The oil and gas industry benefits from GIS as a data integrator in three areas: data-driven alignment sheets and data viewers, operations and maintenance activities, and asset management.
FREMONT, CA: Departing are the days where one has to shuffle through a pile of printed alignment drawings to find permit data or the soil structure in a boring along a pipeline path. Owner or operators in the oil and gas industry have been using Geospatial Information Systems (GIS) technology for years and is becoming the standard in a data-driven trade looking for the ease of digital access.
Employment of GIS in the Oil and Gas Industry
GIS models the geography of a feature along with the information about that feature, so both can be accessed by computer systems when desired. For instance, in a GIS web viewer or desktop application, a wetland can be shown concerning other geographic features. Clicking on that wetland, however, shows embedded data like wetland type and sub-type; date measured, and measured size. In-depth analyses can be run against any arrangement of these geographic or informational attributes to answer questions more quickly and efficiently than with static drawings.
GIS has emerged as an integrating platform to make pertinent types of data understandable and accessible. The instance improves collaboration and, eventually, decision-making.
The oil and gas industry benefits from GIS as a data integrator in three areas:
1. Data-driven alignment sheets and data viewers
2. Operations and maintenance activities
3. Asset Management
Advantages of Data-Driven Alignment Sheets
GIS is an exceptional integrator data, which is what the oil and gas industry is looking for—making facilities and pipelines safer and more efficient. Armed with more data, oil and gas operators or owners can make better informed decisions, saving their investor's investment.
For example, if an owner or operator is looking for data about a particular pipeline metering station in a GIS document, they can click on the station in the document and the related permit or soil boring data pops up. This is a data-driven alignment sheet. With all the information about the pipeline route or facility integrated into the document, an internet connection is required, and a device to effortlessly access all related details while at a meeting or in the field.
The mobile platform also highlights another advantage of data-driven alignment sheets— automating the process. When one is running alignment sheets from a digital database, they are making changes to features rather than just changing a tag on one static drawing. The changes are made once and influence everything related.
GIS Makes Data Transition to Operations and Maintenance (O&M) Systems Effortless
Because GIS data encloses spatial features with their associated attributes embedded, they can be unswervingly imported into the oil and gas firm’s O&M systems. Virtually all aspects of the company work relate, directly or indirectly, to some geographical location like enhancing field staff coordination, monitoring gas pressures at particular places, and ensuring protection and environmental compliance at pipeline construction sites. The advanced spatial analytics and mapping of GIS present a greater understanding of patterns and relationships, so O&M systems can pinpoint areas of concern and track maintenance efforts.
Matching Asset Management to Suitable Safety Protocols
The information gathered through GIS, from initial design and construction to O&M records, can be assembled and accessed anyplace and anytime using GIS to make asset management decisions. Asset management keeps facilities and pipelines functioning at competent levels of safety and production. It takes a lot of location-based data to find out suitable safety protocols. For example, how many people live near a pipeline, how close is the facility or pipeline to a school, is the pipeline in rough terrain, and others. GIS systems consolidate all of the above information for analyses.
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