From Imaging to Engineering: Lowering Costs and Increasing Decision Power with Digital Imagery and Geographic Information Systems

Satellite imagery and geospatial information systems represent major opportunities for cost reduction. Combining these technologies into a new approach to routing is termed the Geotechnology Route Planning Process (GRPP). This process is used to simulate the environment through which a pipeline is to be constructed. The simulation provides managers, engineers, and designers with the ability to build pipelines in the best possible location as efficiently as possible by minimizing unknowns, saving time, and projecting costs with a higher level of accuracy.

The GRPP builds a comprehensive knowledge base to manage and distribute information to project team members. Much of this information is derived from satellite imagery, including information on terrain, land use and land cover, infrastructure, surface geology, environmentally and culturally sensitive areas, and populated places. This information is combined with other pertinent information into a geospatial information system (GIS). The GIS is used to store, manage, analyze, access, and display information relating to the project. It is also used to communicate status of the project at any point in time.

The following steps define the GRPP:

1. Define project goals and objectives
2. Acquire and develop data
3. Qualitatively evaluate and document project values
4. Define the corridors
5. Test the corridors
6. Quantify and compare routes

Introduction

The trend toward greater regulation and increasingly large and complex international pipeline development projects is imposing a change in methodology for the pipeline planning process. Pressure is being exerted on managers to make informed and defensible decisions throughout the entire development process, from the early business development stage through construction. The power to make informed and defensible decisions will come from ready access to accurate, reliable, and comprehensive information. Recent advances in geotechnology have enabled development of a new methodology for the pipeline planning process that provides managers with the requisite decision power and results in lower costs and greater efficiencies at all stages of the development process.

There are three primary factors that influence decision power: 1) the ability to make a decision quickly; 2) the ability to access accurate, reliable, comprehensive information; and 3) the ability to document the logic and defend a decision. The growing competitive environment will require that companies embrace new technologies in order to increase their decision power. This will necessitate a change in the internal decision-making process.

The geotechnological approach integrates geospatial information systems with information derived from satellite and aerial imagery to simulate the environment through which a pipeline is to be constructed. This simulation provides managers, engineers, and designers with the ability to build pipelines in the best possible location as efficiently as possible by minimizing unknowns, saving time, and projecting costs with a higher level of accuracy.

The use of geospatial technology calls for a new role to be created to facilitate the process. This new role, the project information manager, is outside the domain of the engineering designer and the traditional business manager. The project information manager is tasked with creating and providing access to an information resource that contains all of the project data and is available to the pipeline management team on a real time basis. The information generated throughout the development process will serve the life of the project, providing a continuous and adaptive source of knowledge about the facility and its surrounding environment.

This paper describes the technical aspects of selecting a pipeline route and how new geospatial technologies can contribute to lower costs, increased efficiencies, and defensible decision-making. As geospatial data become more prevalent, they will also contribute to the assessment of regions and markets, allowing the user to compete effectively in a complex international environment.

The Geotechnology Route Planning Process

The expansion of global development is creating new opportunities for the economic transportation of natural gas and oil products across long distances. Frequently these projects cross national boundaries and diverse cultural and environmental zones. Increased awareness of environmental issues and concerns for ageing pipelines increases the need to know as much as possible about the systems and the environment in which they are built.

Pipelines are conceived and constructed to minimize risk to the public and the environment; managers and designers must accomplish these objectives within reasonable cost limitations. Although the projects will be in service for many decades, the timeframes required for design and approval are shortening. Maximizing public safety, minimizing environmental risk and achieving the highest levels of engineering quality are viewed as competitive values held by pipeline proponents and the public. Establishing a rational framework in which to consider these factors allows pipeline managers, designers and the public a means to evaluate and compare alternative plans.

Both the public approval process and project developers require timely and accurate information to move quickly and accurately from one stage to the next. The Geotechnology Route Planning Process (GRPP) facilitates the efficient management and distribution of knowledge and information. As a consequence, knowledge and information acquired during the early stages of the project contribute to the decisions made during the following stages. Properly designed, this process results in a defensible series of decisions and the comprehensive reasoning behind the location of the pipeline.

