Detect Pipeline Risks Before They Happen
SurfaceScout is a software-based, end-to-end pipeline monitoring solution that leverages satellite imagery and AI-powered analytics. It delivers complete corridor coverage, detecting critical changes over time—identifying risks that traditional methods miss up to 73% of the time.
Pipeline Monitoring: Critical Yet Challenging
Pipeline monitoring must be accurate, fast, and cost-effective—but achieving all three is a challenge with conventional approaches.
Limited Scalability and Manual Inspection Restrictions
Aerial and ground patrols are constrained by restricted airspace, weather disruptions, and security regulations. Helicopters flying at 200m and 130km/h often miss subtle indicators of risk, making them insufficient as standalone solutions. The result? Incomplete coverage and overlooked damage that can lead to costly incidents.
Frequent False Alarms and Risk of Human Error
Conventional methods rely heavily on human observation, which is prone to oversight—especially when detecting gradual changes over time. With a Ground Sampling Distance (GSD) of ~10 cm at 300m altitude, human inspections are good but not comprehensive. Additionally, human memory limits the ability to detect changes that occur incrementally.
Fragmented Data and Limited Traceability
Inspection results are often delivered days after data collection in formats like PDFs, CSVs, and even emails, creating data silos that complicate analysis and compliance reporting. Damage Prevention Managers face challenges consolidating and interpreting these fragmented datasets, leading to friction with regulators during audits and, in some cases, financial penalties.
Why SurfaceScout Is the Smarter Way
to Protect Your Pipeline
A software-based pipeline monitoring solution that uses AI-powered change detection to identify third-party and natural risks along your right-of-way.
Conventional approaches capture only 23% of relevant risks—leaving your pipeline exposed to costly incidents. SurfaceScout’s advanced AI detects risks up to 2 weeks earlier than routine inspections, empowering you to mitigate issues before they escalate.
By preventing damage and disruptions, SurfaceScout can reduce risk exposure by as much as €5 million annually for every 1,000 kilometers of pipeline—protecting both your operations and your bottom line.
SurfaceScout Delivers the Intelligence
You Need to Act Fast
Every week, SurfaceScout generates thousands of insights. To help you focus on what matters, we’ve designed a system that makes this data easy to digest, so you can quickly assess pipeline risks and take action. Simply put: we generate insights, you manage the case.
An Insight is an observation or finding made at a specific point in time and location, derived from SurfaceScout’s monitoring and analysis activities. Each insight highlights a potential risk, such as unauthorized construction or natural disturbances, enabling proactive intervention—before it becomes a costly problem.
A Case groups related Insights based on criteria like proximity or observation type, helping identify patterns and prioritize mitigation—streamlining decision-making and saving time. Example: If a commercial center is under construction near your pipeline, biweekly inspections over six months may generate 50-100 insights. SurfaceScout automatically consolidates these into a single Case, preserving each data point as evidence.
Our Solution in Numbers
2 weeks faster
at detecting risks than other solutions
100%
coverage of your corridor at any frequency with no blind spots
100%
software solution
≤12 hours
delivery of insights to minimize risks
Powerful Features to Detect Risks Faster
and Safeguard 100% of Your Pipeline
Get a full picture of your pipeline's safety with the Overview Dashboard
Get a comprehensive view of pipeline safety at a glance. The Overview Dashboard lets you visualize active cases, track associated insights over time, and dive into detailed case information—enabling faster, more informed decisions to prevent costly downtime.
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Maintain Full Accountability and Compliance Using Activity Logs
Stay on top of every update. This panel tracks all changes made to Cases and Insights by any user, ensuring full traceability for enhanced accountability and compliance. Track every update to maintain accountability, ensure compliance, and respond faster when incidents occur.
Contact usMitigate Risks Directly From The Field With Mobile Access
Take SurfaceScout wherever you go. All desktop features are available on mobile, empowering field teams to investigate incidents, add feedback, and log updates directly from the field—closing the loop on risk management and ensuring faster issue resolution.
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Customize Your Risk Models Directly in SurfaceScout and Stay Compliant
Tailor risk classification to your needs. Define multiple risk models that assign criticality levels to Insights based on factors like proximity to the pipeline, type of change, and more—ensuring that potential threats are prioritized for faster mitigation. Customize risk classification to prioritize the most critical threats so you can act before they escalate.
