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Automated Pipeline As-Built Data Collection (TGP Reporter)
William C. McDaniel1 & Jeff Allen2
1Tennessee Gas Pipeline, an El Paso Energy Company
2Coler & Colantonio Inc.
William C. McDaniel1 & Jeff Allen2
1Tennessee Gas Pipeline, an El Paso Energy Company
2Coler & Colantonio Inc.
The TGP Reporter, Version 3, is a custom pipeline data collection system
designed to collect as-built pipeline data. There were earlier versions that operated
within the DOS environment. We have since updated the software to work with
the Windows environment.
By capturing slope station and coordinate location information electronically, Tennessee Gas Pipeline, a business unit of El Paso Energy, is able to substantially reduce the time required to handle and process “as constructed” data. Additionally, the data is in a format that easily migrates into our facility management system.
The strength of the TGP Reporter lies in its integration with existing pipeline survey techniques and with cutting edge GPS location technology. The system allows field survey personnel to assign slope stations to features as the pipeline is assembled outside of and next to the ditch. This technique keeps the surveyor out of the trench and allows for rapid collection of data with a steel tape. Once the pipe is lowered into the ditch and back-filled, an on-the-ground final survey, using GPS, is used to collect the coordinate location of all horizontal and vertical bends. A subsequent calculation process assigns coordinates for all the remaining slope stations captured during the steel tape survey.
This latest version of the TGP Reporter has been redesigned to closely integrate with El Paso’s facility management system. The data collection process has implemented many of the corporate data model’s business rules, insuring that the field data being received is cleaner than ever before. To streamline the loading of data to the corporate database, the TGP Reporter’s internal data model has been updated to mimic the corporate database. This function allows a one-to-one relationship to exist between that data that is collected in the field and those features in the corporate database.
The calculation package that supports the data collection process has also been enhanced with the 3.0 version. TGP Reporter now supports the following pipeline calculations:
Drag corrections
Lap and Gap
Bump
Reverse
Multiple 0+00 sections
X,Y,Z determination from slope stations
These calculations allow the users to address any construction scenario, and allow
the use of flexible field data collection techniques. If it is a construction practice
or possibility, then TGP Reporter has been designed to take that into account.
The TGP Reporter includes reporting functions that allow users to produce material by station and material total reports. Also included are usercustomizable reports that allow for ad hoc queries and reporting.
To efficiently move the data from the field to the office, TGP Reporter is fully integrated with El Paso’s middle ware facility data distribution and delivery system. Once the data is captured in the field, it is automatically sent to the corporate offices where it is reviewed and loaded into the facility management system. By maintaining the close relationship between the TGP Reporter data model and the corporate database, loading of data to the target system is relatively easy. This allows El Paso to post data to the corporate database soon after the pipeline is placed into service, thus making the records available to the pipeline maintenance personnel quicker than ever before. Once posted, these new records are also ready to be passed back to TGP Reporter for immediate use
The Process
Review
Before moving forward lets take a step back and look at how we arrived at this station. After all, we didn’t decide one day to just change the way we do business. There were driving forces that necessitated a change in our business processes and then business requirements that had to be met. This will be discussed in greater detail following a review of how we used to do business. Therefore let us now look at that old data collection process. I will illustrate how our process worked. I will show you where we identified inefficiencies and risks of data contamination. From there I will mention the driving forces that necessitated a change in the data collection process and then review those business requirements that drove the effort.
Typical Life Cycle of Field Book Data
The typical scenario of handling field books and field book data can be similar between companies in our industry. It is also important to point out that many companies have utilized programmatic ways to expedite a given piece of this process. We were no different. We had programmatic solutions that were departmentalized or fragmented from the rest of the company. Most companies can identify with this natural progression of technology. As any technology emerges, those who think outside the box are constantly looking for ways to push that emerging technology. For instance, in our industry the generation of alignment drawings from within a CAD program had been automated many years earlier. Looking for a way to merge this programmatic solution with emerging technology was an effort that thinking outside the box produced.
The following events briefly describe the life cycle of a field book and it’s data for our past. Generally this is the process that occurred even though it could vary by project or manager so long as the basic requirements set forth in our Field Engineering Standards were met. Even today we may still utilize this old process as we have found ourselves in a transition period between the old and the new.
Data Collected – Using traditional methods, a ground crew collected pipeline
As-Constructed data into field books. The number of survey crews required
could vary by project size and by number of spreads per project. Typically
there was crew per spread but there also no absolutes. The direction of
construction movement wasn’t really a factor as each page of the field book
stood on it’s own. Reversing out the “backward stations” was held to the end
and was labor intensive. Also, within the field book it was very easy to
account for laps, gaps and drags. These events were accounted for and
adjustments for them made at the end of the spread or project.
Final Survey - The final survey was then completed. This was to capture points of intersections and proration points to adjust the preliminary data, if used on the backside, to the as constructed data. This proration effort was an early means to make use of good data already captured during the preliminary ground survey.
Field Books Corrected – The As-Constructed data was collected into field books during the stringing of the pipe. Once the data was collected, the field books were “connected” to one another through recalculations. These recalculations correct for reverse chaining brought about by construction movement and accounted for the laps, gaps and drags. The stationing in the field books reflected a one directional flow to facilitate calculations further along in this process.
It is important to note that the data in the field books represented slope chain data. This meant that the information was not horizontal-based. It reflected the contour of the ground along the pipeline corridor.
Tally of Material – Prior to handoff of the field books to an engineering department, the project accountants would make a final accounting of all material. The field books came in very handy, as the stationing had been recalculated to reflect a one directional flow. But, this was a labor intensive manual process.
