Improving GIS applications

and Ken Buchanan, Enbridge Pipelines Canada, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

Over the last few decades, the use of geographic information systems (GIS) and geomatics (collection, management, analysis, and visualization of spatial data) have crept their way from the halls of government and academia into the lives of every project manager and engineer working on projects that occur in the spatial domain.

Though the oil and gas industry has been using these techniques for some time now, only with in the last decade has it played a prominent role in major engineering projects. The engineering, procurement and construction management projects (EPCM) of today rely heavily on geomatics for information and decision support for internal and external needs.

The role of geomatics on EPCM projects has been solidified from an engineering perspective by the acceptance of its ability to provide data and information in greater detail, and with greater precision and accuracy, than previous methods. In part, this acceptance has come from disciplines that are individually more familiar and comfortable with this approach, including the environmental and survey disciplines. These groups have used geomatics autonomously for a few decades, and have now brought its capabilities into their disciplines and to the attention of project mangers, and the oil and gas community as a whole.

A greater reliance on geomatics has also been created by an increasing recognition of the competitive edge that the discipline offers, and by greater information demands placed on the owner/ operators from the regulatory process and the public. Early examples from the forestry and utility industries illustrate the ability of the approach to quickly produce information that was more accurate then was available by traditional means. In addition, the fact that geomatics can be effectively employed to transmit information has helped it gain acceptance by the oil and gas companies.

In today’s competitive project environment, project managers must look at how to maximize the benefits of geomatics to the project and the client’s overall business objectives. Thanks to centuries of engineering practice, the relatively recent professionalizing of project management, and many other theoretical contributors, there is no shortage of research and literature on the topic of how to craft a successful project.

Similarly, the geomatics literature contains its share of guidance on running a successful GIS or geospatial project. However, there are key components which need specific attention due to the dynamic nature of an EPCM project. The importance of leadership and planning has been well asserted with respect to geomatics on the EPCM project. The composition of the team is also a key component to the success of the project, since they are the provisioners of value. Finally, there are particular technical elements which must be given attention in order to derive the maximum value and enable peak performance.

Geomatics on an EPCM project

Geomatics activities on an EPCM project constitute several small anticipated projects whose schedules are regularly disrupted with unexpected changes and shifting priorities. Rarely will you find a large EPCM pipeline project that requires only a small, rigid geomatics component. Recent history suggests that as the information demands have increased, so have the size and scope of the related geomatics. Additionally, as the discipline has become more accepted, the size of the geomatics teams on pipeline projects has grown and their scope has expanded.

In the past, the intangibility of what seemed to be only short-term benefits from investments in geomatics and GIS infrastructure tended to delay major GIS implementations by the owner/operators. However, as mentioned, the owner/operators have slowly accepted GIS into their IT infrastructures and geomatics into their engineering work practices. The growth of the Geomatic Engineering discipline in these companies did not occur until there was an increase in computing power, the development of easier to use software, a decrease in data storage costs, and general education and acceptance of geomatics.

However, with the passage of time, the long-term benefits of geomatics on an EPCM project have been realized financially, and there have been other recognized benefits as well. These include: 

• Reduced engineering cost through use of more desktop exercises, and by harnessing the immense computing power of the GIS for calculations and simulations. 
• A faster pace to the engineering process because of the availability of accurate, up-to-date information and the ease with which it can be communicated. This results in more iterations and revisions to planning in any given period of time. 
• When data is made available earlier on in the engineering process, there is an increased accuracy in cost and schedule estimates. 
• The fundamental ability of a GIS to communicate information over vast distances to disparate groups. 
• Ability to insure that all disciplines are on the same page by maintaining a single source of truth on project data.

Structure of the EPCM project

The organizational structure of the project team is an important component influencing the ability of the geomatics team to perform. Project structure determines the efficiency of the team as an appropriate structure reduces redundant actions, improves communication, and promotes teamwork. Considering its importance on an EPCM project, the use of geomatics has often become an independent discipline on the project in line with the other EPCM teams. This is equivalent to the departmental model for large organizations, in which the geomatics team is a separate department and works or coordinates with the other departments (Figure 1). This stands in contrast to having the team fall under one specific department, such as engineering, relying on the engineering team to provide leadership and direction for the geomatics team. Experience on several major pipeline projects, as well as results observed from various large organizations, have demonstrated the following benefits of the departmental model: 

• Responds to project wide needs at a high level. 
• It is able to be data focused as there is one source of control. 
• Autonomy of the team allows for flexibility while also nurturing the team’s own interdepartmental relationships. 

