Sahara Desert, Southern Tunisia (DEM)

Satellite remote sensing enhances planning, design, management, operation, and maintenance of pipeline systems. Satellite imagery integrated with GIS or CAD can assist pipeline monitoring to assure the safety of pipeline facilities. Industrial and scientific advances in satellite remote sensing systems and data processing techniques are opening new technological opportunities to develop an increased capability to accomplish the pipeline mapping and safety needs of the industry. These technologies when combined with GIS have significant potential to reduce a number of security issues as well as supply managers with solutions through spatial representation of data in land, lease management, exploration, production, transmissions,

Pipeline Transmissions in Virginia — LANDSAT

environmental, financial and facilities management. This information is required to make decisions that will significantly impact the operator’s ability to provide the services demanded by their customers.

By using the High Resolution satellite sensors, data analysis methods and communication technology present new opportunities for users to increase productivity, reduce costs, facilitate innovation and create virtual environments for security improvement and risk reduction.

Pipelines often cover thousands of miles and are located in remote areas that are hard to reach and difficult to monitor. Utility companies and semi government bodies are turning to high-resolution satellite imagery, aerial photography and LIDAR to identify optimum facility and infrastructure locations.

3 Meter Digital Surface Model (DSM) for 5 Km Wide Pipeline Corridor

Utilizing 1m orthorectified high resolution satellite imagery and Digital Elevation Models (DEMs) provided by stereo satellite sensors like IKONOS, SPOT-5, and early 2008 GeoEye-1, companies can collect valuable 3 dimensional terrain information and resources for planning, implementing and maintaining facilities and infrastructure and supporting disaster management efforts. Satellite imagery can aid engineers and operators in:
1) monitoring electric and gas transmission corridors and rights-of-way
2) accurate and economical corridor analysis for power and gas pipelines
3) monitoring vegetation intrusion on transmission and distribution lines
4) mapping for cable placement
5) to determine if the situation calls for a notice, alert or alarm category of response
6) traditional safety, hazards, and disaster issues facing pipeline and infrastructure
7) deliberate acts of aggression
8) location of leakage
9) HCA Spill Modeling

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