ARCO Pipe Line (APL) generates revenue by moving liquids and gasses from point A to point B. Once marketing identifies a new revenue opportunity, a Business Development Analyst determines if an APL pipeline route exists to take advantage of the opportunity. If not, could APL construct a new connection between existing pipelines? Or, is there a competitor's pipeline available for lease or purchase? The planner answered these questions with a combination of an intimate knowledge of APL's pipelines, industry-specific publications, and bartered information about other companies' pipelines.
APL, along with M. J. Harden and Associates, developed a Visual Basic / MapObjects GIS application to assist with this analysis process. "Pipe Detective" contains every pipeline route and petroleum related facility (marine terminals, tank farms, refineries, and truck racks) in the Los Angeles Basin. Integrated into the system are satellite and aerial photos; pipeline specifications and status; street and address data; and facility capacity details. Using "Pipe Detective" the analyst can query for a specific pipeline and facility configuration. Or, query for pipelines within a specific radius of a location. If a new connection is required, the program provides tools to measure, draw, and label the proposed routes.