Integrating GIS and GPS Into Today’s Pipeline

Abstract

Today’s tools and technologies allow the pipeline industry to collect information and describe company pipeline assets in a productive way. Rooney Engineering, Inc. recently completed a 130-mile crude oil pipeline in the greater Los Angeles area of California with which wide ranges of technologies were utilized over an 8-year period. Review of all phases of this pipeline project offers a unique glimpse of managing and integrating traditional survey and Global Positioning System (GPS) techniques with a Geographic Information System (GIS). While the first portion of the project used traditional methods of photogrammetry and Computer Aided Drafting (CAD) to complete the conceptual design and construction drawings, the second portion utilized a combination of CAD, GIS and GPS technologies to assist the construction team during construction and as-built. Geographically organized data was later applied beyond the phases of pipeline construction; data was later used in one-call, contingency planning and emergency response. This paper will give an overview of the project, including pre-construction drawing preparation, construction zones, terrain types, political jurisdictions, and original staff assignments for data collection. The paper will discuss data dictionary design and management of collected field data, equipment and personnel requirements, and accuracy trade-off. The paper will examine the verification of data for attribute integrity and assignment of positional accuracy tags, along with specific methods of GPS and traditional data collection, while also exploring data management of incoming field data from multiple sources over an extensive timeline. Additionally, the paper will focus on the use of GIS to support construction monitoring and cost reconciliation analysis. Finally, we will review preparation of final drawings, summarize lessons learned, and discuss what the future offers in enhancing pipeline-mapping productivity.