Know what's in every batch.
Before it ships.
VCAT turns phone photos of a compost pile into a scored, dated quality record. Compare incoming loads. Check each batch before it ships. Track every batch from start to finish, and compare batch histories to see what a change in blend, watering schedule or turning did.
Put a number on what you see.
Today, quality at a composting facility is judged by eye, by whoever is on shift, and rarely written down. That makes it hard to compare one load with another, or this month's batch with last month's. VCAT scores what the camera sees and keeps the record, so you can make those comparisons, even years later.
How contaminated is this pile?
VCAT reports the percentage of a pile's visible surface that is likely plastic, metal or glass, in incoming feedstock and in finished compost. Compare incoming loads.
IndicatorContamination
filter_altHow coarse is this batch?
VCAT estimates the share of the visible surface in each particle size class. Check every batch, not only the sample you send to the lab.
IndicatorParticle size
compare_arrowsWhich batch turned out better?
Follow maturity and decomposition through each batch's life. Compare batch histories to see how fast each batch matured and how far it got, after a change in blend, watering schedule or turning.
IndicatorsColor-based maturity · Feedstock decomposition
One score, five indicators. Every report combines these four with a fifth, uniformity: how even the compost's color is across the pile. A low uniformity score points to something worth a closer look, such as uneven moisture or anaerobic patches, without saying which.
VCAT's scores are visual indicators estimated from photographs. They are for tracking a pile over time and comparing loads and batches. They are not laboratory results and do not replace laboratory testing.
At the gate and at the finish · Contamination
How contaminated is this pile?
Photograph an incoming load or a finished batch. VCAT flags likely plastic, metal and glass and reports the percentage of the pile's visible surface they cover, so you can compare incoming loads and check product before it ships. Every result is filed with its photo, date and location.
A photo-based estimate of visible surface, not a contamination test by weight. Flags mark items for a closer look; they are not confirmed contaminants. The percentage on each red label is the model's confidence in that flag, not the share of the pile.
After the screen · Particle size
How coarse is this batch?
VCAT estimates how much of the visible surface is made up of particles in each size class. Check every batch, see when one comes out coarser than the last, and keep a dated record for each.
A photo-based estimate, not a laboratory sieve analysis.
In the office · Batch comparison
See what a process change did to the batch.
Trying a different feedstock blend, watering schedule or turning frequency? Every report syncs to the web portal, which charts each batch from formation on. Put the batch you changed beside one you didn't and compare how fast each matured and how far it got, even if they ran months apart.
Open the portal arrow_forward
Compare batches, lined up by days since formation
Every pile on a map, scored
Each batch's history: decomposition, temperature and turns
Three photos, and the results are on your phone.
No sensors or cameras to install. An operator photographs the pile; VCAT scores the photos and files the report.
Photograph the pile
The app guides you through three photos: one overview and two close-ups.
See the results
Five quality indicators appear on your phone in seconds, with no signal needed.
Keep the report
Each assessment is saved as a dated report with its photos and scores.
Compare in the portal
Reports sync to the web portal, where each batch is charted over time and batches can be compared.
Photograph the pile
Results in seconds
Report saved
On file · The reports
A record, not a recollection.
Every assessment becomes a timestamped, tamper-evident report with its photos and scores. Any batch's reports can be pulled into one summary.
A record nobody can quietly change. Each report is fingerprinted when it is made, so any later alteration can be detected. Corrections are added to the record, never written over it. When you take a contamination problem back to a hauler, you are holding a dated record, not a memory.
A report for every assessment
A summary for every batch
Straightforward pricing,
built around your facility.
Priced by the size of your facility. Every plan includes every VCAT feature: unlimited assessments, full pile and batch history, and the web portal for your whole team. No per-user fees and no hardware to buy.
Small
Under 2,000 tons a year
Mid-size
2,000–20,000 tons a year
Large
Over 20,000 tons a year
Multi-site
More than one facility
Every plan includes
- — Unlimited assessments and reports
- — Every quality indicator VCAT measures
- — Pile and batch history
- — Web portal access for your whole team
- — Timestamped, tamper-evident reports with PDF and CSV export
- — Unlimited users
- — The VCAT app for iPhone; no other hardware to buy or install
Prices shown are billed annually. Month-to-month is available at $299 / $599 / from $1,799.
Running more than one site? Contact us for multi-site pricing.
On our roadmap: mounted-camera and drone capture, to be offered as add-ons.
Building tools for
the organic materials
management industry.
Liquid Symbol builds quality assessment and documentation technology for commercial composting facilities. Our tools are designed for the practical realities of the field — phone cameras, real facility conditions, and operators who need answers quickly.
Liquid Symbol LLC is registered in the state of California.
Matthew Woods, PhD
Matthew is the founder and lead developer at Liquid Symbol. He brings over twenty years of experience in computer vision and machine learning to the problem of industrial organic materials quality assessment.
Questions, partnership inquiries, or just want to talk composting? Reach out below.
Let's talk
about your
facility.
Whether you want to see VCAT in action, ask about how the technology works, or discuss your facility's QA workflow — we want to hear from you.
171 Branham Ln, Ste 10 POB 1049
San Jose, CA 95136