Pipeline Alignment Optimization: Automated GIS-Based Approach
Publication: Journal of Pipeline Systems Engineering and Practice
Volume 2, Issue 1
Abstract
The shortest route from home to work may not be the best alternative, and a longer route may be fastest or safest. Hence, the best route reflective of one factor may not be the ultimate best alternative. This paper discusses a geographic information system (GIS)–based application to analyze and rank a number of potential pipeline routes based on accumulated weights of individual segments composing the route. The goal of this application was to automate the process of defining more than one potential route. Designers and stakeholders determine project-specific criteria and assign weighting factors to each. Additionally, individual scores are assigned to each segment in the so-called decision matrix which is a project-specific spreadsheet. The weights and costs are extracted from the decision matrix and imported as attributes for each segment in the GIS pipe network layer based on the unique segment ID. A network analyst routine was programmatically used to identify a number of potential pipeline routes that were then stored in an output feature class and eventually exported to Microsoft Excel, where a summary chart was generated to summarize the findings. The application was used on a test case in the western United States. The application was developed using Visual Basic for Application and ArcObjects and was intended for use in ESRI’s ArcGIS Desktop 9.3.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
References
ASCE Task Committee to Rewrite Manual of Practice No. 46. (1998). Pipeline route selection for rural and cross-country pipelines, Committee on Pipeline Installation and Location, ASCE, Reston, Va.
AutoDesk. (2010). Utilities and telecommunications, San Rafael, Calif.
Bentley. (2010). Bentley Map V8i, Exton, Penn.
Burke, R., and Arana, A. (2003). Getting to know ArcObjects, ESRI Press, Redlands, Calif.
Dijkstra, E. W. (1959). “A note on two problems in connection with graphs.” Numer. Math., 1, 269–271.
Dubey, R. P. (2009). “A remote sensing and GIS based least cost routing of pipelines.” ⟨http://www.gisdevelopment.net⟩ (Nov. 2009).
ESRI. (2005). Hierarchical routes in ArcGIS network analyst. An ESRI white paper, Redlands, Calif.
ESRI. (2010). ESRI network analyst, Redlands, Calif.
Hardin, D., Bridges, G., and Rundell, D. (2008). “Selecting the best pipeline route based on facts not feelings.” Proc., Pipelines Congress, ASCE, Reston, Va.
Luettinger, J., and Clark, T. (2005). “Geographic information system-based pipeline route.” J. Water Resour. Plann. Manage., 131(3), 193–200.
Olivera, F. (2002). “Map analysis with networks.” ⟨http://ceprofs.tamu.edu/folivera/GISCE/Spring 2002/Presentations/NetworksIntro.ppt⟩ (Mar. 2010).
Rizkalla, M. (2008). Pipeline geo-environmental design and geohazard management, ASME, New York.
Stewart, L. A. (2004). “The application of route network analysis to commercial forestry transportation.” ⟨http://gis.esri.com/library/userconf/proc05/papers/pap1309.pdf⟩ (Mar. 2010).
U.S. DOT. (2009). National pipeline mapping system. Standards for pipeline, liquefied natural gas and breakout tank farm operator submissions, Washington, D.C.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Copyright
© 2011 ASCE.
History
Received: Dec 22, 2009
Accepted: Jun 8, 2010
Published online: Jun 16, 2010
Published in print: Feb 2011
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.