No abstract

No abstract

There are a number of geomatics tasks required to support a Geohazard Management Program (Program). For the program implemented by BGC Engineering Inc. for several midstream pipeline operators, these tasks range from identification of potential geohazards (landslide, river erosion), to setup and support for field navigation, through to geohazard database management. Doing these in an efficient and effective manner requires substantial amounts of spatial data and a toolset containing both software and hardware components. For this Program geohazards are classified as hydrotechnical (e.g. a pipeline crossing a river) or geotechnical (e.g. a pipeline traversing a slope). Lists of potential geohazards are generated and provided to field crews who then navigate to each site and perform a field inspection. Navigation and inspection observations are accomplished with the aid of a ruggedized laptop connected to wireless GPS. Upon return from the field, sites are uploaded to Cambio™, an internet database for managing geohazards. Each site is assigned a frequency of action commensurate with the estimated level of risk. Assigned actions include follow-up ground inspections, detailed investigations, monitoring, maintenance and mitigation. An audit trail of site inspections, surveys and mitigation reports, photos, and site survey drawings, are all available for review within Cambio™, allowing access to the information from any site with an internet connection. This paper will present an overview of the Geohazard Management Program from a geomatics perspective, highlighting the integration of geomatics tools into a system designed to be used by engineering personnel, field technicians, and project managers.

BGC Engineering Inc. (BGC) was retained by a large pipeline operator to develop a GIS-based system to assess and rank the environmental consequence of a pipeline rupture on watercourse crossings within their pipeline system. Several physical, biological and socio-economic factors contribute to the environmental consequence of a pipeline rupture on a watercourse. This study examined select spatial and vulnerability factors, and did not consider biologic or economic impacts. Three factors were selected as part of the initial study to prioritize the pipeline watercourse crossings according to: (1) size of the watercourse at the pipeline crossing, (2) proximity of each individual crossing to larger downstream watercourses, and (3) pipeline liquid flow rate volume. A spatial analysis was conducted to determine the first two factors, while input for the third factor was provided by the pipeline operator. Watercourse size was determined using Strahler’s stream order classification (Strahler 1952), while proximity to larger downstream watercourses was assessed using a Geographic Information System (GIS). This paper presents an overview of the data sources and methods used to develop an initial screening tool for identifying high consequence crossings within a pipeline system, and highlights the challenges encountered with acquiring and processing data to include in a consequence rating system. As with other pipeline risk assessments, the main challenges of this work include data availability, data integrity and resource limitations. This system is intended to fit within the pipeline operator’s current geohazard integrity management program and direct resources for a multi-year baseline field inspection program.