Track: Energy Transmission
GIS for the Millennium: Maximizing GIS Utility for Environmental Assessment on a Large Pipeline Project
Stephen E. GouldLinda Shumway , Lisa Keck, Rick Hall Columbia Gas Transmission 265 Industrial Park Drive - Door #7 P.O. Box 2002 Binghamton NY 13902
As part of the recently proposed 422-mile natural gas pipeline, known as the Millennium Pipeline, to be located in Pennsylvania and New York, over two gigabytes of environmental GIS data (shapefiles and coverages) were developed. These data were used as part of an effort to submit a Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) Environmental Report. The sources for these data included GPS collected field data, ready-to-use Internet data, and data from various other sources. These data were processed and spatially analyzed using ArcInfo and ArcView GIS software. The results of these FERC-required analyses were exported to a Microsoft Access database for final data tabulation and production of data tables for the Environmental Report. The project required that these data be submitted to the FERC five months after the initiation of data collection. To develop the report on schedule required the utilization of a number of efficiencies in the data collection, analysis, and reporting processes. These efficiencies were obtained in the hardware and software used for the project, as well as maximizing work skills and teamwork on the project staff.
Stephen E. Gould
GAI Consultants, Inc.
570 Beatty Road
Monroeville, PA 15146
USA
Telephone: 412 856 6400
Fax: 412 856 4970
E-mail: SEG1000@aol.com