GeoWorld

GeoWorld May 2011

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BY GEOFF PRICE Route Selection Pipeline A GIS Jumpstart for International Growth B y the end of 2011, 7 billion inhabitants will stake claim to Earth’s resources. Data obtained from the U.S. Energy Information Administration show world energy consumption increasing by 45 percent from 2011 to 2035 (IEO, 2010). As the world popula- tion soars to nearly 8.5 billion in 2035, energy experts emphasize that the largest energy demand will come from developing nations. Accelerating energy demand are the large and grow- ing appetites of emerging market economies. Countries like China, India and Brazil are quickly rising to join the advanced and highly industrialized economies. Rising to a lesser extent, but perhaps more desperately, are the energy demands for more than a billion inhabitants of the least-developed countries. Regardless of global economic status, increasing world energy demands, combined with an uneven geographic distribution of energy resources, creates a logistical dilemma—one historically overcome by infrastructure. For nearly a century, cross-country pipelines have been the most preferred and reli- able mechanism for transporting gas and liquids to fuel-demand centers. Consequently, simultaneous increases in population and global prosperity fur- ther constrict global energy supply, and developing nations will inevitably rely on pipelines to feed new market growth. 22 GEO W ORLD / M AY 2O11 Facilitating international infrastructure growth is GIS, which provides stakeholders with the tools to evaluate and identify pipeline-route alternatives. Important to both sides is a proposed alternative’s economic feasibility and its impact on society and the natural world. Using proven analysis methods, GIS presents a framework to automate scenario-based pipeline route optimizations for examining economic cost, maximiz- ing societal benefit and minimizing environmental impacts. Pipeline constraints such as endangered habitats, sensitive populations, unexploded ordinance, seismic zones and geopolitical flash points are just a few examples of GIS inputs that help determine a proposed infrastructure’s viability. Locating Alternatives Identifying and understanding the social, environmental, engineering and economic constraints are the crux of pipe- line planning. These often-competing obstacles are best understood by their geographic location and true costs. Traditional low-tech methods of locating an optimal pipeline alignment were tedious, time consuming and not comprehensive. One popular selection method depended on pencil/eraser delineations of topographic basemaps, often clumsily affixed and aligned along office hallways. Some pipeline route selectors used overlapping aerial photos and stereoscopic viewers to distinguish Infrastructure Visualization

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