Robust Satellite Techniques (RST) for pipeline network monitoring

Pipeline networks are nowadays one of most critical infrastructures, given the importance of economic and ecologic consequences in case of accidents. In order to minimize damages, the detection of man-made harmful events along pipelines should be as rapid as possible and, at the same time, what is detected should be an actual accident and not a false alarm. In this paper, a Robust Satellite Technique (RST), successfully used up to now for natural and environmental hazard monitoring, has been employed to automatically identify anomalous space-time signal transients related to man-made hazardous events along pipelines. In particular, the combination of the RST approach with high temporal resolution, offered by geostationary satellites, seems to assure both a reliable and timely detection of such hazardous events. Examples of the use of RST approach and MSG-SEVIRI data are here presented in the case of their application to Iraqi pipeline network monitoring.