PNGRB requires every entity operating a city gas distribution network to run a GIS based asset management system. Under Schedule 1E of the T4S regulations, that system has to capture the entire underground gas network and the customer database, identify every pipeline laid by geo referenced coordinates, and map every pipeline failure for investigation. It has to be used across the whole life of the asset. During a T4S audit, the checklist asks whether the system is in place and whether its database is kept updated. The regulation does not name a GIS product, a file format or an accuracy standard, so those choices are yours.
What does the T4S regulation actually say about GIS?
The rule sits in the PNGRB T4S regulations for city or local natural gas distribution networks, in Schedule 1E, which covers operating and maintenance procedures. The paragraph is headed "GIS based asset management system" and it reads:
The entity operating a CGD network shall put in place a GIS (Geographical Information System) based system with the intention of capturing the entire underground gas network and customer database. This system shall include details of the entire pipe network. All the pipelines laid shall be identified in GIS through geo-referenced co-ordinates. All failures in the pipelines shall be mapped in GIS for investigations.
It then lists three features the system must have, and closes with one line that matters more than it looks: "GIS shall be used during the entire life cycle of the asset."
That last line changes what the whole requirement means. A GIS that was built once, from as built drawings at the end of a construction phase, meets the first sentence on the day it is finished and drifts away from it every week after. The regulation asks for a system you keep using, not a map you made.
Which parts of the network and customer data must the GIS hold?
Read the paragraph as a list and it asks for five kinds of content:
- The entire underground gas network. Not only steel mains, and not only the sections laid since you adopted a GIS. Every pipe, in every part of the geographical area.
- The customer database. The regulation puts customers in the same system as the network, which is what lets you answer which consumers sit downstream of a valve.
- Details of the entire pipe network. Location alone is not enough. The attributes that describe each pipe, such as material, diameter and pressure regime, belong in the record.
- Geo referenced coordinates for every pipeline laid. A schematic drawing with no coordinates does not meet this, however accurate its connectivity is.
- Every pipeline failure, mapped. Leaks, damages and other failures are recorded against the network, in the GIS, so that an investigation can see where they cluster.
The three listed features add how the system has to behave: the whole network viewable on one platform, every extension and expansion mapped and updated with geo referenced coordinates, and newly constructed pipeline locations and customer information available to the teams that need them for analysis and planning.
What will a T4S auditor check about the GIS?
The PNGRB T4S audit checklist for CGD networks carries two GIS lines. One asks the auditor to "Verify whether the GIS based asset management system is available for CGD Network". The other asks to "Verify whether the GIS based asset management system is in place and database is updated".
The second line is the harder one. Having a GIS is a yes or no question. Showing that its database is updated means showing that new construction, network changes and failures reach the GIS as part of normal work, and that you can prove when they did.
The table below turns each requirement into evidence you can put in front of an auditor and a check you can run on your own system first.
| Requirement in Schedule 1E | Evidence an auditor can be shown | Your self check |
|---|---|---|
| Captures the entire underground gas network | Network extent in the GIS compared with the authorised geographical area | Is there any district, phase or contractor's section that is missing or held only on drawings? |
| Includes the customer database | Consumer connections linked to the service lines that feed them | Can you select a valve and list the customers it supplies? |
| Details of the entire pipe network | Attribute completeness for material, diameter and pressure | Which pipes have blank or default attribute values? |
| Every pipeline identified by geo referenced coordinates | Coordinate system on record and survey source per feature | Are any pipes digitised from scanned drawings with no survey behind them? |
| Every failure mapped for investigation | Failure or leak records tied to network features | Does each recorded failure since you went live appear on the map? |
| Whole network viewable on one platform | One system of record rather than separate files per region | Do any teams still keep their own copy of the network? |
| Extensions and expansions mapped and updated | Dates of the last edits by area, matched to construction completed | How long after commissioning does a new section appear in the GIS? |
| New construction and customer data available to user groups | Access for planning, operations and customer teams | Can a planner see last month's new connections without asking someone? |
| GIS used across the whole asset life cycle | Maintenance, inspection and failure work recorded in the GIS | Is the GIS used after construction, or only during it? |
If you can answer every self check from the system itself, rather than from a spreadsheet kept beside it, you are in a strong position for the GIS lines of the audit.
