Mapping the Gas Mega Rule

Challenge

Prior to the new regulations for gas pipelines published October 2019, several operators got a head-start on the MAOP (maximum allowable operating pressure) and TVC (traceable, verifiable and complete) portions of the Gas Mega Rule. This can be a strenuous task of record discovery, scanning/indexing and record data management, which is often beyond the in-house manpower available for this type of work.

Solution

In 2013, TRC was tasked with performing feature assessment and MAOP validation activities to identify traceable records. This process validated the historical records and linked them to the features that they described along the pipeline. Our team designed and deployed an Esri PODS spatial geodatabase model to support TVC activities. The data identified and developed during MAOP, TVC and feature assessment activities was populated into the GIS database with linkage to each dynamic segment of pipeline in order to view the scanned supporting records and documents.

Results

Upon project completion in 2014, the client’s integrity and operations personnel were provided with an easy-to-use system to access their pipeline data as well as access to the scanned MAOP assessment records which were TVC through a web-based interface with spatial referencing. This provided the client data transparency for easier audits and better visibility to prioritize remediation projects and operate pipelines safely.