NQGP Alliance reaps benefits by making data available to all office and field staff

The Australian Pipeliner — October 2004

One of the challenges faced by the NQGP Project was the implementation of a Project Information Management System (PIMS) that would ensure data integrity and traceability of all the Project records. Particular emphasis was placed on spatially accurate records (preferably captured electronically) in a format that would allow excellent information flow to all stakeholders and management.

The Project’s goal was to add value to the future asset by establishing systems that would retain the knowledge about their pipeline, facilities, easements, landowners, and environmental and cultural heritage issues from project inception and approval through to detailed engineering design and construction.

The NQGP Alliance’s Manager Environment and Lands Access Paul Maloney identified that at the end of the Project there would be a need to hand over a fully functional system to Operations that would allow them to:

• Deal with public enquiries on a daily basis

• Maintain pipeline records on an annual basis in compliance with industry standards

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• Help in the event of an emergency or incident

Due to the fast track nature of the approvals process it was decided that the Project should utilise reliable, existing, off the shelf software (refer to table) and processes with a proven track record in Australia. Research and development of software on a project with a tight timeline could add a level of risk that was considered unnecessary.

The software utilised was modular in structure and aided pipeline management by providing decision makers with extensive data capture and analysis capabilities, map display and reporting facilities for:

• Route selection and data capture

• Landowner, environmental and cultural heritage management

• Design Survey

• Risk Assessment Process

• Alignment Sheet Generation

• Pipeline & Facilities data integrity and materials traceability

• Construction administration and progress tracking

• Hydrostatic testing

• Risk management and emergency response

Information Management System (IMS) innovations on the NQGP included:

• Utilisation of one infrastructure (the intranet) to support the distribution of spatial information and key documents to all NQGP Alliance members. Benefits included:

• Full value from expensive GIS systems and databases

• Real time access to a central storage point of data ensuring everyone was on the same map

• Highly increased usability (simple point and click interface requiring minimum training)

• Anybody with a computer and Internet connection could easily access large volumes of geographic data without purchasing any GIS software

• Facilitation of knowledge and information sharing in the Project Team

• Considerable reduction in development time and cost in providing spatial information to decision makers.

• The purchase of high resolution satellite imagery (1 m Ikonas data from Space Imaging) which enabled:

• Establishment of an archive of cloud-free data covering the Project area

• In conjunction with ground survey data, the creation of an ortho-rectified digital elevation model

• Establishment of an environmental baseline prior to the commencement of construction

• Provision of a high resolution visualisation tool for use during the route selection, risk assessment and pipeline design processes; for alignment sheet generation and for resolution of planning and access issues associated with landowner, cultural heritage and environmental management

• A reduction in site visits as work could be completed from the user’s desktop

• The commitment to a Design Survey, with data collected by surveyors, ensuring that the information was seamlessly fed into the construction cost estimate, the risk assessment process, engineering design and alignment sheet generation

• Inclusion of the line list data on the reverse side of the 129 alignment sheets providing easy reference in the field

• Developing and implementing the Facilities Management System (FMS) concept, a development based on the Construction Management System (CMS); concepts developed and refined by Epic Energy for traceability of materials from procurement through to installation on-site (see also “keeping an eye on the pipe” article)

• Tracking the pipe from the steel plant to the pipeline

• Electronic data capture of such items as fuel and machinery usage and timesheet information

• Electronic recording of pipeline progress (e.g. survey, clear and grade, trenching, welding, lowering in, & reinstatement), enabling all users to check progress via the intranet.

The end result is the most comprehensive Australian pipeline dataset to date, fully integrated and delivered across the web and ready for Operations without the cost of expensive data reworks.

Mipela GIS has provided extensive in-house support in establishing and maintaining the PIMS\GIS database for the NQGP Project.

PIMS Project Software

Eddict\Data Capture: The EDDICT desktop application in conjunction with the Palm Data Capture application provided an integrated and powerful mechanism for defining the NQGP Project’s electronic data dictionary and electronically capturing data in the field.

Landowner Management System: An application that gathered, stored, displayed and reported on information pertaining to landowners, authorities and contacts associated with the pipeline infrastructure.

Risk Assessment Database: An application that allows: A MapInfo operator to feed in multiple points (fences, foreign crossing etc..) and lengths (farming land, Brigalow, etc.) and to overlay threats (design issues affecting whole pipeline); Do Risk Evaluation & Management linked to standard drawings and photos; Preparation of Risk Assessment Reports (Locational Analysis, Threat Analysis, Risk Evaluation, Risk Management) by Kilometre Point; and, Extraction of data to the Alignment Sheet application and export to the X-Info DataServer.

Alignment Sheet Generator: An automated mapping application that completely automated the production and maintenance of alignment sheets including the printing of the line list data on the reverse page in kilometre point order.

Construction Management System: A system that allowed the pipeline constructor to maintain data integrity, track progress, administer construction records, and produce reports in a digital format. An integral part of the pipeline construction database was the traceability of the pipe, coating and welding information, which was referenced to the relevant quality procedures ensuring pipeline integrity records.

Facility Management System: The Facility Management System utilised the facilities Isometric Drawings and associated Bill of Materials enabling the tracking and traceability of facility material items from procurement through to installation on-site.

MapInfo Professional: The desktop mapping software used by NQGP GIS Administrator for data input and analysis of geographical data and creation of map requests for the PIMS Users.

X-Info FileServer: An innovative solution for Intranet/Internet document management enabling users to publish documents across their organisation’s Intranet, to their customers across the Internet or to clients on a CD-Rom. The NQGP Project used the system to provide team members with access to all the maps generated during the Project.

X-Info DataServer: A unique interactive web mapping spatial data viewer enabling users to publish interactive map data (vendor independent) and documents across their organisation’s Intranet or to their customers across the Internet. The system provided the NQGP Project with the ability to view and/or query data, measure distances, hotlink to photos, reports and facility drawings and print customised maps.

Appeared in issue: The Australian Pipeliner - October 2004 The Australian Pipeliner — October 2004