Pipeline construction and reinstatement monitoring: current practice, limitations and the value of airborne videography

A large pipeline constructed across several countries affects a variety of landowners and environments in its path. One of the critical issues influencing the approval of pipeline construction by government agencies is the ability of the developer to demonstrate how the pipeline right of way (ROW) will be revegetated. This paper presents the environmental significance of pipeline development in terms of the present legal framework in the United Kingdom (UK) and of its particular linear characteristics. Current practice for restoration monitoring, drawn from an example of a recently constructed pipeline, is presented to demonstrate the limitation of on-site field sampling. In an attempt to identify the optimal remote sensing system for restoration monitoring, an overview is provided of the application requirements and the technology currently available for restoration monitoring of operational pipelines. The relative limitations of traditional remote sensing systems are briefly discussed and the strengths of videography for such a linear application are highlighted. Major differences between typical remote sensors and video systems are identified and their consequences evaluated in the context of a linear application. The paper concludes by suggesting that there is a need for future studies to develop a technique for the application of video remote sensing to the restoration monitoring of a narrow corridor, in a more practical and automatic way.