Download - Lessons in Collaborative GIS: Geospatial and Temporal Analysis of Truck Traffic from Marcellus Shale Drilling Activity across Pennsylvania

Consulting EngineersPennoni Associates Inc.

Providing Engineering Services Since 1966

Lessons in Collaborative GIS: Geospatial and Temporal Analysis of Truck Traffic from Marcellus Shale Drilling Activity across Pennsylvania

Tracey Olexa, CPSS EIT

M. Damon Weiss, P.E.

Marcellus Shale Drilling Activity in Pennsylvania

Year Drilled Wells Permits2007 43 992008 205 5192009 729 19852010 950 2108

2020 30,000 30,000+

What will be the Impact on our Roads?

Phases of a Marcellus Shale Drilling Operation

Pad Construction

Drilling Flowback & Production

Hydraulic Fracturing1

2

3

4

x10

x10x10

x100

SR 14, Seg 0310South of Troy

SR 6, Seg 0320West of Burlington

SR 6, Seg 0420East of Burlington

SR 6, Seg 0500West of SR 220 & Towanda

0

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

6000

7000

3101

3565 36913947

63046008

5706

6726

ADDT

2010 Count

5-YR AADT AVG

5-YR TRUCK VOL.

2010 AADT COUNTS

2010 TRUCK VOLUME

310

1300

247

1460

274

1260

277

967

5-YR AADT AVG

5-YR TRUCK VOL.

2010 AADT COUNTS

2010 TRUCK VOLUME

310

1300

247

1460

274

1260

277

967

Case Study: Bradford County

Source: Northern Tier Planning and Development Commission

5-Year Average Traffic vs. 2010 Traffic Counts

Operation FracNET

State Police Troop C260 inspections29 vehicles out of service111 citations issued

State Police Troop B227 inspections57 vehicles placed out of service241 citations issued

State Police Troop R142 inspections25 vehicles placedout of service

141 citations.

State Police Troop F239 vehicles inspected33 vehicles placed out of service205 citations issued

State Police Troop P166 inspections66 vehicles placed out of service358 citations issued

Increased Traffic Congestion

Actual Impacts to Local and State Roadways

Roads Under-designed for Large Truck Use



Accelerated Damage to Driving Surfaces

PennDOT Solution: New Requirements, Of Course

• Operators now required to prepare General and Winter Roadway Maintenance Plans

• Plans must include:– Detailed Schedule of Proposed Activities– Estimates of Truck Volumes on Bonded Roads

• Operators who fail to provide this information risk losing their road bonds.

The REAL Problem…

Who is Responsible for Repairs when Multiple Companies Operate on the Same Roads?

The Pennoni Solution: Collaborative GIS

Suddenly, Tracey and Damon get a new project…

• Build a GIS framework for calculating truck volumes on bonded state routes during Marcellus Shale drilling activities.

• System must be flexible: Multiple operators, multiple Districts, may includes state and local roads.

• Temporal, in addition to spatial, analysis required.

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Oh, and by the way….

• The data is very noisy, sometimes incomplete• The data changes often – moving target• You’re not an expert in Marcellus Shale drilling procedures and

protocols? No worries, you will be soon…

• One more thing… fours days to complete or else our client losestheir road bonds.

.

Lesson #1

Maintain a good sense of humor. These challenges are the norm more often than the exception.

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• Noisy, incomplete data

• Imperfect data that changes over time

• Domain Knowledge Learning Curve

• Client Expectations

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Data Collection from Gas Drilling

Companies

Data Normalization

and Input

Data Analysis

and Export

Sync with ArcGIS

Documents, spreadsheets, emails, phone calls, etc, from clients

Pennoni staff reviews and normalizes data

Microsoft Access Export

results

Join results to base map

Well IDSchedule IDActivity ID


Raw data becomes…

Challenge: Inconsistent / Incomplete / Noisy Data

• Format of incoming data, quality of data, and level of details varied considerably from one company to the next.

• Big Surprise: Drill operators do not generally think like GIS and database designers.

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Lesson #2: Generalize and Simplify Data Model

• Based on data received, our original data model was very complex.

• By inspecting the problem, however, we realized that important generalities exist in our data.

• This simplified our problem considerably!

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Lesson #3: Standardize Data Collection

• To address data quality, Pennoni created a series of simple Excel spreadsheets which guide the operators to provide data in a more standard format.

• Not a perfect solution. Expect resistance.

• Also, we are exploring the idea of a web interface, where operators can manage their own data. This would make it truly a collaborative GIS system.

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Challenge #2: Data Changes Frequently

• Drilling industry is defined by its fast pace and continual refinement of schedules and activities

• These changes affect productivity in ways that are often difficult for the client to understand.

• They can be frustrating for us as well. See Lesson #1: Maintain Sense of Humor.

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Lesson #4: Learn to Automate Repetitive Tasks

We save a lot of time by automated two particularly repetitive tasks:• Querying arbitrary dates• Creating new routes

… But we had to be selective when we used these tools.

Challenge: Acquiring Domain Knowledge

• GIS has application in a myriad of industries, including Gas and Oil.

• Chances are if you’re an GIS expert, you’re probably not an expert in these other industries.

• So, how do you obtain the domain knowledge needed to design a good GIS system?

Lesson #5: Actively Involve Your Client

• Meetings• Phone Calls• Emails• Visit their workplace

• Work to understand their processes

• Help them understand your processes as well.

PennDOT would not allocate expenses between gas companies.

Lesson #6: Promote and Market Collaborative GIS

So, Pennoni hosted a meet-and-greet to encourage collaboration

Shared Pipes and Ponds

GIS can stimulate discussions for determining cost-effective solutions to traffic and resource challenges

Shared cost for roadway monitoring, roadway repair, water treatment, reuse and distribution

Collaborative GIS = Shared Resources

Lesson Learned

Maintain a GoodSense of Humor

Generalize andSimplify Data Model

Standardize DataCollection

Automate Repetitive Tasks

Actively Involve Your Clients

Promote and Market Collaborative GIS

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Thank You

Are there any questions?