Often, the task of collection scheduling, efficient route preparation and other pre-test activities is separated from in-laboratory testing and activities performed on water and wastewater samples. The benefits of combining all these processes and managing them in a single Laboratory Information Management System such as SampleManager LIMS™ from Thermo Electron Corporation, are numerous.

SampleManager one of the most-used LIMS in the world with approximately 50 water and wastewater customers worldwide, automates the tedious and complex pre-testing regimen which includes scheduling of sample collection to comply with regulatory guidelines, determination of sample locations and efficient planning of collection routes to avoid wasted time, and even which bottle types the test agent should take into the field to collect the samples, eliminating guesswork and errors.

This is matched with functionality to manage and automate in-laboratory sample/bottle tracking, testing, regulatory compliance verification, reporting and archival of data, particularly to adhere to regulations. Because organizations that inspect the potable water supply and wastewater discharge are closely regulated, SampleManager for the water industry is developed as a commercial-off-the-shelf solution equipped with necessary functionality – out of the box – to serve these industries, especially with regard to compliance.

Users can easily configure the system to observe and track such requirements as plastic versus glass collection bottles, whether a sample must be tested within 24 hours or not allowed to sit overnight. While potable water samples can be tested to determine if they are within allowable levels for identified contaminants, other samples can be tested to determine what, if any, unknown contaminants might be present.

SampleManager is also designed to manage such field results as water temperature, odor and taste. SampleManager 9.0, scheduled to be released in Q2 2006, features a new interface that enables users to organize and review data more easily. Built on the Microsoft® .NET framework, this next release can be extended by the use of internal tools or market-leading open standard tools that support C# and .NET. This supports Thermo's strategy to provide solutions based on open standards.