Engineering – The field book data was then passed to the engineering department. The engineering department would immediately check the data for errors. This required a very skilled person that usually had many years of construction or related expertise. Found errors were rectified before moving forward. Typically, by this time, the construction crew who captured the data had returned to their home offices or moved on to other jobs. If errors were found and could not easily be resolved in the back office this opened up a whole set of metrics with which the engineering design group must now deal.
Alignment Drawings - Once the field books had been reviewed and checked by engineering, the final As-built alignment drawings were created. At this point let me mention that this stage often required a semi “start from scratch” approach. The preliminary construction topography base could very often be reused but was often stretched to fit the data from the field books that was slope based. Without going into detail as to how this preliminary construction base was put together, it is enough to mention that this topography was often horizontal-based. Making this fit required a great deal of skill and was not for the faint of heart. Oftentimes, some components of the topography base had to be completely redrawn to account for the slope stationing.
Routing and Distribution - Once the completed As-built drawings had been completed and again checked against the field book data they were routed for appropriate signatures and then distributed. This usually marked the end of the life cycle of the construction effort; but, not necessarily the end of using the field book data.
Compliance Services – Within our industry, certain federal, state and local regulations dictate how we must operate our system. One particular compliance activity is the classification of the new pipeline facilities. Here, among other things, we identify the house density within and along our pipeline corridor. This density count required a new set of alignment-based drawings called Classification Drawings. These Classification Drawings were not completed until the As-built alignment drawings had been approved and distributed.
Traditionally, these Classification Drawings used rectified aerial photography. These aerial photographs were created after construction to enable the pipeline scar to be visible. Rectified photography removes the curvature of the earth and allows the image to be seen as a true horizontal base. Did I mention that our As-built drawings were completed based on the field book data that was slope chained? The creation of these Classification Drawings was almost and art.
So, what am I attempting to illustrate with the above process? I’m illustrating the
labor-intensive process that data from a field book undergoes to produce the final
product. Yes, it is probable that technology was used in various degrees at
various stages. But, that technology was department specific and wasn’t
necessarily a method that allowed the data to be utilized across the enterprise as
an asset.
Inefficiencies
Facility data as an asset is an interesting concept but getting the data positioned such that it could be utilized in that manner was the real issue. We’ll touch on that a little later, but for now let’s look at a few interesting items regarding the previous process.
Let’s look at some inefficiencies associated with that process. Now, keep in mind that this is not a critique of any one group of employees or department. Our previous discussion was on a process that evolved. It wasn’t that the process was broken or that management was allowing inefficient practices to occur. The evolution was propagated due to the following inefficiencies.
Touching the Data - How many times has the data been “touched”? By
“touched” I’m referring to the act of capturing the data and / or making
changes to it such that it can be utilized later in the process. First it was
collected in the field. This was the first time that it was touched. There are
corrections made due to laps, gaps and drags. The reverse stationing is
removed and the individual books are combined into a singular pipeline
segment between defined points. At this stage we have possibly touched the
data at least twice and maybe three times. Now a final survey is completed
and occasionally changes are required. If so, we can count another “touch”.
When engineering gets the field books they make a secondary check as a
quality control measure. Changes are made as required thus “touching” the
data. Moving the data to the alignment drawings constitutes another “touch”
of the data regardless of process – manual or automated. The alignment
drawings are checked prior to distribution and another review of the data
occurs. As the Classification Drawings are completed we find that the data
once again gets “touched” and checked.
Data Hand-Off’s and Accountability – The act of moving the data between individuals or departments is considered a data handoff. This data handoff closely matches the “touching” of the data mentioned above but differs in that accountability can sometimes be construed as also being passed along. This mental pass is a way of stating that no regard for others' use of the data occurs. In extreme cases the data becomes departmentalized. Worse is the scenario where the data becomes owned by a singular department whereby permissions are required to access the data. As I mentioned earlier, the facility data collected in the field books should be a corporate asset available to everyone with a need. Looking at the data as a corporate asset from the beginning is the real key to managing the data and identifying true accountability for the process.
Transcription Errors - Is it probable that “touching” the data and handling the data propagates errors. That is why the process had so many built-in reviews and checks. Hopefully the checking and verification process would catch all of the errors. But, from personal experience errors manage to find their way into the data. Perhaps errors could be eliminated if there was no need to handle the data so many times.
Time - How much time is utilized in handling the data or checking the data? What about generating the alignment drawings? Think of an equilateral triangle. Each side of the triangle represents 1) the process, 20 the cost associated with the process, and 3) time to work the process. To reduce either side we must reduce the others to keep the triangle in its true form.
Driving Forces to Improve The Process
How do we keep this triangle in its true form? We do this by adjusting each side where appropriate. We want to reduce data collection costs but we must also reduce the time associated with the data collection as well as modifying the process accordingly. So let’s take a look at changing the process. What were the driving forces that caused us to look at changing the process?
We had been told that the resources available for any activity would be reduced. This means that we had to identify ways to accomplish the same amount of work with fewer people. We had to produce a product in a timely fashion and we had to remain competitive. Remaining competitive meant increasing the return on any investment while increasing the bottom line.
Reduced Headcount / Increased Accountability
As we moved forward it was almost certain that resources would be pushed to produce a product in a more timely fashion. With that came increased accountability for your component of the product. The revised process had to allow fewer employees the ability to capture the data cleanly and efficiently. It was very important that people working to capture fully understand where they stood in this new process. They were to become the key employee in producing the final product.
Reduce Turnaround Time of As Built Drawings and for Compliance
We were given a mandate to shorten the turnaround time in producing As Constructed drawings. We were to walk away from the construction site with completed ready for signature drawings in hand. Our DOS based product allowed this to occur on a major pipeline expansion project.
Remain Competitive
At the heart of all this was the objective to remain competitive. Our challenge was to utilize technology but keep it’s costs low while producing a product that enabled automation. This was not an easy task.
