January 15, 2013. Colorado. The GeoGathering 2013 conference (http://www.geogathering.com) will take place in beautiful Colorado Springs on August 21-22, 2013. The call for abstracts is now open. This year’s theme focuses on how operators collect and share information about their assets to increase operational safety and improve pipeline decision making. The GeoGathering conference provides a collaborative venue for pipeline gathering system and upstream operators to share their experiences and learn from others.

The conference boasts a strong seven-person steering committee with solid pipeline gathering background. Members include Trisha Menasco of DCP Midstream, Tom Coolidge of Esri, Ellen Nodwell of Hess, Cameron Collins of Williams, Rob McElroy of McElroy Consulting, Ron Brush of New Century Software and Victoria Skogman of New Century Software. 

Committee member Trisha Menasco of DCP Midstream comments, “The conference topics are very timely.  Just when I thought I had all the data requirements figured out, it feels like we are starting over. I look forward to helping build an agenda that will be useful to the gathering community.”

Your knowledge and experience are valuable to those who attend the conference. We all learn by hearing stories of how things have been done by others—especially those who are doing things well. So, if you are interested in participating in this year’s conference and sharing what you know, please submit a presentation abstract at the GeoGathering website today. Deadline for submissions is January 30, 2013. Recommended topics include (full list posted on the website):

·         PHMSA MAOP Strategies

·         Developing a Data Sharing Strategy

·         Collection Methods to Meet Requirements

·         Data Sharing: GIS as an Enterprise

·         Organizing Data for Decision-Makers

·         MAOP & Collecting the Right Data

·         Acquisitions & Validating the Data

·         Environmental Permitting: Collection & Management of the Data

·         Data Security and the Cloud

·         Field & Office Data Strategies

Who should attend?

• ·         Senior Management / Project Managers
• ·         Integrity Management Specialists
• ·         GIS Professionals
• ·         Field Operations Coordinators
• ·         Engineers
• ·         Regulatory Compliance Personnel