What Critical Infrastructure Is Under Your Jurisdiction? DOT Pipeline Mapping Tool Tells You
US DOT National Pipeline Mapping System (NPMS) and Pipeline Information Management Mapping Application (PIMMA)
While critical infrastructure includes aboveground assets, it can be easy to forget that critical infrastructure also runs right under your feet. Gas transmission lines, hazardous liquid pipelines, and liquefied natural gas (LNG) plants are present throughout many American communities. First responders need to know the locations of this critical infrastructure in order to strategize emergency response, critical infrastructure protection, and environmental protection. When your department is applying for a grant, it’s also common to need to discuss critical infrastructure in your service area or jurisdiction.
But in order to plan, you first have to know where these pipelines are. Luckily, state and local government officials have this data right at their fingertips, through the Pipeline Information Management Mapping Application (PIMMA).
Accessing this relevant data also makes PIMMA a valuable tool not only for incident management information, but for developing critical infrastructure lists for use in FEMA and DHS grant applications.
About the National Pipeline Mapping System (NPMS) and the Pipeline Information Management Mapping Application (PIMMA)
The US Department of Transportation (DOT) maintains the National Pipeline Mapping System (NPMS). The NPMS is a restricted-access dataset for government officials and pipeline operators (Members of the general public can access non-sensitive NPMS data via the NPMS Public Map Viewer and the Find Who’s Operating Pipelines in Your Area tools.)
Through the Pipeline Information Management Mapping Application (PIMMA), NPMS contains locations of and information about gas transmission and hazardous liquid pipelines and Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) plants which are under the jurisdiction of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), as well as voluntarily submitted breakout tank data.
Note: Spatial accuracy of pipeline data in the NPMS is +/-500 feet. NPMS should never be used as a substitute for calling 811 before digging or excavating. Distribution and gathering pipelines are not included in the NPMS.
How Public Safety Personnel and First Responders Can Access NPMS/PIMMA
Access to NPMS and PIMMA is restricted. State and local government officials such as public safety personnel and first responders can apply here for login credentials to access the maps and information about pipelines being operated in their areas of responsibility.
- NPMS Local Government PIMMA Application: Apply for PIMMA Access
- NPMS State Government PIMMA Application: Apply for PIMMA Access
After you apply, credentials will be issued in order to access NPMS/PIMMA data. Access is for individuals only. PIMMA usernames and passwords are not to be shared with others. Access is granted based on the jurisdiction you are employed by, so you will only be able to access information in your local area.
The application data contains hazardous liquid and gas transmission pipelines, liquefied natural gas (LNG) plants, and breakout tank data. PIMMA data is for reference purposes only and data cannot be downloaded (but you can submit a Data Request Form to request GIS data layers for use in your own mapping system).
PIMMA contains sensitive information that is to be treated as DOT proprietary information. While information and maps cannot be directly redistributed, data can still be utilized in maintaining critical infrastructure lists, planning emergency response, and when building the case for need in your grant applications.
Make sure you know what critical infrastructure is under your feet: