Pipeline Data Modeling and Process
Majdi Zahran
Intergraph Corporation
Huntsville, Alabama 35894
Email: mmzahran@ingr.com
Abstract
This paper focuses on how various enterprise-system components impact data modeling and
discusses specific data-modeling factors to consider in order to achieve a seamless workflow
environment, where business processes deal with provisioning and sustaining the pipeline
and involve engineering, operations, construction, dispatching, mobile computing, and
maintenance activities. I refer to this integrated environment as a Geospatial Resource
Management (GRM) system. This paper will provide examples of requirements that impact
the data model and basic steps that must be addressed prior to initiating an intense datamodeling
effort.
Introduction
In an AM/FM/GIS, as with most other systems, data represents the major investment and
needs to be leveraged and accessed at an enterprisewide level to support decision making,
sales, marketing, operations, emergency response, customer care, and other critical needs and
interfaces. An enterprisewide focus and data distribution will encompass a wide range of
users with varying levels of needs and geographic experience. This gives rise to the issue of
data modeling and how the designed logical and physical data model can support these
different requirements and data relations.
Where to start?
Before initiating data modeling and design, it is important to identify the required
components of the intended GRM system, including interfaces, business workflows and
system requirements. If network analysis is part of the solution, then considerations need to
be made for all features or facilities that impact or influence gas flow – what are they and the
detailed attributes needed to perform network analysis? How will you obtain the necessary
connectivity-based information and pass it to network analysis? Another data modeling
consideration might include an interface to asset management, where attributes, such as asset
ID’s, need to be associated with all features maintained within the asset management system.
The issue then is how best to manage the status of the asset and other related information.
