Pipeline Management With Photogrammetry, Laser Scanning and WEB Mapping

The up-to-date and true information is one of the most important items of a business, mainly when this business acts in international markets due to the participation of international Companies. TRANSPETRO, integral subsidiary of PETROBRAS, is the Brazilian operator for the great majority of pipelines of petroleum and natural gas in Brazil, built among the years of 1951 and 2001. Fifty years of pipeline history are registered in the most different formats and media ways. This situation generated difficulties to access the information and consequently it provoked the occurrence of lacks of information. The most serious problems were observed in the moment of retrieving the information about the location of the old pipelines when the implantations of new ones are required or in the case of an emergency intervention. Investments of US$ 15 million (2001/2002) were accomplished by mapping (orthophotos), detailed drawings with as-built status and profiles, installed equipment (valves etc), geodesic network with high precision points with GPS coordinates (Global Positioning System), new register of land-owners of the right-of-way, users and operators training, data distribution in the Company network (Intranet) in GIS format — Geographical Information System, formed an alliance with the WEB Mapping. For the execution of the activities several technologies were used, including airborne sensors (laser scanning and aerial photos). Now, a database with high degree of precision can be accessed by the users with images of high definition, to verify information of the installed equipment and to do the planning of amplifications of the system or maintenance, resulting in larger operational reliability of the pipelines.