The geomatics team has a stronger voice in decision making and planning of data resources.

Autonomy enables control by geomatics subject matter expert (SME) over workflows and processes. Though the large pipeline projects could be viewed as having the multi-departmental model because of the presence of small GIS teams in disparate subcontracts, we do not consider these projects to be analogous to that model. This is because the individual GIS teams are so small in size and scope they do not accurately represent that model. Further, since the lead geomatics team on a large project controls the data and the processes of dissemination, the departmental model definition with the geomatics team as a new business unit is applicable.

Technical requirements

In order to have a successful EPCM project, it is necessary to examine the basic technical requirements. There are three high-level technical areas of importance for geomatics success on an EPCM project: 

• Spatial data management 
• Standards 
• Communication medium.

These areas are further described below.

Spatial data management

The first item, spatial data management (SDM), establishes the data infrastructure for the geomatics component. Data is the blood of the geomatics body and SDM is the circulatory system. The data must be created, cleansed, maintained, distributed, controlled and removed (as needed) from the system in an understood, standardized way that is both transparent and efficient. Without a high level of quality in the execution of SDM, the responsiveness of the geomatics team will disappear (due to process failures), and the accuracy and currency of the data and information will be questionable.

The cornerstone of SDM is the master data base (MDB). An MDB is the repository for a project’s spatial data, and it is an instituted environment with strict controls and procedures whose purpose is to ensure “a single source of truth” for the project. Large projects or projects of significant geographic extent or which have several stakeholders, and which do not employ an MDB, will run into issues regarding data currency and redundancy in processing efforts. If the project runs for a notable time span, then these issues can cause problems with the data and the team’s efforts in general.

Standards

Standards are basic to any professionally executed project, particularly in the engineering profession, and geomatics is no different. Quality geomatics firms have established standards for spatial data, processes and administrative procedures, and these base standards are applied and modified for particular projects. For their work on EPCM projects, these firms should at a minimum be readily able to provide the engineering team with standards for the following at project initiation: 

• Spatial data (creation, maintenance, and versioning) 
• Geodesy (geodetic activities) 
• The project MDB (creation/maintenance) 
• Engineering data (creation/maintenance) 
• Quality control and assurance 
• Best practices 
• Metadata.

Often these standards will require several months of revision as the project unfolds in its early stages, but a proper launching of a GIS system calls for the preparation of these standards. Other standards are required as well, but they are usually developed either during the initiation phase of the project or as required during the course of the project. An example of standards developed later in the project would be the security protocols for a project GIS portal. Though well established standards for GIS portals exist in the IT community, web GIS portals do have some elements which will vary, particularly in relation to the clients IT security protocols.

Communication medium

Often overlooked in the planning process is the media through which the data and information will be communicated. Clearly, maps, alignment sheets, tables, and figures will be created by the geomatics team. What needs to be planned is their formatting (i.e. map and alignment sheet templates), and the extent to which the internet and related technologies will be used.

In developing the scope for the project, planners will determine the type of medium and formatting required for the project. As the SME, it is the geomatics team that has must insure that the most innovative and effective mediums are used. If the client is a large owner/operator, standards and preferences for the mediums to be used will often be handed down. Larger clients also often have a good idea of the types of mediums they would like to have employed. However, at the EPCM project level, the geomatics team will likely still have new suggestions for the client with regard to mediums for communication. The increasing acceptance of web portals for GIS data is an example of the emergence of a new medium. Though in use for several years by large organizations such as municipalities, GIS web portals are emerging in the corporate offices of the large oil and gas companies as mediums for communicating the current state of the project engineering and to orientate people unfamiliar with the project’s nuances about specific issues. The popularity of public sites such as Google Maps has piqued the interest of the own/operators, and more complex, dynamic and robust GIS portals (industrial strength) are finding acceptance on EPCM projects.