We looked for new and innovative tools and devised ways to use these tools to make this happen. Within the course of this we also identified a vendor who was focused on our same objectives and was customer oriented and value added.
Let’s Tackle the Data Collection Process
As all great ideas begin, a pencil was put to a napkin over dinner one evening and the data collection process was conceptualized. We identified a product to remove inefficiencies and expedite the turnaround of the data thus saving time and money in the long run. Thus TGP Reporter was born.
A few years later we found ourselves looking into an AM/FM/GIS system that we now refer to as a geographic information technology system (GIT). A data model had been created and we were looking for a way to incorporate and streamline the data collection process further. The life cycle of the data collection process had been shortened at an earlier date but what synergies could we now derive such that it becomes more of an asset to the enterprise?
Business Requirements to Justify Changing The Process
The business requirements for TGP Reporter, Version 1 was very straightforward. As we moved forward with developing the latest version those same requirements were modified to incorporate the latest objectives of the software. From this point forward I’ll reference the business requirements as the strategy for this further development.
Our DOS based TGP Reporter had proven itself during major pipeline projects and on major rehabilitation projects. Our new challenge was to set our sights on the data collection process again but from a broader perspective. We were now looking at modifying various field processes to remove mainframe based data collection systems. One component of these modified processes did involve the data capture of facility data. This time we were to focus on utilizing the tool in a way that it facilitated company wide utilization of the data. After all, the data is an asset of which we should take full advantage.
We developed simple but direct business objectives for incorporation of a revised TGP Reporter into our redesigned field processes.
Reduce Handling the Data / Reduce Errors / Reduce Costs It isn’t enough that the data must be accurate, we had to look for a way that would reduce the number of times the data got touched still. From this we knew we could further eliminate errors and reduce the costs associated with their discovery and correction.
Ease of Use
Making a note in a field notebook requires that the employee know what needs to be collected and how to express it within the context of the field book. Modifying a process such that we take the pencil and paper away and hand them an electronic device was a major change. Now we were looking at taking that one step further in incorporate TGP Reporter into some of our smart forms. Now they were to collect the data in a new fashion with a whole new purpose and methods of relaying the data.
With a new tool to relay the data, it was important that this new tool be easy to learn and to use. Standardizing on given nomenclature for certain events along the pipeline helped in this regard. Pick lists and drop down dialog boxes listing all given parameters for any given event was the most difficult component of the new technology to be absorbed. When employees understood that the nomenclature was standardized to assist in using the automated alignment generation programs, acceptance quickly followed.
Standardize Method of Data Collection
By standardization we are referring to the way that the data was collected as well as the terminology that was used. In the old days we were honored to have a staff that could interpret almost any verbiage in a field book and decipher it’s meaning. Those days are almost gone and that expertise is difficult to develop. This new product, TGP Reporter, should allow a field employee to quickly understand the terminology, make a selection quickly and associate that selection with any element or entity along the pipeline.
This standardization further enhanced the ability to move the data directly into the corporate database. Having standardized tags with which to call the data facilitated it’s movement into our corporate database.
Maintain Traditional Survey Techniques for Pipeline Construction
One caveat that our field employees continued to insist upon was that we continue to provide the capability to collect the data in much the same manner as it is collected in field books. That was to allow them the freedom to move from site to site and spread to spread without creating a file management concern on their end. This required the data collection software to be flexible enough to take traditional pipeline construction techniques into consideration. This was where the technology began to shine. We devised software that could collect the data regardless of direction of installation and regardless of how spread out and fragmented the construction process was worked. To do this it had to handle reverse stationing, change the reverse stationing, incorporate laps and gaps and drag sections. It had to be connectable from any point to any other point. We had to plan for a process to allow the insertion of a segment of pipe and to re-station all points from the tie-in to the end of the segment. Then add to that the ability to incorporate GPS technology wherever applicable. This was a hefty business requirement, but the one that proved the end product.
Support Material Totals
Accountants used the As-constructed data to total and tally the final materials. Wouldn’t it be great if these tallies could be run in an ad hoc fashion at any point within the construction process? This would enable an accounting of how much pipe was in the ground, ready to be lowered into the ground, or still sitting in the pipe yard awaiting use or any number of scenarios that were necessary to report in regard to the material
Interface with Existing Drafting Program
As was mentioned earlier, the initial end product had to interface with existing programmatic solutions that had already been incorporated within the engineering departments. At that time, the engineering departments used an internally developed alignment sheet generation program that created a complete alignment drawing without any background and topology information.
For today’s environment, we must be able to generate completed alignment drawings from the data within the database. The output of TGP Reporter must interface seamlessly. Today, the concept is to generate an alignment drawing based on specific alignment boundaries.
Data Integrity / Quality Control
A critical component of this new tool would be data integrity. Our process must be such that the integrity of the data is never in question. To accomplish this, we had to define exactly how the process was to work from every user’s perspective and to assure that each user understood this integrity and control scenario. We must show four things regarding data integrity and our quality control. These are:
We still have objectives for future enhancements and are working to develop them as the capital and time is available. But, what started out as a conceptual idea on a soiled table napkin has blossomed into an integral piece of our corporate facility management system. TGP Reporter captures facility data and integrates with our smart forms and corporate database. Looking back, it was a right decision to sponsor and support the development and construction of this product for El Paso Energy. The business objectives, and then some, were all achieved. Although I went into detail on the birth of this product, I believe it was necessary to fully understand our previous position and the metrics that were a component of that position. Then, to see how we moved forward beyond the driving forces that necessitated such a change and then the business requirements that defined it’s further development.
As important as that may be to management, the technical side is the most interesting side of this product. The following section provides some detail in how to use this tool. It is important to note that modifications can be made to accommodate any scenario that differs from that in which we, as a company, operate.
