IBP1009_19

TURNING DATA INTO

VALUABLE INFORMATION
Thomas Hales1, Daniel Carneiro2

Copyright 2019, Brazilian Petroleum, Gas and Biofuels Institute - IBP

This Technical Paper was prepared for presentation at the Rio Pipeline Conference and Exhibition 2019, held
between 03 and 05 of September, in Rio de Janeiro. This Technical Paper was selected for presentation by the
Technical Committee of the event according to the information contained in the final paper submitted by the
author(s). The organizers are not supposed to translate or correct the submitted papers. The material as it is
presented, does not necessarily represent Brazilian Petroleum, Gas and Biofuels Institute’ opinion, or that of its
Members or Representatives. Authors consent to the publication of this Technical Paper in the Rio Pipeline
Conference and Exhibition 2019.

Abstract

During the design and construction phases of a pipeline project, there’s a unique opportunity to
capture highly-valuable information from contractors and vendors. If quality-controlled,
managed effectively and disseminated correctly, this information will deliver significant
efficiency, cost and integrity benefits, both during the project phase and into operations. Some
of the key aspects in effectively turning data into valuable information are presented, illustrated
by lessons learned from several large-scale onshore and offshore projects.

Keywords: Data, GIS, PODS, single-source-of-truth

1. Introduction

A plethora of data is generated during design and construction phases of any project. If
properly accessible, organized and reliable, this data can provide a wealth of information to all
the parties involved in design, construction, and after that, those involved in operations,
monitoring & maintenance, and eventual repair, modifications and decommissioning.
The presentation will go through and discuss experience and lessons learnt on a number
of pipeline projects, both subsea and on-land. This knowledge sharing is intended to help future
projects in planning for success – which in this context consists in bringing improved safety
and improved efficiency, at a lower cost. As in any other project-like activity, early planning
and design will lay the foundations for successful outcomes.

2. Key topics to be covered in the presentation

The following sections of this extended abstract briefly outline the key topics to be
covered.

2.1. Early Engagement

One key aspect for a successful process of turning data into value information is early
engaging with the client, contractors and vendors. The earlier this process commences, lesser

______________________________
1
M.Sc., Geographer – Wood, USA
2
D.Sc., Civil Engineer – Wood, Brazil
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the effort. Having the information quality-controlled and effectively managed as it is being
generated is far less energy-consuming then doing it after is has been recorded in a non-ideal
way.
Having the client buying into the data management process, and imposing simple
requirements to contractor and vendors in the way they record their generated information can
bring significant cost savings into this process. Client engagement should include project
managers, engineers, and people in procurement, information management, commissioning,
and most importantly: operations. The operations personnel will be the end-user for the longest,
over the entire operating life of the asset.
The project team should also have champions, to promote and support the process, and
users which will operate the information management system. These should also be identified
and engaged as early in the project as possible.
Contractors, vendors and suppliers should also be engaged early, so as to consider any
additional information management requirement from the beginning of their process too. Such
additional requirements are often very simple to implement if considered from the beginning.

2.2. Clear and Simple Requirements

Specifications for gathering and managing data should be clear and simple. These
should include the data dictionary, clear indications on which units are to be used, and examples
illustrating the usage to facilitate quick and effective understanding. Simple data templates, that
clearly define the information required from each contractor and supplier scope, should be
generated and shared with the third parties involved to improve the quality of received data.
Table 1 illustrates one of such templates, for pipe coating data.
The requirements should be set up in such way that all the “what”, “when”, “who”,
“how” and “why” are suitably recorded. It should also be as simple as possible, avoiding
unnecessary aspects and complications such as domains, data types and character limits.
Table 1. Example of clear and simple requirements for pipe coating data gathering

Definition Number marked Layer Coating Nominal

on pipe sequence no. material thickness
Example 12345, 12345-01 1, 2, 3, 4 3LPE, 3.2, 4.8, 20, 40
Concrete
Units mm
Attribute Pipe Number Layer Material Thickness
23456 1 3LPE 3.2
23456 2 Concrete 40

2.3. Adopting Document Management Procedures

The value of adopting established document management, review and approval

processes for ensuring data accuracy will be discussed. The project should have document
management procedures which are established and familiar to all parties involved. Information
should be exchanged in formal deliverables, which should be scheduled and controlled. These
shall go through formal review and approval cycles, and shall be auditable and traceable. The
flowchart in Figure 1 illustrates one of such management procedures.

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Figure 1. Example of document management procedure

2.4. Robust Data Management Tools

The presentation will also discuss the importance of robust data management tools that
enable data managers to focus on completeness and quality rather than the underlying data
model. These should provide visibility of received data and loading progress, and have built-in
tools to ensure the data is validated prior to loading. The management tool should provide the
ability to update and unload, without compromising database integrity, and allow management
and synchronization of data between multiple environments, enabling quality checks to be
carried out prior to release of information. These should also produce automatic records to make
the process auditable, from receipt through to release. Figure 2 shows the data management tool
developed by Wood, which is an integral part of its Nexus GIS system.

Figure 2. Example of data management tool

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2.5. Turning Non-Spatial Data into Valuable Information

Pipeline Open Data Standard (PODS, ref. www.pods.org) model extensions are used to
support and enable cross-validation of the large volumes of non-spatial data collected during
the project, whilst streamlining the process of developing the as-built model.
Large volumes of non-spatial data are captured during the manufacturing, fabrication
and installation phases. Typically, this is loaded and related in PODS once the physical location
is known, however it contains a lot of high-value information for the project even before that.
In response, Wood have created a new sub-model, based on the sequence of events during the
project and the information requirements of the wider project team.

2.6. Effective Delivery of Information

Presentation of information using multiple formats is crucial to deliver value to the

wider project team. Figure 3 illustrated the sort of data tables visualization available through
the Wood’s Nexus GIS system.

Figure 3. Example of data tables from Wood’s Nexus GIS

3. Conclusions and Future Thoughts

All of the aforementioned topics will be discussed based on Wood’s experience on

several large-scale onshore and offshore pipeline projects.
In conclusion, thoughts on future developments will be shared. For example, how to
make the data collection more real-time and automated, if possible making use of ROVs,
drones, and potentially resident AUVs; and integration of the current GIS systems with 3D,
VR, augmented reality and digital twins.

4. Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Wood for permitting and supporting this presentation.