Earth Observation Remote Sensing and GIS Services for Monitoring of Integration Systems

Today availability of using the high resolution of space imagery creates a positive environment on application of space technology for monitoring of integrated systems in different areas of industry and commercial purposes. They are an airborne, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) and satellite Synthetic Aperture Radar and LIDAR multi-spectral and hyper-spectral sensors. One of the advance methods of feasibility study of appropriate services for monitoring of integration systems is based on remote sensing data and GIS developments. Objective of this approach is to improve safety, security aspects of integration systems, reduce survey costs and improve transportation and transmission efficiency through an increased monitoring frequency. Conceptually monitoring the integration system is structured into four main system components: (1) the Pipeline Operator System (POS), which is the part of the monitoring system which is used by the pipeline operator for delivery and handling of alarms and for specifying the monitoring characteristics for different parts of the pipeline network. (2) the Pipeline Information Management System (PEMS), which stores all relevant information on the pipeline network, the environment around it, and the integrity monitoring and which provides analyses and scheduling functionalities for the pipeline operator. The PIMS also includes an alarm production system, which decides what hazards should be considered as alarms. (3) the Hazard Extraction System (HES), which extracts the hazard report information out of the basic remote sensing imagery layers, using advanced image interpretation techniques. (4) the imagery Collection System (ICS), which collects the required remote sensing imagery with a suit of both spaceborne and airborne platforms and different types of sensors, conform the monitoring priorities. In the ICS all these means are scheduled optimally conform the specified priorities of the pipeline operators and the weather and season conditions- . Here also the data are pre-processed to remote sensing basic imagery layers. The four components in principle can be independent of each other so that maximal flexibility exists. Also each system component in itself is set up as much as possible in a modular and flexible way. By implementation of this above mentioned issues, new technologies on sensors, platforms, data processing, data storage and transfer can be integrated and the system easily can be extended to other operators or areas. The future integration systems monitoring scenarios can only be turned into reality if sufficient supply from spaceborne data will be available for reasonable economic conditions and with certain technical performance. Earth observation for appropriate investigation requires very high resolution optical and in most cases radar sensors. Very high resolution is here defined as a resolution of 1 meter and better. This scale is required to allow the detection of targets. Very high resolution satellite observation, formerly limited to national and strictly classified reconnaissance tasks, has become a commercial business in the recent years. However, national security users are still the basis for the commercial viability of that business. Affected by satellites losses and pioneered with Space Imaging´s IKONOS satellite, better than 1 meter resolution optical data is now available for science and commercial use.