Class and Gathering Analysis for a Newly Acquired Gas Gathering System

Client: Growing Independent Oil and Gas Producer

Challenge

A growing independent oil and gas producer acquired approximately 135 miles of gas, oil and water pipelines, including roughly 45 miles of gas gathering lines. Before integrating these assets into their existing compliance and integrity management programs, the client needed to determine how the gas gathering lines were classified under 49 CFR Part 192. However, the acquired GIS data was dispersed across multiple files, and no structured pipeline dataset was provided. As a result, the available centerlines and attribute information required significant organization and preparation before a classification analysis could be performed.

Solution

Altamira prepared the 45-mile gas gathering network for analysis by consolidating available centerlines and supporting spatial data into a single GIS environment and isolating the gas gathering assets from the larger acquired pipeline system. The team reviewed source records to identify the pipeline attributes required for the analysis and then matched those attributes to the appropriate centerlines. Missing or conflicting route names, geometry and attributes were reconciled to create a reliable dataset for the class and gathering analysis.

To support the class location assessment, Altamira manually identified and captured buildings intended for human occupancy, identified sites and other relevant structures located near the pipelines. Potential identified sites were further verified through direct outreach to property owners and businesses. The resulting structure inventory provided the critical inputs needed to accurately determine class location.

Once the data preparation was complete, the centerlines, pipeline attributes and structure data were loaded into Altamira’s proprietary IntegrityMap™ HCA tool. The tool applies both analyses in one workflow and automatically creates new pipeline segments wherever a class location or gathering designation changes. Altamira then conducted a detailed line-by-line quality review of the results, validating classifications against the supporting data. The final deliverables included the completed class and gathering analysis along with the GIS datasets used to support and document the results.

Results

Altamira completed a comprehensive class and gathering analysis for approximately 45 miles of gas gathering pipeline, providing segment-level results that clearly identified where class location and gathering classifications changed. These results gave the client a detailed understanding of the pipeline network’s regulatory status and the requirements applicable to each segment.

By performing both analyses using a single set of controlled inputs, Altamira ensured that the class location and gathering determinations remained fully aligned across the system. This eliminated the need to reconcile separate datasets, reduced the potential for inconsistencies and provided the client with a single, defensible source of regulatory information.

With a clear and accurate classification of the acquired assets, the client can confidently incorporate the pipelines into its compliance and integrity management programs, support regulatory reporting requirements and efficiently maintain the data as operating conditions and regulatory needs evolve.

For more information, please contact Dustin Sanchez, GIS Manager.
Dustin can be reached at dustin.sanchez@altamira-us.com

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