D
o you have your grandfather’s stubborn streak, or
your great-aunt Irena’s love of music?
Perhaps your cousin twice removed was a math
whiz in New Delhi, who passed his dark eyes and
numbers sense onto you.
Most people are eager to trace the origins of their
traits and find out where their personality, preferences or
appearance came from.
And some individuals are lucky – they have access to
genealogies handed down through the ages that help them
understand the family influences that have shaped who they
are today.
For others, it takes a little more digging to uncover their
personal history, perhaps a few dozen hours on an historical
records website or a cheek swab sent off to a DNA testing
service.
But understanding what you are made of and where you
come from is not just for people. Pipelines have provenance,
too. And just like an unknown ancestor, the complete back
story of a pipeline section – information about material
grade and chemical composition, for example – is not always
available, either.
Maybe the records were never kept in the first place. Or
they were lost through time, or when assets were transferred
or sold. Or the records exist, but the information is incorrect.
Soon, however, the days of missing and incomplete
materials records for gas transmission pipeline
operators in the US will be over,
with hazardous liquids operators
following shortly.
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