Building and Managing the Knowledge Base

The primary function of geotechnology in the process is to collect, organize, manage, analyze, and provide access to information that influences the engineering process. The key information that is included tells engineers, planners, and managers what to avoid, what to take advantage of, and what problems may be encountered along the route. Traditional methods of planning typically obtain project information from paper maps that are often out of date and of questionable accuracy. The following is a representative cross-section of thematic information layers that are typically used in the GRPP:

1. Terrain

Terrain information is one of the most critical data sets for route planning because it has the greatest influence on the cost of the pipeline. Traditional methods of route planning may consider terrain and obtain these data from paper maps or existing digital elevation or terrain models.

2. Land Use / Land Cover

Land use and land cover are important for understanding the existing status of the landscape and provide insights into the processes that have shaped its current condition. Land use / land cover is traditionally only considered in a rudimentary fashion from paper maps.

3. Infrastructure

Knowledge of infrastructure is important because existing infrastructure may represent an advantageous or disadvantageous location for a new pipeline.

4. Surface Geology

Engineers and designers can build a better cost model for the proposed pipeline if surface geology is considered during the early stages of the planning process.

5. Habitats

Sensitive ecological zones and protected habitats are areas to avoid for most pipelines. These areas typically are not available from paper maps and usually are not considered until much later in the planning process.

6. Culturally significant sites and areas

These areas are in the same avoidance category as Habitats and are also rarely considered until the later stages of the traditional planning process.

7. Populated Places

Satellite imagery can be used to create information that is directly usable by engineers and has several advantages over more traditional methods of information collection and derivation. Most significantly, satellite data provide:

• Worldwide Coverage

• Up-to-date Information

• Cost Effective Information

• Critical Information

The two primary types of satellite imagery in use for pipeline planning are optical imagery and radar imagery. Optical sensors acquire data in the visible and infrared portions of the spectrum. Oftentimes, these data are analogous to high-altitude aerial photography with the added benefit of additional information from the infrared spectrum that is not depicted in visible imagery or photography.

Some optical sensors are designed to acquire both orthographic images and images that allow for stereo compilation and extraction of digital elevation data; however, these images often are acquired with a wide variety of look angles that influence the ability to create consistent and accurate elevation data.

Figure 1 shows the many choices of satellite data that are applicable to route planning and are currently available or projected to be available by the end of year 2000. It is anticipated that over 25 additional launches are planned for the period 2001 to 2005.

Figure 1. Table listing primary satellites, operational and planned 2000 launches, that provide data appropriate for pipeline route planning.

 One of the most widely used and cost effective sensors for large regionally oriented planning exercises is the Landsat 7 ETM sensor. This instrument acquires data that provide insights to water, wetlands, agriculture, forests, geology and cultural features. Figure 2 is an example of a Landsat 7 ETM color composite accompanied by a land use / land cover map generated from the data.

Figure 2. Landsat 7 ETM image of Bremerton, Washington. Acquired fall of 1999. The map on the right illustrates land cover mapped using spectral response of the Landsat visible and near infrared bands.

Radar imagery has proven useful for providing information regarding surface conditions as well as terrain. Unlike optical sensors that depend upon solar radiation, radar instruments are active; that is, they transmit energy in the radar wavelengths and receive reflections from the earth's surface. The benefit of this technology is that it provides an all-time, all-weather capability. Longer wavelength radar instruments are capable of penetrating even the thickest cloud cover and studies have proven them capable of penetrating thick sand cover in desert environments. Figure 3 is a radar image of a tropical area that experienced significant cloud cover on the day of acquisition.

Figure 3. Radarsat image of a coastal region in Indonesia. The image was acquired while thick cloud cover obscured most of the region to optical sensors. Copyright Radarsat International.