Web GIS portals offer a new medium for communicating project information. By enabling web access with the vastness of the project MDB, users can access the latest information from any office location for basic inquiries and managers and executives have instant access to high level views of the project or company activities.

The choice and employment of different types of communication mediums for spatial data on an EPCM project is of considerable importance from the outset of the project. Project managers and planning staff are encouraged to ask detailed questions of the geomatics team lead regarding this topic. For overview purposes, below are few important considerations for the managers of EPCM projects: 

• What are the key hard and soft copy mediums and their benefits or cost and time? 
• Does the client have standards for these mediums? 
• How will they interact with the MDB? 
• Will a GIS portal be useful for this project, or will an FTP site suffice? 
• What security measures are required? 
• How is geomatics data and output handled by the document management system?

Because the whole purpose of collecting and analyzing data is to communicate the data to those who really need it, the effectiveness of communication by the geomatics team is a key to successful support. Given the role of geomatics on an EPCM project as the caretakers of spatial data, the team has a responsibility to ensure that the data and information is received by those who need it. Thus, proper planning of communication and standards for delivering and tracking data are a factor of success not to be overlooked by EPCM project managers.

Document management

Most EPCM projects have a document management system (DMS) such as File Net or DM5. These systems control and track documentation and communication for the project. In the early stages of project planning, it must be decided how the project’s spatial data and geomatics products will be handled by the DMS. The spatial data for an EPCM project is considerably different than most types of data and must reside in an MDB. The MDB is separate from the DMS, but follows standards and procedures analogous to a DMS to ensure that the client’s investment is not lost, and that the spatial data is efficiently used.

Hardcopy geomatics products such as alignment sheets, maps, and calculations which are produced by the project team can be stored in the DMS. But, consideration must be given to the space requirements for these products, since it is not uncommon to have maps or imagery produced which is 150 Megabytes in size or more. Proper planning by the DMS team, the geomatics team and the IT support group easily facilitates this need. It is also advisable for large projects to have a position of Project Information Manager (PIM) to coordinate such issues and ensure adherence to processes and standards.

Core technical requirements

The goal here has been to outline the importance of non-technical components of geomatics on an EPCM project, and to describe how they contribute to success or failure. However, there are a few essential technical requirements which are of great importance to the success of a project. Though the details of these requirements will vary from project to project, their basic concepts are consistent. They are described below.

The data model

Defining a data model at the onset of the project is required to establish many of the operating parameters for dealing with the project data as it is created. The data model is often set by the client’s existing standards and procedures, since they likely have significant engineering data already. Establishing a data model is required for the development of geomatics, processes, tools and applications for the project, and sets the basis for the MDB. Standard pipeline data models include the Pipeline Open Data Standard Association model (PODS), the Integrated Spatial Analysis Techniques model (ISAT, the precursor to PODS), and the Arc Pipeline Data Model (APDM), which was created for use as a geodatabase by The Environmental Systems Research Institute.

The landbase

All projects require a defined and developed landbase at the onset of a project. This helps to ensure that the base information from which other data will be based and correspond to will be accurate and appropriate to the needs of the project. That is, the data should be scaled in cost and application to the phase of the project. In the earliest phase, achieved imagery from Google Earth and government map sheets regularly suffices, but this needs to be replaced as the project moves to the FEED stage. The key issue is to recognize the importance of compiling data as soon as possible, since an incomplete or inaccurate landbase will cause substantial data problems later in the project.

Survey control

No real-world engineering project would be executable without a system of survey control. This important component can be managed by the geomatics team, even if a subcontractor is employed on the project for survey work alone. The team will be able to interact with the survey group without the delay of a middle man.

Project GIS portal

Though new to most EPCM projects, the use of a GIS portal to visually communicate the latest information regarding the project has proven to save considerable time, and drastically reduce miss-communication. The ability to readily view information – such as changes to the route alignment –over the web results in considerable time and cost savings, particularly when considering the relative inexpensiveness of creating a portal. The use of this technology will become a standard aspect of any geomatics-enabled EPCM project where the stakeholders and various disciplines are geographically dispersed.

Acknowledgment

Based on a paper presented at ASME’s 6th Annual International Pipeline Conference, held in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.