The Solution – TGP Reporter
In the fall of 1991 we embarked on a project that was aimed at streamlining the collection of as constructed data. From our business requirement and research the design for our custom data collection software was born. The TGP Reporter, version 1was developed in conjunction with one of our technology consultants, Coler & Colantonio Inc.
From its earliest version, the TGP Reporter was designed to facilitate the collection of as-built pipeline data. In its current version, 3.0, the software package is designed to operate on a ruggedized field notebook computer. The operator records the attributes of the new facilities prior to its installation.
The Interface
There are two main views in TGP Reporter:
Schematic View
Attribute View
The schematic view shows the user a sketch like display of the features that have
been collected. The attribute view displays the positional and attribute
information that corresponds with the features in the schematic view. Each
station in the attribute view is associated with its active cell in the schematic view.
As the user scrolls through the attribute view the schematic view is automatically updated. The user can enter a new feature by selecting the “Add Station” button or double clicking an empty row in the attribute view or double clicking on an empty position in the schematic view.
Stations that have been previously entered can be edited in two ways:
Material Definitions
Prior to the start of the field data collection effort, the attributes for each of the materials that will be encountered in the field can be preset. Each material is given a unique user reference that is used during the process of assigning stations to the material changes. New materials can be added on the fly, or the attributes of preloaded materials can be edited in the field.
To add a material definition you would select Add New from the Material menu. The Add Material window will be displayed from where the type of material to be added can be chosen.
The Add Material window presents a choice of various types of materials that can be defined. The actual location of each of these materials is collected during the chaining survey.
For example, to define the attributes for a piece of pipe you would click on the Pipe Segment icon.
Once the type of material to be defined has been selected the Material Definition window appears. Each type of material must be given a unique TGP Reporter Reference Name. This unique name is used to reference the predefined material during the chaining survey.
After completing the relevant information on the Size / Mfg Info. tab, select the Pipe Info. tab to display further attributes associated with the selected material type.
Once all the fields have been completed press the Add button. This stores the material you have just entered into the current TGP Reporter file. Once saved, the material definition is available to be referenced during feature collection.
Feature Collection
There are four ways to enter a new station:
After selecting one of the preceding options to begin station entry, the following screen will appear:
Selecting different primary descriptions will change the values loaded into the secondary description pull down list.
Once all the data for the Station / Offset tab is completed, click on the Attributes tab on the left side of the Station Description Info window.
Based on the primary description selected on the Station / Offset tab, the appropriate attribute fields will be displayed on the Attributes tab. Attributes for the primary description “Point of Inflection” are shown above.”
Once you have completed the attribute information select the Comment tab on the left side of the Station / Description Info window.
The Comment field on the Station / Description Info window allows the user to enter any pertinent information not accounted for on the Attributes tab.
Once all the data has been entered pressing the OK button to add the feature to the current survey section.
Cover
After the features have been collected and the pipe has been lowered into the ditch, the survey crews must record the final cover of the installed facility. To record the cover of a feature, select the feature and choose Cover from the Add menu.
This will then prompt you for the amount of cover in feet.
Calculations
Once the construction stations and attributes have been captured the calculation process can begin. Although traditionally done at the completion of the survey, all calculation can be run at anytime during the data collection process. The calculations within TGP Reporter are used to remove station breaks that occur during the construction process.
Drag Corrections
The drag correction is used to correct stations that are collected within a drag section. Drag sections typically are pieces of pipe that have yet to be placed within the pipeline alignment at the time of the construction survey. These pieces of pipe are typically placed on the side of the right-if-way until they can be installed. These drag sections are typically located at river, road or wetland crossings where special construction techniques are employed to install the pipe.
Section Tie-ins
To account for different construction sequence of pipe installation dictated by the contractors, typically the pipeline is not build continuously from one end of the job to the other. Survey sections allow the user to collect multiple 0+00 sections within the same TGP Reporter project. Once the survey is complete the section tie-in calculation is used to join these separate survey section together and create a continuous set of stations.
Bump Corrections
Often 0+00 is assumed to be the starting station for a construction project. The final stations for a given section of pipeline may change as the data is incorporated into the corporate stationing system. The bump correction allows the user to move, forward or back, all or a selected set of stations.
Reverse Corrections
The direction that the pipeline is installed may not reflect the direction of the final stations. The reverse correction allows the user to assign stations in the field that follow the construction progress, and then reverse the direction of the stations before they are incorporated into the corporate stationing system.
The Final Survey
To complete the data collection process the X, Y and Z coordinates of all pipeline features need to be collected or calculated. In the TGP Reporter process, the coordinates of all the points of inflection are collected. This final survey is completed once the pipe has been lowered into the ditch and back-filled. The final survey data is used to calculate a 3-dimensional model of the pipeline from which the coordinates of all the other features can be calculated.
To enter the final survey mode, press the “Final Survey” button located directly above the attribute view on the main screen. Once the final survey has been selected each of the PI’s that require a GPS position is highlighted in red.
To collect the GPS coordinate of the point the user would stand above the final location of the highlighted PI and double-click the schematic or attribute view. Upon double-clicking the PI, the GPS interface becomes active. Provided the minimum GPS satellite constellation configuration requirements are met, the software will record the coordinates of the users current location.
Material Totals
Once the pipeline features have been collected and the appropriate corrections have been applied, the construction stations and material totals can be calculated. To calculate material totals simply select “Item by station and Material totals” from the report menu. The software will then calculate and report all stations where material totals appear. The Totals tab shows the total length of each material used and also the sum total of all the different materials installed.
