Pipeline Mapping & Inspection

*** AERIAL 'VIDEO GIMBAL' ARRIVING FROM OVERSEAS IN EARLY OCT 2010***

Hopefully you read our 'How Aerial Asset Mapping Works' web page before reading the below section.

At Aerial HotShots we provide the pipeline industry with a boutique airborne service using specilaied equipment to tactically and strategically target pipeline specific requirements such as; 

• Pipeline Patrol & Inspection
• Easement Monitoring (right of way)
• Route Selection
• Pre Construction & Post Construction Flights (point in time records - record rejuvination)
• Vegetation Assessments
• Damage Detection

These activities are designed to;

• Reduce Risk
• Mitigate Law Suits
• Reducing Incident Mitigation Costs
• Reducing Maintenance Contract Costs
• Comply with Regulatory Requirements
• Assist with planning

Flying at 1000ft in a fixed wing Cessna aircraft we use a and a selection of specialised equipment to inspect, record and map pipelines related issues. This equipment uses GPS coordinates to geo-reference the data captured, record points of interest (POI) and has the capacity to send in-flight images via email to clients for quick action.

Special Features

The system has some special features that can be used in all pipleine operations but below is an example of how these special features can assist specific pipeline activities.

• Route Selection
  • Path Tracker
    • Add the GPS coordinates of the proposed routes to our system and the camera will automatically follow the route no matter the position of the aircraft.
    • This ensures that no part of the route is missed by flying off course
    • Ensures any subsequent flights follows the same track for easy comparison
  • Gimbal Camera View
    • Get the view as seen by the camera operator in the aircraft.
    • Shows video captured on one side of screen and a background map (Google/Bing) on the otherside (see 2D below)
• Pre & Post Construction Flights
  • Path Tracker
    • Add the GPS coordinates of the route to our system and the camera will automatically follow the route no matter the position of the aircraft.
    • This ensures the Pre and Post flights capture the same view for easily analysis and comparison.
  • Gimbal Camera View
    • Get the view as seen by the camera operator in the aircraft.
    • Shows video captured on one side of screen and a background map (Google/Bing) on the otherside (see 2D below)
• General
  • In-Flight sending of Emails in geo-tagged formats to allow ease of viewing and rapid respone to important issues
    • Includes Google Imagery that takes you straight to the point of interest

What imagery does this system Produce?

• The gyro stabilised video camera system produces geo-referenced video and still photographs,
• Our high resolution digital SLR cameras produce geo-referenced still photographs,
• Google Earth Geo-Reference Imagery,
  • Google KMZ/KML Files
  • Google Tour
• Video Imagery, (AVI file)
• JPEG images
• Video & still geo-tagged imagery that loads into your GIS system such as MapInfo or ESRI

As mentioned, the software is ideal for recording points of interest (POI) such as damaged markers, sunken areas, exposed pipe, or wombat holes.

Damaged Markers	Exposed Pipe	Wombat Holes

The Asset Manager Has Choices. They can decide to use our geo-tagged imagery in their GIS system (MapInfo/ESRI), or choose Aerial Hotshots end product solutions or a combination.

(1) Client Uses their GIS System - Aerial Hotshots Commisioned for Data Capture Only

(2)Client End Product - Aerial Hotshot Options

A number of product delivery choices are available;

• Video/photographs viewed in our Mapping Software (*A)
• Google Earth KMZ File (*B)
• Google Earth Tour (*C)
• Gimba Camera Viewer (*D)
• Optional access to a mapping server (*E)
• Video and still photographs by themselves

(*A) Mapping Software

Geo-referenced information can be imported into our powerful desktop multimedia mapping software that allows us to produce spatially orientated digital maps. Points of Interest (POI) such as damaged markers, sunken areas, exposed pipe, or wombat holes are easily recorded. In video playback mode, the asset manager can select search and-play, search-and-pause, and fast-forward and watch the cursor move to indicate the current location and camera direction. Photographs taken are marked on the map as POI. By simply selecting ‘inspect picture’ the image opens and displays various information including the latitude and longitude coordinates.

Below is an example of what our mapping software looks like. The asset manager is provided with a 'viewer' version of our mapping software.

Legend 1. The Red line represents the track flown & the asset mapped such as a pipeline. 2. In video playback mode, the video plays from any point that you select on the track. 3. As the video plays the cursor indicates the current position being viewed and camera direction. 4. Any still photographs taken or video frames captured are displayed. (see far left of map) 5. Any points of interest (POI), recorded with our feature button, are displayed on the map.

(*B) Google Earth KMZ File

Either emailed in-flight or provided on a harddrive, the client can open the Google Earth image which orientates itself to where it was taken. It shows the aircraft position and camera focus point.

Clicking on the ‘camera icon’ opens a still image (see below) that displays GPS and telemetry data.

(*C) Google Earth Tour

(d) Gimbal Camera Viewer

Get the view as seen by the camera operator in the aircraft.

In the example below, the left side of the screen is the actually the video captured and on the right side is a background map (eg Google/Bing Maps) showing your actual location which is designed to spatially orientate you. That is, where is this video actually located on the earth. It becomes a video of an identified place on earth and not a video of 'somewhere'.

(e) Media Mapper Server

Optional to the asset manager is access to a mapping server which is a network-based centralised publishing, storage, and distribution platform for geo-tagged video & still photographs. Now you can share video and pictures of real world conditions, across your organisation, using a common map based Web interface.

Benefits:

• Geospatial Decision Making
• Allow everyone in the organisation access up-to-date visual information of pipeline assets
• Quickly review conditions at locations and evaluate progress for more informed decisions

Below is an example of what our mapping server looks like.

BENEFITS OF AERIAL HOTSHOTS

The benefits include:

• No Expensive Helicopter Operations
• No Expensive & Non Specific Camera Systems
• Camera System Designed for Pipeline Operations
• Geo-Referenced Video that Spatially Orientates
• Geo-Referenced Photographs that Spatially Orientates
• In-flight Emailing of Images to Enable Quick Response
• High Quality and Actionable Information
• Tactical and Strategic Solutions
• Transportable Camera - Australia Wide Coverage
• Optional access to a Mapping Server
• Optional Video File Conversion to ESRI (ArcMap)