Ensuring pipeline integrity using Earth Observation Data

Project Information

CSAR

Grant agreement ID: 663018

DOI

10.3030/663018

Project closed

EC signature date 28 February 2015

Start date 1 March 2015

End date 31 August 2015

Funded under

• INDUSTRIAL LEADERSHIP - Leadership in enabling and industrial technologies – Space

Total cost

€ 71 429,00

EU contribution

€ 50 000,00

Coordinated by

S&T NETHERLANDS BV
Netherlands

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - CSAR (Ensuring pipeline integrity using Earth Observation Data)

Reporting period: 2015-03-01 to 2015-08-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

The work investigates the results of investigating the possibilities of combining multiple Earth Observation (EO) satellite radar sensors to improve the PIMS in Space (PIMSIS) surveillance system in the area of:
• Improved performance (in particular the Probability of Detection, or ab-breviated PoD) by improving the patrolling frequency.
• More resilient service by avoiding single source dependency on a data provider.
• Cost-reduction by not relying only on commercial satellites but also sat-ellites providing open source data products of which the European Co-pernicus satellite program is a prime example.
• Better classification capabilities.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

Combining different SAR images using the concept of interleaving is very well possible. Leading to:
• Improved PoD as the patrolling frequency is improved.
• More resilient service
• Potential for cost-reduction (not relying only on commercial satellites but also satellites providing open source data products).

Our current interleaving architecture is capable of handling: TerraSAR-X, Radarsat-2, and Sentinel-1 (using the TOPS mode of acquisition).

Also, we have investigated how a better classification system of TPI-warnings can be devised. This classification system is needed to better classify the TPI-warnings for the end-user so that the required actions can better be devised.

Besides a better graphical presentation of the TPI-warnings so that end-users have an intuitive idea about the change, we also have implemented a number of automatic image processing algorithms to:
• Classify land-use to ease the distinction between agricultural and urban changes.
• Classify changes as “normal” to ease the distinction between normal and abnormal operations in a parking place or storage area.

All these technical developments will lead to a better and more reliable surveillance system that will greatly benefit from the free open source data that will be provided by the European Copernicus Infrastructure in general, and the Sentinel-1 Infrastructure in particular.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

We have created a more reliable and accurate monitoring system for the pipeline industry.
After a commercial sale of the service, we are confident that more sales will come, and we will need more employees:
- Technical personnel
- Marketing and Sales
- Support

Results of validation programme

Sentinel 1 satellite --- used as the basis for our service