Nortec View, GTI launch gas traceability system

NortecView and the US Gas Technology Institute (GTI) have launched the VISUS, a mobile traceability system for gas distribution networks.

The VISUS captures information on pipes, joints, fusions and operators, which directly integrates with a company's GIS to create maps and records of new installations in real-time.

Automated data collection

Since 2008, federal and state regulators in the US enacted regulations requiring asset records to be ‘traceable, verifiable and complete’. These regulations, which are adopted also outside the US, are leading utility companies to shift away from manual data documentation practices to automated data collection methods for asset tracking to reduce the opportunity for human error and to increase data quality and reliability.

For that purpose, NortecView and GTI have co-developed the VISUS, so that gas utility companies can minimise any discrepancies between the data collected in the field and the database created in the office.

VISUS system

The VISUS includes mobile GIS software, near sub-foot accuracy GPS external receivers, barcode scanning technology, fusion application and a durable label with 50-year lifespan in underground conditions that serves as a ‘black-box’ in the field.

The data collected includes: the operator's name, qualifications and certifications, pipes and joints manufacturers and batch numbers, and fusion data attributes. This technology enables utility companies to perform real-time monitoring, save processing time and costs, as well as minimise human errors.

Funding

The technology was built with funding from US Operations Technology Development partnership and the Israel-US Binational Industrial Research and Development Foundation.

Adapted from press release by Katie Woodward

Read the article online at: https://www.lngindustry.com/product-news/16062015/traceability-system-for-gas-distribution-networks-880/