The Dampier Bunbury Pipeline (DBP) is WA’s key gas transmission pipeline. DBP forms part of the Australian Gas Infrastructure Group (AGIG) portfolio, delivering gas to more than two million Australian homes and businesses.
DBP use X-Info Suite to help manage its Lands Management, Encroachments, Dial Before You Dig, AS 2885 Safety Management Studies (SMS) and Pipeline Integrity Data to assist in protecting its WA and NT assets (approx 3,700km of gas transmission pipelines).
With the introduction of Map Activities to X-Info Suite in 2021, DBP’s GIS Manager, John Quigley, saw an opportunity to significantly improve how they were using X-Info Suite to share more information in an intuitive and meaningful way to more people across the business. John worked with the Mipela team to configure Map Activities right across X-Info Suite, enabling data to be visually represented on interactive maps, allowing users to quickly drill down into the detail or associated documentation.
John recently sat down with the Mipela team to talk about how X-Info Suite is used across their business.
“We have a long history of recorded communications with land owners associated with the operation of the pipelines”, said John. “The vision of how GIS could additionally assist in data management of new gas pipelines started way back in 1995. We have been able to build off this and increase the use of GIS across the business to assist users in their daily work. With the new Map Activities functions, we are now able to offer users improved search capabilities, with overlays of the most current aerial imagery and associated spatial data with increased speed, panning and presentation capabilities”.
“We are now able to utilise Map Activities and create customised online maps for various users across the business including Lands (Landowners, Easements, Encroachments, Approvals, Cultural, Environment, Access Roads, Mining and Exploration Tenements), Third Party Works (DBYD, New Crossings, As-Built), Regulatory (Pipeline Licence, AS 2885 SMS), Cathodic Protection (ILI Weld and Pipe Features, Maintenance Dig-Ups, CP infrastructure, CP and DCVG surveys), Engineering (Pipes, Welds, NDT, Coating, Drawings linked to location, Depth of Cover), Pipeline Development and Commercial (Potential new pipeline routes), Travel (SPOT mapping) and New Projects (Alignment Sheets, Line Lists, QA/QC, Progress mapping, As-Built)”.
“The volume of data in X-Info Suite is significant – not only from a historical perspective – but we are adding more and more data to the system. Recently we added approximately 550,000 ILI weld and pipe features from our recent pigging campaign. Activities has now enabled us to provide users with a quick and efficient way of finding data they are seeking”.
“It is important we collect and analyse new pipeline construction data appropriately so we can support our team to fulfil the quality and pipeline integrity requirements of the project. All pipes, welds and associated data and infrastructure are managed with the assistance of Sentanil Systems Construction Management System. We have now the ability to use hyperlinks to show associated images, photos, weld x-rays and documents for pipelines (that reside in QDMS) at a spatial location in Map Activities. This is a great way to search for documents via its location”.
“Capturing and mapping cultural heritage information is an important part of our business. All registered cultural sites for WA and NT are mapped. This is an important aspect of designing the route for a new gas pipeline. For the operating pipelines, we have many people travelling up and down the right of way (ROW) so it is important that they are aware of where nearby sites are. By double clicking on a site on an interactive map in X-Info Suite, they can quickly drill down into the detail associated with the sites”.
“With more than 6,500 crossings across the pipeline network, including roads, rivers, railways, third party pipelines and assets, the AS2885 Safety Management Studies are all managed within the X-Info SMS suite connection. “This would be very difficult to manage without X-Info SMS suite,” mentioned John. “The new map activities capabilities have given us the ability to enhance our presentation of the database and associated mapping that is used during the AS 2885 workshops”.
Another example, John said, “We are currently working with our travel team to improve our mapping interface with remote travel. Our operations and project teams work in very remote areas. By integrating our SPOT GPS travel data into our existing spatial data in X-Info Suite, we can quickly overlay our pipelines, facilities, access roads towns and accommodation, and locate where our people are travelling in relation to these. GPS data from vehicles is downloaded into the GIS via the SPOT system every half an hour. Map Activities has enabled us to produce a searchable tool to assist our travel team in managing our people’s remote travel”.
“I’m really looking forward to setting up the new bulk email tool that Mipela recently released in X-Info Connect 6.3. We are increasingly using emails as an efficient form of communication with our landowners and other entities associated with the pipeline. For example, every time we fly for aerial surveillance of our pipelines and facilities, we send an aerial notification email to affected landowners and airports. Recently notifications have extended to CP surveys and dig-ups, ROW slashing and maintenance, and landowner visits. This new function will enable the process to be automated and give the ability to our Lands team to perform themselves”.
In summary John said, “Map Activities have really ramped things up for us. It allows the GIS data to be more and more utilised across the business. We have created Map Activities in X-Info Suite, based on roles and responsibilities, producing tailored maps and reports for those particular people and roles. We are seeing an increasing number of people across the business use GIS, and having quick and simple access to data and maps in the office and in the field is a key to this”.