“Push” to AM/FM/GIS System
The current version of the TGP Reporter software interfaces with El Paso’s implementation of Intergraph’s Framme facility management software. Once the user has performed all the necessary station calculations the software allows the data to be exported to a .sef file that is compatible with Intergraph’s Framme Loader software. The user creates the .sef file from within the TGP Reporter software and then loads the exported file into Framme. The data can then be reviewed for completeness, linked to other existing facilities and subsequently posted to the corporate GITI systems to be used for as-built alignment generation and facilities management.
Summary
TGP Reporter has been designed to closely mimic current Survey techniques to minimize the impact on current field processes, and at the same time minimize the number of times that the data needs to be “touched”. As a side benefit it allows the Engineer to calculate stationing and material totals while still in the field. This can also help in detecting mistakes and anomalies that can then be resolved in the field.
TGP Reporter utilizes GPS equipment to obtain accurate coordinates for Points of Inflection, which are then used to interpolate coordinates for all other stationing TGP Reporter also provides the data in a digital form directly from the field, making the next step to FRAMME a simple task of just exporting a file, rather than having to hand enter data from a field book, which could introduce errors.
In conclusion, by using TGP Reporter El Paso has been able to substantially reduce the time required to produce final as-built alignment sheets and the data is well positioned to be utilized by other departments that require relational information about the data.
By capturing slope station and coordinate location information electronically, Tennessee Gas Pipeline, a business unit of El Paso Energy, is able to substantially reduce the time required to handle and process “as constructed” data. Additionally, the data is in a format that easily migrates into our facility management system.
The strength of the TGP Reporter lies in its integration with existing pipeline survey techniques and with cutting edge GPS location technology. The system allows field survey personnel to assign slope stations to features as the pipeline is assembled outside of and next to the ditch. This technique keeps the surveyor out of the trench and allows for rapid collection of data with a steel tape. Once the pipe is lowered into the ditch and back-filled, an on-the-ground final survey, using GPS, is used to collect the coordinate location of all horizontal and vertical bends. A subsequent calculation process assigns coordinates for all the remaining slope stations captured during the steel tape survey.
This latest version of the TGP Reporter has been redesigned to closely integrate with El Paso’s facility management system. The data collection process has implemented many of the corporate data model’s business rules, insuring that the field data being received is cleaner than ever before. To streamline the loading of data to the corporate database, the TGP Reporter’s internal data model has been updated to mimic the corporate database. This function allows a one-to-one relationship to exist between that data that is collected in the field and those features in the corporate database.
The calculation package that supports the data collection process has also been enhanced with the 3.0 version. TGP Reporter now supports the following pipeline calculations:
Lap and Gap
Bump
Reverse
Multiple 0+00 sections
X,Y,Z determination from slope stations
The TGP Reporter includes reporting functions that allow users to produce material by station and material total reports. Also included are usercustomizable reports that allow for ad hoc queries and reporting.
To efficiently move the data from the field to the office, TGP Reporter is fully integrated with El Paso’s middle ware facility data distribution and delivery system. Once the data is captured in the field, it is automatically sent to the corporate offices where it is reviewed and loaded into the facility management system. By maintaining the close relationship between the TGP Reporter data model and the corporate database, loading of data to the target system is relatively easy. This allows El Paso to post data to the corporate database soon after the pipeline is placed into service, thus making the records available to the pipeline maintenance personnel quicker than ever before. Once posted, these new records are also ready to be passed back to TGP Reporter for immediate use
The Process
Review
Before moving forward lets take a step back and look at how we arrived at this station. After all, we didn’t decide one day to just change the way we do business. There were driving forces that necessitated a change in our business processes and then business requirements that had to be met. This will be discussed in greater detail following a review of how we used to do business. Therefore let us now look at that old data collection process. I will illustrate how our process worked. I will show you where we identified inefficiencies and risks of data contamination. From there I will mention the driving forces that necessitated a change in the data collection process and then review those business requirements that drove the effort.
Typical Life Cycle of Field Book Data
The typical scenario of handling field books and field book data can be similar between companies in our industry. It is also important to point out that many companies have utilized programmatic ways to expedite a given piece of this process. We were no different. We had programmatic solutions that were departmentalized or fragmented from the rest of the company. Most companies can identify with this natural progression of technology. As any technology emerges, those who think outside the box are constantly looking for ways to push that emerging technology. For instance, in our industry the generation of alignment drawings from within a CAD program had been automated many years earlier. Looking for a way to merge this programmatic solution with emerging technology was an effort that thinking outside the box produced.
The following events briefly describe the life cycle of a field book and it’s data for our past. Generally this is the process that occurred even though it could vary by project or manager so long as the basic requirements set forth in our Field Engineering Standards were met. Even today we may still utilize this old process as we have found ourselves in a transition period between the old and the new.
Final Survey - The final survey was then completed. This was to capture points of intersections and proration points to adjust the preliminary data, if used on the backside, to the as constructed data. This proration effort was an early means to make use of good data already captured during the preliminary ground survey.
Field Books Corrected – The As-Constructed data was collected into field books during the stringing of the pipe. Once the data was collected, the field books were “connected” to one another through recalculations. These recalculations correct for reverse chaining brought about by construction movement and accounted for the laps, gaps and drags. The stationing in the field books reflected a one directional flow to facilitate calculations further along in this process.
It is important to note that the data in the field books represented slope chain data. This meant that the information was not horizontal-based. It reflected the contour of the ground along the pipeline corridor.
Tally of Material – Prior to handoff of the field books to an engineering department, the project accountants would make a final accounting of all material. The field books came in very handy, as the stationing had been recalculated to reflect a one directional flow. But, this was a labor intensive manual process.
Engineering – The field book data was then passed to the engineering department. The engineering department would immediately check the data for errors. This required a very skilled person that usually had many years of construction or related expertise. Found errors were rectified before moving forward. Typically, by this time, the construction crew who captured the data had returned to their home offices or moved on to other jobs. If errors were found and could not easily be resolved in the back office this opened up a whole set of metrics with which the engineering design group must now deal.