What evidence shows the GIS database is kept updated?
An updated database leaves traces. The useful ones are:
- An edit history. Who changed a feature and when. A GIS that records edits makes the question of currency a query rather than an argument.
- A route from construction to the GIS. A standard capture template that contractors and survey teams fill, and validation rules that reject incomplete records before they enter the network. This is what keeps a fast growing network from filling up with gaps.
- Failures recorded where they happen. A failure logged only in a maintenance register meets nothing in Schedule 1E. Logged against the pipe in the GIS, it meets the requirement and becomes useful for the next investigation.
- Regular reconciliation. A periodic comparison between what was commissioned and what the GIS holds, with the differences closed.
None of these needs a particular product. They need a habit, and a system that makes the habit easy.
Where does the regulation stop, and what is good practice beyond it?
The Schedule 1E paragraph says what the GIS must contain and how it must be used. It does not name a GIS product, a data model, a file format, a positional accuracy, or a survey method. Those are decisions for the operator.
That is freedom, and it is also risk. Two operators can both meet the paragraph with very different systems, and only one of them may be able to answer a practical question during an emergency, such as which valves isolate a damaged main and which consumers lose supply. A map of pipes can meet the paragraph. Answering that emergency question needs more: a network model that knows how pipes, valves, regulators and service connections join. That connectivity is what makes tracing and isolation analysis possible, and the same model makes the audit evidence above easier to produce.
The regulation also makes audits a continuing obligation. Regulation 7(1) provides for technical and safety audits during construction, commissioning and operation, "as well as on an on-going basis as may be specified from time to time." The GIS is checked as part of that cycle, so its condition matters every time, not once.
How do you close the gaps before the next audit?
Work through the table above and sort every gap into one of three kinds.
- Missing content. Sections of network or customers not in the GIS. Close these by capturing the missing records, starting with the areas that carry the most consumers.
- Weak content. Records present but without coordinates, attributes or connectivity. Close these with targeted survey and validation rather than a full recapture.
- Missing habits. Construction, maintenance or failure work that does not reach the GIS. Close these by changing the workflow, so the GIS is updated as part of the job rather than after it.
The third kind is the one that decides whether the next audit goes better than the last. Missing content can be fixed in a project. A missing habit comes back.
MapGeoid works with city gas distributors on their GIS. For Haryana City Gas Distribution we delivered an enterprise GIS platform that consolidates pipelines, district regulating stations and consumer connections into one geodatabase, and for Adani Total Gas Limited we modernised the enterprise GIS portal to current security and technology standards. You can read more about our work with gas utilities.
Frequently asked questions
Is a GIS mandatory for city gas distribution networks in India?
Yes. Schedule 1E of the PNGRB T4S regulations says the entity operating a CGD network "shall put in place" a GIS based system capturing the entire underground gas network and customer database.
Does PNGRB specify which GIS software a CGD operator must use?
No. The GIS paragraph sets out what the system must contain and how it must be used. It does not name a product, a format or a vendor.
Do pipeline failures have to be recorded in the GIS?
Yes. The regulation says all failures in the pipelines shall be mapped in GIS for investigations. A failure recorded only in a separate register does not meet that line.
How often do T4S audits happen for a CGD network?
Regulation 7(1) provides for technical and safety audits during construction, commissioning and operation, and on an ongoing basis as specified by the Board. PNGRB publishes the status of T4S audits of CGD networks on its website. Check the current schedule for your network with the Board's latest notifications.
Talk to an expert
If you want to know how your GIS would fare against the GIS lines of the T4S audit, talk to an expert at MapGeoid about a readiness review before your next audit.