Contact usSurfaceScout vs Other Monitoring Solutions
Other Solutions
SurfaceScout
See How Leading Pipeline Companies Prevent Incidents with SurfaceScout
Enhancing Pipeline Security in Spain
Spanish operator identifies 73% of previously missed pipeline threats, including illegal construction, through LiveEO’s SurfaceScout Monitoring solution, cutting manual inspections and saving €2.5 million.
Curbing oil theft in Nigeria
Nigerian oil pipeline operator discovers three cases of illegal oil operations near its critical infrastructure through SurfaceScout Monitoring solution.
Elevating pipeline safety for Middle Eastern oil giant
LiveEO transforms pipeline integrity management for a leading Middle Eastern oil company through large-scale, high-frequency risk monitoring.
Satellite Monitoring for Pipelines: Webinar Series
Watch our webinar series on monitoring pipelines against third-party interferences.
Beyond Traditional Monitoring: Uncovering Hidden Threats to Pipelines
Discover how AI and satellite technology are revolutionizing pipeline monitoring, uncovering hidden threats, and preventing failures before they happen. This webinar explores the limitations of traditional methods and how next-generation solutions enhance safety and resilience.
Watch the webinar
The Roadmap to Deploy Satellite-Based Pipeline Monitoring
Join Geoffrey Vancassel of LiveEO to explore how satellite-based monitoring is revolutionizing pipeline risk management. Learn key tools, techniques, and best practices for seamless implementation, plus a real-world case study on SurfaceScout’s impact. Walk away with a clear deployment roadmap and success metrics to enhance your monitoring strategy.
Lessons in Pipeline Risk from an Industry Veteran
Join Terry McGill, Former President of Enbridge Energy, and a seasoned industry executive for an insightful fireside chat on the realities of pipeline risk management. Learn from firsthand experiences, uncover the costly pitfalls of outdated monitoring methods, and explore how cutting-edge technologies are transforming the industry.
Discover Our Comprehensive Pipeline Resources
Master faster risk detection, compliance, and cost reduction with expert insights.
The Biggest Challenges of Damage Prevention Managers
This article highlights key challenges in pipeline monitoring, including scalability, manual inspections, and false alarms. It explores how advanced satellite technology can enhance detection, reduce inefficiencies, and improve pipeline security.
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Five Key Reasons Third-Party Risk Monitoring Matters
This article explores the critical importance of monitoring third-party activities to protect pipeline infrastructure. It discusses how unauthorized excavations and other external interferences can lead to significant financial losses, environmental hazards, and threats to public safety.
Leveraging AI and Satellites for Pipeline Monitoring Guide
This guide explores how satellite data and AI revolutionize pipeline risk monitoring, offering precise, real-time insights to detect third-party threats. It covers key aspects such as data accuracy, integration with existing workflows, and the benefits of proactive risk management, helping operators enhance safety, efficiency, and sustainability.
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Get in touch to see how SurfaceScout can help you detect pipeline risks faster, reduce operational costs, and ensure compliance—before the next incident happens. Please fill out the form and we'll get back to you.
Frequently Asked Questions
What if the weather is cloudy?
Our Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) module is designed to penetrate cloud cover and detect binary changes, providing a reliable backup solution during overcast conditions.
What is your turnaround time for delivering inspections?
Typically, we deliver a full report in under 24 hours, and can accelerate it to within 12 hours if needed. Note that while our reporting isn’t live, our analysis of past inspections has shown that we can often detect potential risks up to two weeks before they manifest.
Why should I consider switching to a satellite-based solution if I already have a full aviation department?
Our customers often combine both aviation and satellite-based solutions to better mitigate risks around pipelines, following the Swiss Cheese Risk model approach. This integrated strategy enhances safety by layering different methods. Our satellite-based solution excels in identifying actionable risks, detecting up to four times more real threats than traditional methods, which significantly reduces risk exposure—saving an estimated €0.5 million. Unlike aircraft inspections, which are limited to specific photo captures, satellite monitoring provides comprehensive coverage of entire areas, improving traceability. Additionally, our fully digital, software-based approach simplifies workflows and enables inspections in regulated zones, like large airports, where aircraft inspections may be restricted. And since it doesn’t require pilots, there’s no risk to them during the process.
Will satellite inspections replace aerial inspections?
It depends on your operational needs. Some of our clients have transitioned fully to our satellite-based monitoring for pipeline integrity and risk management, appreciating its scalability and frequency. Others prefer to blend our satellite insights with traditional methods like aerial inspections to create a more comprehensive monitoring system. The right choice really depends on your infrastructure, objectives, and the level of risk you're managing. SurfaceScout is designed to complement existing processes, or work as a standalone solution—whichever best supports your goals.
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