Alignment Drawings - Once the field books had been reviewed and checked by engineering, the final As-built alignment drawings were created. At this point let me mention that this stage often required a semi “start from scratch” approach. The preliminary construction topography base could very often be reused but was often stretched to fit the data from the field books that was slope based. Without going into detail as to how this preliminary construction base was put together, it is enough to mention that this topography was often horizontal-based. Making this fit required a great deal of skill and was not for the faint of heart. Oftentimes, some components of the topography base had to be completely redrawn to account for the slope stationing.
Routing and Distribution - Once the completed As-built drawings had been completed and again checked against the field book data they were routed for appropriate signatures and then distributed. This usually marked the end of the life cycle of the construction effort; but, not necessarily the end of using the field book data.
Compliance Services – Within our industry, certain federal, state and local regulations dictate how we must operate our system. One particular compliance activity is the classification of the new pipeline facilities. Here, among other things, we identify the house density within and along our pipeline corridor. This density count required a new set of alignment-based drawings called Classification Drawings. These Classification Drawings were not completed until the As-built alignment drawings had been approved and distributed.
Traditionally, these Classification Drawings used rectified aerial photography. These aerial photographs were created after construction to enable the pipeline scar to be visible. Rectified photography removes the curvature of the earth and allows the image to be seen as a true horizontal base. Did I mention that our As-built drawings were completed based on the field book data that was slope chained? The creation of these Classification Drawings was almost and art.
Inefficiencies
Facility data as an asset is an interesting concept but getting the data positioned such that it could be utilized in that manner was the real issue. We’ll touch on that a little later, but for now let’s look at a few interesting items regarding the previous process.
Let’s look at some inefficiencies associated with that process. Now, keep in mind that this is not a critique of any one group of employees or department. Our previous discussion was on a process that evolved. It wasn’t that the process was broken or that management was allowing inefficient practices to occur. The evolution was propagated due to the following inefficiencies.
Data Hand-Off’s and Accountability – The act of moving the data between individuals or departments is considered a data handoff. This data handoff closely matches the “touching” of the data mentioned above but differs in that accountability can sometimes be construed as also being passed along. This mental pass is a way of stating that no regard for others' use of the data occurs. In extreme cases the data becomes departmentalized. Worse is the scenario where the data becomes owned by a singular department whereby permissions are required to access the data. As I mentioned earlier, the facility data collected in the field books should be a corporate asset available to everyone with a need. Looking at the data as a corporate asset from the beginning is the real key to managing the data and identifying true accountability for the process.
Transcription Errors - Is it probable that “touching” the data and handling the data propagates errors. That is why the process had so many built-in reviews and checks. Hopefully the checking and verification process would catch all of the errors. But, from personal experience errors manage to find their way into the data. Perhaps errors could be eliminated if there was no need to handle the data so many times.
Time - How much time is utilized in handling the data or checking the data? What about generating the alignment drawings? Think of an equilateral triangle. Each side of the triangle represents 1) the process, 20 the cost associated with the process, and 3) time to work the process. To reduce either side we must reduce the others to keep the triangle in its true form.
How do we keep this triangle in its true form? We do this by adjusting each side where appropriate. We want to reduce data collection costs but we must also reduce the time associated with the data collection as well as modifying the process accordingly. So let’s take a look at changing the process. What were the driving forces that caused us to look at changing the process?
We had been told that the resources available for any activity would be reduced. This means that we had to identify ways to accomplish the same amount of work with fewer people. We had to produce a product in a timely fashion and we had to remain competitive. Remaining competitive meant increasing the return on any investment while increasing the bottom line.
Reduced Headcount / Increased Accountability
As we moved forward it was almost certain that resources would be pushed to produce a product in a more timely fashion. With that came increased accountability for your component of the product. The revised process had to allow fewer employees the ability to capture the data cleanly and efficiently. It was very important that people working to capture fully understand where they stood in this new process. They were to become the key employee in producing the final product.
Reduce Turnaround Time of As Built Drawings and for Compliance
We were given a mandate to shorten the turnaround time in producing As Constructed drawings. We were to walk away from the construction site with completed ready for signature drawings in hand. Our DOS based product allowed this to occur on a major pipeline expansion project.
Remain Competitive
At the heart of all this was the objective to remain competitive. Our challenge was to utilize technology but keep it’s costs low while producing a product that enabled automation. This was not an easy task.
We looked for new and innovative tools and devised ways to use these tools to make this happen. Within the course of this we also identified a vendor who was focused on our same objectives and was customer oriented and value added.
Let’s Tackle the Data Collection Process
As all great ideas begin, a pencil was put to a napkin over dinner one evening and the data collection process was conceptualized. We identified a product to remove inefficiencies and expedite the turnaround of the data thus saving time and money in the long run. Thus TGP Reporter was born.
A few years later we found ourselves looking into an AM/FM/GIS system that we now refer to as a geographic information technology system (GIT). A data model had been created and we were looking for a way to incorporate and streamline the data collection process further. The life cycle of the data collection process had been shortened at an earlier date but what synergies could we now derive such that it becomes more of an asset to the enterprise?
Business Requirements to Justify Changing The Process
The business requirements for TGP Reporter, Version 1 was very straightforward. As we moved forward with developing the latest version those same requirements were modified to incorporate the latest objectives of the software. From this point forward I’ll reference the business requirements as the strategy for this further development.
Our DOS based TGP Reporter had proven itself during major pipeline projects and on major rehabilitation projects. Our new challenge was to set our sights on the data collection process again but from a broader perspective. We were now looking at modifying various field processes to remove mainframe based data collection systems. One component of these modified processes did involve the data capture of facility data. This time we were to focus on utilizing the tool in a way that it facilitated company wide utilization of the data. After all, the data is an asset of which we should take full advantage.