Terrain can also be generated by the relatively new technique of radar interferometry. This process can produce relative elevation models as well as detecting very small changes in elevation over a period of time. Route planners can use this capability to identify potentially unstable slopes and areas at risk for liquefaction during large seismic events. Figure 4 illustrates the quality of terrain acquired through interferometric techniques from the recent Shuttle Radar Topography Mission.

Figure 4. Perspective view of Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia, using topography collected through interferometric process by Shuttle Radar Topography Mission. Courtesy of NASA and JPL.

Radar imagery has also been used successfully for mapping underwater features such as sand waves and coral reefs in the near shore environment. For pipelines making landfall, this process is useful in saving nearshore sonar costs and increasing the confidence in the placement of the pipeline as it comes ashore.

Traditional aerial photography continues to fill an important role in all pipeline development projects.  New Global Positioning Systems and Lidar topographic mapping systems produce an integrated and accurate base for early field reconnaissance and detailed engineering mapping. New, integrated solutions are being developed to provide operations and health and safety personnel with cost saving techniques.

BG Technology and Integrated Statistical Solutions Ltd. have developed an integrated process for managing and monitoring existing pipelines using aerial imaging technology and geospatial information systems (Fraser, et al, 1999). Designed to improve pipeline management activities, the system has been demonstrated to save time and improve the quality of pipeline information.

The approach is designed to serve the following needs:

• Monitor corridor encroachment by urbanization
• Identify high traffic areas
• Perform  maximum permissible operating pressure (MPOP) verification studies

The MPOP studies are carried out in four yearly audits of pipelines in the UK. The integrated approach allows for the display of all compiled data related to the pipeline. These data include high resolution aerial imagery, existing strip map information, and all pipeline attributes such as diameter, wall thickness, pipe type, material, grade, protection, etc. Software models have been developed to produce automatic generation of building proximity distances, population densities along the pipeline, crossing analysis, and regulatory design criteria performance.

Cost savings benefits have been realized from the decreasing cost of computing technologies, commoditization of geographic imaging data, increased accuracy, increased survey size, and its applicability to new pipeline routing projects.

The Geospatial Information System (GIS) is the power behind the technique. In the Geotechnology Route Planning Process, the GIS performs multiple functions. Most importantly it is used for:

• the storage and management of all project data;
• addressing the issues that relate to project development;
• the spatial statistical analysis of the relationships between the pipeline and its environment; and
• access, display and communication of the status of the project at any point in time.

Geospatial Information systems are rapidly evolving and moving away from technically demanding workstation environments. Advances in object based programming enable the creation of component programs capable of running on low cost desktop PC's and "thin clients" that access data and perform analysis remotely over the internet.

The key to successful GIS systems is defining the data structure or object model for a particular requirement, such as a pipeline, at the earliest possible opportunity. The goal is to build intelligent models that essentially create pipelines that are self aware- allowing changes in the environment or the pipeline to automatically update all spatial and non-spatial information.

The Process

The traditional process of route planning is relatively inflexible and does not take advantage of technological developments that allow ready access to vast stores of information. Oftentimes, how decisions are made is poorly documented and information is obtained from a few key individuals. This situation often results in a high probability of cost overruns, delays, and problems gaining necessary approvals and permits.

The power of the GRPP is that the process is flexible and dynamic. This flexibility provides managers and engineers with the ability to anticipate and accommodate changing project conditions. As a result, significant cost reductions are introduced as efficiencies are increased, time delays are minimized, field expenses are reduced, and effective communication assists in securing the necessary approvals and permits.

The following section describes the major steps in the GRPP compared to how a route is planned from a traditional point of view.

