces to launch the Arsenic Sensor Prize Competition for the development of new technology to detect arsenic in water. If you are interested in participating you can read more here:

https://blog.epa.gov/blog/2016/09/were-sensing-a-change-in-water-monitoring-introducing-the-arsenic-sensor-prize-competition/

The use of arsenic as a poison is widely documented. As a result, many people are alarmed when they hear that their drinking water, either from a public or private water system, may contain any amount of arsenic. Exposure to arsenic in drinking water at the level the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) currently deems as safe in the United States (10 parts per billion) still may induce adverse health outcomes. The U.S. EPA recently lowered the Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) for arsenic to 10 µ/L in public water supplies—a regulated level that is considered “safe” for a lifetime of exposure—yet concentrations of 100 µ/L and higher are commonly found in private, unregulated well water in regions where arsenic is geologically abundant, including upper New England (Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine), Florida, and large parts of the Upper Midwest, the Southwest, and the Rocky Mountains.

Arsenic is a natural component of the earth’s crust and is widely distributed throughout the environment in the air, water and land. It is highly toxic in its inorganic form.

Arsenic in drinking water.

Measuring and testing for arsenic require expensive instruments and lab work, as well as time. However, with new and emerging technologies, a more efficient arsenic monitoring technology could help to improve the monitoring system, reduce costs, and better protect human health and the environment. Typically, samples are sent to a laboratory for analysis, with results available days to weeks later. New technology could accelerate this process by allowing for immediate detection of arsenic in water. This could reduce monitoring costs and help water utilities more effectively control treatment to remove arsenic from the drinking water supply.
The Arsenic Sensor Prize Competition aims to improve the existing process with upcoming and emerging technology. The competition is not exclusively restricted to sensor developers but seeks applicants from all fields, including information technology. For example, besides sensor technologies, a new data collection and transmission technologies such as Internet of Things (IoT) can also accelerate water quality characterization process or better data management, visualization, and reporting via cloud-based SaaS technologies. Applicant criteria include anyone with ideas for how to rapidly, accurately, and cost-effectively measure arsenic in water.

Locus Technologies is a software company that specializes in providing a SaaS-based solution for water quality management. Arsenic is one of  a key and prolific contaminants in our vast water quality databases. We have a keen interest in supporting this excellent and timely competition to help find a way to automate detection and data collection of arsenic and other contaminants in real time. To help shed some light on the  importance of arsenic in drinking water, we performed a quick check on a total number of arsenic records, hits, and locations across all customers in Locus SaaS EIM (Yes multi-tenant SaaS as otherwise, this statistic would be impossible to gather). This is what we found:

Total number of analytical records: >520,000,000
Number of Arsenic Records: 248,850
Number of Arsenic hits (above action limit MCL of 10 µ/L): 112,597
Number of Arsenic locations: 19,304

If you have ideas and  are interested in helping protect our nation’s drinking water, Locus encourages you to participate. We will have a special prize for the winner.

San Jose Water Company: Water quality and environmental compliance are critical business functions

Our new customer, San Jose Water Company, is deploying our Locus EIM and Locus Mobile solutions to consolidate and manage its water sampling and environmental compliance data. The keyword  for SJWC is “consolidate”. San Jose Water’s challenge was to consolidate its 12+ data silos into one comprehensive solution with the capabilities to provide a tighter, more integrated system.

SJWC determined that Locus EIM and Locus Mobile provided the right solution. Francois Rodigari, the director of Water Quality and Environmental Services at San Jose Water said it best: “Water quality and environmental compliance are critical business functions at San Jose Water Company.  …for the first time, the ability to consolidate and access critical information on data related to water quality and environmental compliance in a single repository based on a cloud platform. This comprehensive view of our water system will help us to comprehensively manage all data related to drinking water and environmental compliance, and as a result, bring higher efficiency to our organization.”

Thank you SJWC!

Tag Archive for: Drinking Water

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