We developed simple but direct business objectives for incorporation of a revised TGP Reporter into our redesigned field processes.
Reduce Handling the Data / Reduce Errors / Reduce Costs It isn’t enough that the data must be accurate, we had to look for a way that would reduce the number of times the data got touched still. From this we knew we could further eliminate errors and reduce the costs associated with their discovery and correction.
Ease of Use
Making a note in a field notebook requires that the employee know what needs to be collected and how to express it within the context of the field book. Modifying a process such that we take the pencil and paper away and hand them an electronic device was a major change. Now we were looking at taking that one step further in incorporate TGP Reporter into some of our smart forms. Now they were to collect the data in a new fashion with a whole new purpose and methods of relaying the data.
With a new tool to relay the data, it was important that this new tool be easy to learn and to use. Standardizing on given nomenclature for certain events along the pipeline helped in this regard. Pick lists and drop down dialog boxes listing all given parameters for any given event was the most difficult component of the new technology to be absorbed. When employees understood that the nomenclature was standardized to assist in using the automated alignment generation programs, acceptance quickly followed.
Standardize Method of Data Collection
By standardization we are referring to the way that the data was collected as well as the terminology that was used. In the old days we were honored to have a staff that could interpret almost any verbiage in a field book and decipher it’s meaning. Those days are almost gone and that expertise is difficult to develop. This new product, TGP Reporter, should allow a field employee to quickly understand the terminology, make a selection quickly and associate that selection with any element or entity along the pipeline.
This standardization further enhanced the ability to move the data directly into the corporate database. Having standardized tags with which to call the data facilitated it’s movement into our corporate database.
Maintain Traditional Survey Techniques for Pipeline Construction
One caveat that our field employees continued to insist upon was that we continue to provide the capability to collect the data in much the same manner as it is collected in field books. That was to allow them the freedom to move from site to site and spread to spread without creating a file management concern on their end. This required the data collection software to be flexible enough to take traditional pipeline construction techniques into consideration. This was where the technology began to shine. We devised software that could collect the data regardless of direction of installation and regardless of how spread out and fragmented the construction process was worked. To do this it had to handle reverse stationing, change the reverse stationing, incorporate laps and gaps and drag sections. It had to be connectable from any point to any other point. We had to plan for a process to allow the insertion of a segment of pipe and to re-station all points from the tie-in to the end of the segment. Then add to that the ability to incorporate GPS technology wherever applicable. This was a hefty business requirement, but the one that proved the end product.
Support Material Totals
Accountants used the As-constructed data to total and tally the final materials. Wouldn’t it be great if these tallies could be run in an ad hoc fashion at any point within the construction process? This would enable an accounting of how much pipe was in the ground, ready to be lowered into the ground, or still sitting in the pipe yard awaiting use or any number of scenarios that were necessary to report in regard to the material
Interface with Existing Drafting Program
As was mentioned earlier, the initial end product had to interface with existing programmatic solutions that had already been incorporated within the engineering departments. At that time, the engineering departments used an internally developed alignment sheet generation program that created a complete alignment drawing without any background and topology information.
For today’s environment, we must be able to generate completed alignment drawings from the data within the database. The output of TGP Reporter must interface seamlessly. Today, the concept is to generate an alignment drawing based on specific alignment boundaries.
Data Integrity / Quality Control
A critical component of this new tool would be data integrity. Our process must be such that the integrity of the data is never in question. To accomplish this, we had to define exactly how the process was to work from every user’s perspective and to assure that each user understood this integrity and control scenario. We must show four things regarding data integrity and our quality control. These are:
- The input procedures used to supply information to the computer,
- The tests that are used to assure the accuracy and reliability of both the computer and the information that was supplied to the computer,
- How corrections to the data are made with regard to maintaining the source file in an archival manner, and
- That the computer record was generated and relied upon in the regular course of business.
We still have objectives for future enhancements and are working to develop them as the capital and time is available. But, what started out as a conceptual idea on a soiled table napkin has blossomed into an integral piece of our corporate facility management system. TGP Reporter captures facility data and integrates with our smart forms and corporate database. Looking back, it was a right decision to sponsor and support the development and construction of this product for El Paso Energy. The business objectives, and then some, were all achieved. Although I went into detail on the birth of this product, I believe it was necessary to fully understand our previous position and the metrics that were a component of that position. Then, to see how we moved forward beyond the driving forces that necessitated such a change and then the business requirements that defined it’s further development.
As important as that may be to management, the technical side is the most interesting side of this product. The following section provides some detail in how to use this tool. It is important to note that modifications can be made to accommodate any scenario that differs from that in which we, as a company, operate.
The Solution – TGP Reporter
In the fall of 1991 we embarked on a project that was aimed at streamlining the collection of as constructed data. From our business requirement and research the design for our custom data collection software was born. The TGP Reporter, version 1was developed in conjunction with one of our technology consultants, Coler & Colantonio Inc.
From its earliest version, the TGP Reporter was designed to facilitate the collection of as-built pipeline data. In its current version, 3.0, the software package is designed to operate on a ruggedized field notebook computer. The operator records the attributes of the new facilities prior to its installation.
The Interface
There are two main views in TGP Reporter:
Attribute View
As the user scrolls through the attribute view the schematic view is automatically updated. The user can enter a new feature by selecting the “Add Station” button or double clicking an empty row in the attribute view or double clicking on an empty position in the schematic view.
Stations that have been previously entered can be edited in two ways:
- Double click on the feature in the schematic view
- Double click on the feature in the table view.
Material Definitions
Prior to the start of the field data collection effort, the attributes for each of the materials that will be encountered in the field can be preset. Each material is given a unique user reference that is used during the process of assigning stations to the material changes. New materials can be added on the fly, or the attributes of preloaded materials can be edited in the field.
