Know what's in
every batch.
Before it ships.
Liquid Symbol turns a phone photo into a timestamped, geotagged, tamper-evident quality record — the documentation layer your composting operation needs for certification prep, buyer requirements, and peace of mind. Computer-vision-powered quality assessment and contamination detection, automatically documented, across your entire operation.
The documentation layer
for compost quality.
Today, quality assessment at commercial composting facilities relies on manual inspection — labor-intensive, inconsistent, and undocumented. Liquid Symbol replaces that with an automatic documentation layer: every inspection becomes a structured, timestamped record, computer vision flags problems before product ships, and operators always know exactly what's happening in every pile.
Documentation, automatically
Every inspection becomes a timestamped, photo-documented record — organized to support your STA certification prep, buyer audits, and CalRecycle recordkeeping, without the manual paperwork.
Continuous assessment
Every pile, every batch — tracked automatically over its full composting cycle, not just spot-checked at the end.
Contamination caught early
Automated detection of plastic film, glass, and non-compostable materials — before they reach a customer or damage your reputation.
Ship with confidence
Know exactly when each batch is ready. Reduce over-processing, eliminate guesswork, and stand behind the quality of every load you sell.
A smartphone photo.
An instant QA report.
An operator photographs a pile or windrow and VCAT returns an automated, timestamped QA report in seconds — quality indicators documented and organized to support your own recordkeeping and certification prep.
How it works
Photograph the pile or windrow
Use any phone camera. The app guides you through three representative angles of the compost surface.
The system assesses quality
Computer vision analyzes maturity, contamination, particle size distribution, and feedstock characteristics from the photos.
The QA report is ready on your phone
A timestamped, geotagged, tamper-evident report is generated directly on the device — export it as a PDF for your own records, or keep it as part of your certification prep.
Monitor your facility in the Customer Portal
Every report syncs automatically to a web-based Customer Portal — view quality scores on a live satellite map, track each pile's history over time, flag contamination events, and export a summary of your assessment history for your own records.
Step 01 — Capture
The app guides the operator through three representative angles of the compost surface.
Step 03 — QA Report
A tamper-evident, photo-documented PDF report generated on the phone — ready to export or file for your own certification prep.
Reports list · Pile history
Contamination log · Report verification
Step 04 — Customer Portal
Every report syncs to the Customer Portal — quality scores on a live satellite map, pile-by-pile history, and a tamper-evident verification record for every report.
Every report is
cryptographically verifiable.
Every VCAT report is hashed with SHA-256 and timestamped at capture — nothing can be altered after the fact without detection. Our public verification tool checks a report's integrity independently, no account required.
If a correction is ever needed, it's recorded in a permanent, attributed audit trail — never silently overwritten. The full history of every report stays visible.
Try Report Verification arrow_forwardSHA-256 integrity hash
Every report is fingerprinted the moment it's generated — any later alteration is immediately detectable.
Permanent, attributed audit trail
Corrections are appended, not overwritten — every edit is logged with who made it, when, and why.
Independently checkable
Anyone with a report ID can verify its integrity through our public tool — no login, no dependency on us vouching for it after the fact.
One score.
Five indicators.
Every one of these is assessed visually, from the same three photos an operator already takes.
Maturity Score
Visual indicators of decomposition stage — ready to ship, or more time needed.
Presence of Contamination
Detection of plastic film, glass, and visible non-compostable materials in the batch.
Particle Size Distribution
Assessment of whether particle sizing meets application-grade specifications for your market.
Visibility of Feedstock Materials
Assessment of how discernible individual feedstock fragments remain — an indicator of decomposition progress.
Uniformity of the Compost
Flags anaerobic patches, moisture inconsistencies, and other irregularities across the pile.
Straightforward pricing,
built around your facility.
VCAT is priced to scale with your operation — from small facilities running occasional checks to large, multi-site operations. Every tier works from the phone you already carry — no hardware to install to get started.
Starter
Up to 3 seats · 1 facility
For smaller facilities getting started with documented QA.
- — Unlimited scans and reports
- — Automatic timestamped documentation
- — PDF export for your records
- — Basic quality dashboard
Pro
Up to 10 seats · 1 facility
For certified or multi-operator facilities.
- — Everything in Starter
- — Pile and batch history tracking
- — Multi-user access for your team
- — Assessment summary exports
Enterprise
Unlimited seats · multi-site
For large or multi-site operations.
- — Everything in Pro
- — Multi-site account management
- — API access and integrations
- — Dedicated support
- — Mounted camera & drone capture (planned)
Need more seats? Add a seat to Starter or Pro for $35/mo — no need to jump tiers.
Pilot program participants get full access to every tier's capabilities at no cost during the pilot period. Learn about the pilot program →
Twelve months of VCAT,
on us.
Here's what we ask in return.
We're working with a small number of commercial composting facilities to refine VCAT's technology under real field conditions — and to build the next generation of our computer vision models.
In exchange for full software access at no cost for twelve months, we ask for two things: that you use VCAT for your own inspections, and that our team makes occasional visits to your site to photograph additional angles and conditions for our computer vision research. No purchase commitment. No equity or ownership offered.
What you get
- — Full VCAT software access, free for 12 months
- — Automatic, timestamped documentation of every inspection
- — A 15% discount if you subscribe after the pilot
What we ask
- — Use VCAT for your facility's own quality inspections
- — Occasional site visits from our team to photograph additional angles for our research
- — A brief monthly check-in call
No strings
- — No purchase commitment
- — No equity or ownership offered
- — Exit the program any time
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 learn more about the pilot program, 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