ArcGIS for Leak Survey
ArcGIS for Leak Survey
By Megan Hendrick and Tom DeWitte
Every natural gas distribution company in the United States, Canada, and Europe, is required by government regulation to regularly inspect their pipe system for leaks. The field inspection task to comply with these regulations is often referred to as “leak survey”. Successful execution of a leak survey improves safety for the community, reduces gas-loss, and keeps methane out of our atmosphere. Yet the task of managing a leak survey program has frequently challenged natural gas organizations. Many compliance managers have struggled to keep track of where and when leak surveys were performed. Field staff have often been slowed by paper-based workflows that are time-consuming and difficult to complete. Inaccuracies in data collection leads to an inaccurate picture of the leak survey history. Executives have found themselves sitting in a room with auditors, unable to produce the information needed to validate compliance because the information is not readily accessible.
ArcGIS provides the tools your team needs to improve compliance monitoring, management of field work, and auditing for your leak survey workflow.
Managing Leak Survey Data
While gas utilities share the same regulation requirements, each utility has unique data. By applying a leak survey grid over the network data, a utility can begin to manage their leak survey workflow without needing to modify their existing network data. Calculations on the underlying network can give a summary of the pipe in each grid. ArcGIS provides a flexible framework for your data, allowing you to configure this workflow to meet your team's needs.
Compliance Monitoring
Every day, gas utilities face the challenge of monitoring their leak survey program's compliance status. With strict regulations in place, they need to keep track of hundreds or thousands of miles of pipes. When was each pipe segment surveyed last? When is the next survey scheduled? When is the next compliance date? In the worst-case scenario, they need to quickly identify if an area has fallen out of compliance so they can remedy the situation as fast as possible.
With ArcGIS configurable web applications, compliance managers can have constant, up-to-date visibility into compliance status for their whole territory. The new generation of ArcGIS web applications provides an elevated level of flexibility to configure the apps to meet your needs.
Dashboards can provide an “at a glance” view of the data, where the team can view live insights derived from the data to see a summary of the leak survey program. Since the web app references data in a service-based architecture, updates from the field or operations teams are available in near-real time. The dashboard view of the web app provides enough information to tell the compliance manager if everything is on track.
Flexible, multipage web apps give the team the ability to switch to a more detailed view of the app to filter, search and interact with the data. If there are certain grids that need to be at the front of the priority list, that information can be exported to easily share with other business groups.
Managing Work
Different teams need various levels of access to the data. The field operations supervisors can use a similar, but modified, web application that gives them access to the specific tools they need. A dashboard can show quick statistics on the status of leak survey work, catered to the operations supervisor who manages how the work is assigned. They can also manage and assign work orders directly in the web app by leveraging ArcGIS Workforce embedded in the web app.
The flexibility of ArcGIS web applications provides different views of the same data for users with distinct roles to play in the leak survey workflow. Since each app can still reference the same data, each team is working on the same, up-to-date information. A configure first approach means that these applications are highly configurable, without needing a developer to write a single line of code.
Field Work
ArcGIS mobile apps gives your team the right tools for your field crew to complete and record the leak survey work. The field team can receive their assigned work in ArcGIS Workforce, where they are seamlessly directed to the right map and location in Field Maps. The seamless app linking gives your field team the capabilities of both field apps, with a guided experience and seamless user experience.
** Note: Task capabilities will be coming to Field Maps in 2024, which can replace workforce capabilities**
The field map prompts the field worker to allow location tracking while they are using the leak survey map. Once they start the survey, the grid can be edited to update that status to “in progress.” The same map can be used to record any leaks or other issues found while surveying. As the crew works, checking on their own location tracks shows the worker exactly where they have been in comparison to the pipe network, ensuring that they covered the necessary area.
Offline capabilities mean this ability to display a map of the pipe network, capture and display tracks of location, as well as document leaks and identified issues works whether the mobile device is connected to a network or is disconnected.
With the survey complete, editing the grid to update the status to “complete” triggers automatic calculations in the smart form. The survey date and the field worker's identity are auto populated in the form. Additionally, the next compliance dates and inspection dates are automatically calculated and populated. In the background, an attribute rule is evaluated to create a new record in the leak survey history related table. Automation in the smart form makes the data collection quick and easy for the field worker. The automatic creation of a leak survey record for the history related table makes the recording of work fast and accurate. Now, these updates are available immediately for the team back at headquarters.
Auditing
All information from the field team is immediately available back in the office. When the compliance team needs to answer questions about when a certain grid was surveyed, they have all that information at their fingertips. Searching for a specific pipe or grid brings them to that location on the map, where we can see the leak survey history, any leaks recorded in the area, and even the location tracks of the survey crew that last surveyed the grid. Now there is no question when your team needs to show that regulations have been followed.
Technology
What technology do you need to implement this workflow?
1. ArcGIS Enterprise
ArcGIS Enterprise provides the foundation to build this workflow. The services-based architecture means everyone is working on the same, up to date data (versioning and staging layers can be leveraged to ensure data integrity). ArcGIS Enterprise also provides attribute rule capabilities, allowing for automation such as the creation of leak survey records in a leak survey history table.
2. ArcGIS Web Apps
ArcGIS Dashboards and Experience Builder offer highly configurable web applications to support the leak survey workflow. Dashboards can be configured to offer a comprehensive overview of the data, while Experience Builder is available to support the more complex needs like data editing, embedding, querying, filtering.
3. ArcGIS Mobile Apps
ArcGIS Field Maps is the primary mobile application for the leak survey workflow. Smart Form capabilities allow for automated calculations using Arcade, like the compliance date calculations and auto-fill of certain data fields. ArcGIS Field Maps also seamlessly links with ArcGIS Workforce, providing the ability to assign and organize work.
** Note: Task capabilities will be coming to Field Maps in 2024, which can replace workforce capabilities**
An Enhanced Leak Survey Workflow: Automation, Location Tracking, Data Management
ArcGIS enhances the efficiency and accuracy of leak survey at every step of the workflow. Dashboards and web apps that leverage services-based data keep teams in the office and the field coordinated with each other. By leveraging calculations for compliance date management, ArcGIS helps gas utilities effectively and accurately monitor their leak survey program's compliance status. The automation of these calculations in the Field Maps Smart Forms reduces the data input required by the field worker, improving their efficiency, and reducing errors. With GPS bread crumbs for field users, ArcGIS ensures accurate tracking of field work, improving the field members ability to locate assets while also improving the auditability of surveys. Additionally, ArcGIS facilitates the automatic preservation of inspection history, providing a comprehensive record for auditing purposes. Overall, ArcGIS empowers gas utilities to streamline leak survey operations, improve regulatory compliance, and enhance the efficiency of their leak survey workflow.