To add a material definition you would select Add New from the Material menu. The Add Material window will be displayed from where the type of material to be added can be chosen.
The Add Material window presents a choice of various types of materials that can be defined. The actual location of each of these materials is collected during the chaining survey.
For example, to define the attributes for a piece of pipe you would click on the Pipe Segment icon.
Once the type of material to be defined has been selected the Material Definition window appears. Each type of material must be given a unique TGP Reporter Reference Name. This unique name is used to reference the predefined material during the chaining survey.
After completing the relevant information on the Size / Mfg Info. tab, select the Pipe Info. tab to display further attributes associated with the selected material type.
Once all the fields have been completed press the Add button. This stores the material you have just entered into the current TGP Reporter file. Once saved, the material definition is available to be referenced during feature collection.
Feature Collection
There are four ways to enter a new station:
- Select Station / Description from the Add menu.
- Double click on an empty space in the schematic view
- Double click on an empty row in the table view.
- Press the Add Station button located in the center of the screen.
After selecting one of the preceding options to begin station entry, the following screen will appear:
Selecting different primary descriptions will change the values loaded into the secondary description pull down list.
Once all the data for the Station / Offset tab is completed, click on the Attributes tab on the left side of the Station Description Info window.
Based on the primary description selected on the Station / Offset tab, the appropriate attribute fields will be displayed on the Attributes tab. Attributes for the primary description “Point of Inflection” are shown above.”
Once you have completed the attribute information select the Comment tab on the left side of the Station / Description Info window.
The Comment field on the Station / Description Info window allows the user to enter any pertinent information not accounted for on the Attributes tab.
Once all the data has been entered pressing the OK button to add the feature to the current survey section.
Cover
After the features have been collected and the pipe has been lowered into the ditch, the survey crews must record the final cover of the installed facility. To record the cover of a feature, select the feature and choose Cover from the Add menu.
This will then prompt you for the amount of cover in feet.
Calculations
Once the construction stations and attributes have been captured the calculation process can begin. Although traditionally done at the completion of the survey, all calculation can be run at anytime during the data collection process. The calculations within TGP Reporter are used to remove station breaks that occur during the construction process.
The drag correction is used to correct stations that are collected within a drag section. Drag sections typically are pieces of pipe that have yet to be placed within the pipeline alignment at the time of the construction survey. These pieces of pipe are typically placed on the side of the right-if-way until they can be installed. These drag sections are typically located at river, road or wetland crossings where special construction techniques are employed to install the pipe.
Section Tie-ins
To account for different construction sequence of pipe installation dictated by the contractors, typically the pipeline is not build continuously from one end of the job to the other. Survey sections allow the user to collect multiple 0+00 sections within the same TGP Reporter project. Once the survey is complete the section tie-in calculation is used to join these separate survey section together and create a continuous set of stations.
Bump Corrections
Often 0+00 is assumed to be the starting station for a construction project. The final stations for a given section of pipeline may change as the data is incorporated into the corporate stationing system. The bump correction allows the user to move, forward or back, all or a selected set of stations.
Reverse Corrections
The direction that the pipeline is installed may not reflect the direction of the final stations. The reverse correction allows the user to assign stations in the field that follow the construction progress, and then reverse the direction of the stations before they are incorporated into the corporate stationing system.
To complete the data collection process the X, Y and Z coordinates of all pipeline features need to be collected or calculated. In the TGP Reporter process, the coordinates of all the points of inflection are collected. This final survey is completed once the pipe has been lowered into the ditch and back-filled. The final survey data is used to calculate a 3-dimensional model of the pipeline from which the coordinates of all the other features can be calculated.
To enter the final survey mode, press the “Final Survey” button located directly above the attribute view on the main screen. Once the final survey has been selected each of the PI’s that require a GPS position is highlighted in red.
To collect the GPS coordinate of the point the user would stand above the final location of the highlighted PI and double-click the schematic or attribute view. Upon double-clicking the PI, the GPS interface becomes active. Provided the minimum GPS satellite constellation configuration requirements are met, the software will record the coordinates of the users current location.
Material Totals
Once the pipeline features have been collected and the appropriate corrections have been applied, the construction stations and material totals can be calculated. To calculate material totals simply select “Item by station and Material totals” from the report menu. The software will then calculate and report all stations where material totals appear. The Totals tab shows the total length of each material used and also the sum total of all the different materials installed.
“Push” to AM/FM/GIS System
The current version of the TGP Reporter software interfaces with El Paso’s implementation of Intergraph’s Framme facility management software. Once the user has performed all the necessary station calculations the software allows the data to be exported to a .sef file that is compatible with Intergraph’s Framme Loader software. The user creates the .sef file from within the TGP Reporter software and then loads the exported file into Framme. The data can then be reviewed for completeness, linked to other existing facilities and subsequently posted to the corporate GITI systems to be used for as-built alignment generation and facilities management.
Summary
TGP Reporter has been designed to closely mimic current Survey techniques to minimize the impact on current field processes, and at the same time minimize the number of times that the data needs to be “touched”. As a side benefit it allows the Engineer to calculate stationing and material totals while still in the field. This can also help in detecting mistakes and anomalies that can then be resolved in the field.
TGP Reporter utilizes GPS equipment to obtain accurate coordinates for Points of Inflection, which are then used to interpolate coordinates for all other stationing TGP Reporter also provides the data in a digital form directly from the field, making the next step to FRAMME a simple task of just exporting a file, rather than having to hand enter data from a field book, which could introduce errors.
In conclusion, by using TGP Reporter El Paso has been able to substantially reduce the time required to produce final as-built alignment sheets and the data is well positioned to be utilized by other departments that require relational information about the data.