1. Define project goals and objectives. This is a mandatory process in the GRPP since the goals and objectives bear directly on decision matrices defined in later stages of the process. Traditionally this information may not be communicated effectively to the entire project team. By clearly defining project goals and objectives, potential conflicts can be avoided.
2. Acquire and develop data. This step builds the knowledge base to support the decision and route planning process. Appropriate satellite imagery, maps, and other data are acquired. Essential thematic information layers are documented and derived. The project data standards are defined, the database created, and the analytical processes programmed into the system. During this step of the traditional process, hundreds, if not thousands, of pieces of information are generated across the project team and usually are only accessible to the people who generate them. When a company makes a commitment to a geospatial solution, they are committing to a comprehensive data structure that will allow sharing of information throughout the team and throughout the life of the project.
3. Qualitatively evaluate and document project values. This is a team-based exercise in which the project team defines features that represent opportunities, constraints, and exclusion areas. This exercise produces the routing matrix that contains values and weights for each of the features. A prime benefit of this exercise is that it affords the members of the team an opportunity to raise and address potentially conflicting points of view across the process. This is typically not done in the traditional sense.
4. Define the corridors. Traditionally, a single route is drawn by hand on paper maps. This automatically creates a static and non-retrievable form of information. With the geotechnology method, the multidisciplinary value matrix is used in the modeled environment to create a composite map that defines a range of suitability for the pipeline route. This allows managers to define suitable corridors as well as a definitive route. Rather than a single immovable route, the GRPP operates on the concept of regions that are suitable for routes.
5. Test the corridors. At this point in the process, managers have the capability to alter points of view to anticipate various public and regulatory values that could be encountered in a public approval process. The altered point of view changes the values and weights in the suitability matrix, immediately quantifying the effect of imposed changes. Traditionally, changes to the route are little more than lines on the map with insufficient knowledge of how changes to the lines affect costs or other factors.
6. Quantify and compare routes. Using the GRPP, all members of the team have the ability to nearly instantaneously quantify and compare the routes under consideration. This capability promotes a higher level of collaboration among team members and more efficient decision-making since the consequences of the decisions are immediately understood as information is delivered in near-real time.

The Contribution to Lowered Costs

All pipeline development projects include lowering costs as one of the primary goals and objectives. The challenge for managers is to preserve the basic tenets of maximizing public safety, minimizing environmental risk, and achieve the highest level of engineering quality at the same time. Most companies acknowledge several ways in which this can be achieved.

• Increase productivity - achieve goals with less resources
• Increase efficiency - reduce time constraints
• Make better decisions - base decisions on knowledge and information, not the lack of it
• Increase the competitive profile - know costs relative to requirements; lower the contingency factor
• Shorten the approval process for projects - increase the defensibility of decisions

The geotechnology approach, by its very design, addresses each of these cost saving factors. Productivity and efficiency are both increased by providing ready access to project information to all team members from the very beginning of the project. Decision power is increased by early stage access to the knowledge base, by providing the ability to anticipate change and by quantifying the effect of that change in near-real time. The competitive profile is increased for the same reasons. Companies that have chosen this approach have reported shortened approval times when regulatory agencies are presented with documentation illustrating a process of informed decision-making.

Geotechnology presents opportunities to address two other issues important to companies competing in a complex international environment. One is preserving the confidentiality of a company's activities. New venture managers evaluate a large range of projects to qualify and select projects for investment by the company. Traditional project development entails making inquiries, and making contacts within target countries. Gaining information from satellite imagery restricts knowledge about a company's activities, an important element in preserving options and strategic opportunities.

The second opportunity is the opportunity to reduce risk. Early stage project development in remote and unstable environments presents challenges to project sponsors to acquire sufficient knowledge about field conditions. Limiting the time and number of personnel in these situations is clearly in the project manager's best interest as long as important decisions can be made with reasonable confidence. Satellite imagery can be used to gain insight and knowledge of the environment prior to fieldwork; this contributes to lowered costs and reduced risk by minimizing personnel and time in the field.

Future Trends

Advances in geotechnology are taking place at a rapid pace. This represents both a challenge and opportunity for companies to take advantage of improvements brought about by the advancement and by the greater awareness on the part of regulatory agencies that the new technologies promote.

Near-term influences include:

• Faster access

• Real-time project management

• Integration with Cost Modeling

• Increased regulatory documentation

• Increased sophistication and awareness of public constituencies

• Deregulation and competition