Geodetic Surveys for Oil and Gas Projects: What Every Client Should Know

An oil and gas facility is not an urban construction site. A wellhead on a remote licence block, a pump station in the desert interior of Mangystau Region, a pipeline stretching tens of kilometres — each of these requires precise coordinate control well before design work begins. An error in geodetic data at the survey stage leads to a mismatch between design solutions and actual terrain, displacement of process-facility axes, and ultimately to costly redesign or construction incidents.

This article is written for technical specialists at oil and gas companies — chief surveyors, technical directors, and heads of survey departments — who decide which geodetic contractor to engage and how to frame the terms of reference.

When Geodetic Surveys Are Required on an Oil and Gas Project

Geodetic work accompanies an oil and gas project at every key stage of its lifecycle. Many clients commission surveys only for a specific phase without considering data continuity. This is a mistake: a unified coordinate and elevation system maintained throughout the project saves time and reduces risk.

Pre-design investigations. Topographic surveys at scales of 1:5 000 or 1:2 000 produce a base digital terrain model for pipeline route selection, facility layout, and earthwork volume estimation. In Mangystau Region this stage is especially important because the complex erosional terrain of the chinks (escarpments), salt domes, and shors (dry channels) create non-obvious obstacles that must be accurately mapped.

Design stage. The surveyor develops the set-out plan for design points and reconciles the coordinate system with Kazakhstan’s national geodetic network. The geodetic data prepared at this stage become part of the design documentation submitted to state expert review.

Construction stage. Setting out design points in the field (wellhead axes, tank centres, pipeline routes), geodetic monitoring during construction, and as-built surveys of completed structures.

Operations stage. Deformation monitoring of process structures — tanks, pipe bridges, pipeline supports. This is particularly relevant for facilities on the saline and collapsible soils typical of the Caspian coastal zone near Aktau.

Reclamation stage. Survey of disturbed land, verification of excavated soil volumes and reclamation material quantities.

Types of Geodetic Work on Oil and Gas Facilities

Type of work	Purpose	Project stage
Topographic survey	Digital terrain model for design	Pre-design, design
Establishment of geodetic control network	Tie to national network, project coordinate system	Design, construction start
Setting out design points	Marking axes, centres, and stakes in the field per design	Construction
Geodetic construction monitoring	Checking actual structure positions against design	Construction
As-built survey of pipelines	Recording actual route, burial depth, valve locations	Construction (before backfill)
As-built survey of tanks	Centre coordinates, bottom and top-shell elevations, floor slope	Construction, post-installation
UAV aerial survey	Orthophoto and DTM for large areas (50+ ha)	Pre-design, inventory
Deformation monitoring	Periodic measurement of settlement, tilt, lateral displacement	Operations
Disturbed-land survey	Volume inventory for reclamation	Reclamation

Topographic Survey: Conditions in Mangystau Region

Topographic surveys in Mangystau Region mean working in desert terrain with sparse vegetation, strong winds, and considerable distances from settlements. Existing control points of the State Geodetic Network (SGN) in remote parts of the region are often inaccessible or destroyed. Tie to the SGN is therefore accomplished by static GNSS observations, processing base lines of 30–150 km in length.

To establish tie to Kazakhstan’s national coordinate system (SK-42 / PZ-90 or WGS-84 with transformation), we use the CHCNAV RS10, a dual-constellation GNSS receiver that achieves sub-centimetre accuracy in post-processing mode. Ground surveys are carried out with the Leica TS06 Plus total station, which offers 5” angular accuracy and a reflectorless measurement range of up to 500 m.

As-Built Surveys of Pipelines and Tanks

Pipeline as-built surveys on oil and gas facilities must be completed before the trench is backfilled. Coordinates are recorded at intervals of no more than 50 m and at every bend, crossing with other services or watercourses, change in pipe diameter or specification. Burial depth is measured at the same points. The output is an as-built route drawing tied to chainages and to the national coordinate system.

For vertical steel tanks (VST), the survey records the centre coordinates of the tank floor, the elevations of the bottom and top shell courses, shell verticality, and floor slope (required under PB 09-560 and operator standards). Actual measurements are compared against the tank’s manufacturer specification.

Deformation Monitoring of Process Structures

Settlement of foundations on the saline soils of the Caspian coast and across Mangystau Region oilfields is a genuine operational risk. Deformation monitoring of tank farms, pipe-bridge supports, and process platforms is performed by periodic precision levelling of benchmark studs to Class II accuracy (mean square error per kilometre of traverse not exceeding 2 mm). The Leica TS06 Plus total station is used to determine horizontal displacements. Successive monitoring cycles are processed, a deformation chart is plotted, and a structural stability report is issued.

Specifics of Geodetic Work in Kazakhstan’s Oil and Gas Sector

Regulatory Framework

Geodetic work on oil and gas facilities in Kazakhstan is governed by multiple tiers of regulation:

• Code on Subsoil and Subsoil Use, dated 27 December 2017, No. 125-VI — sets requirements for mine survey work on licence blocks and establishes the mandatory geodetic documentation for exploration and production.
• Land Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan — governs survey requirements for land plots during allocation, inventory, and reclamation.
• Rules for Mine Survey Operations (approved by order of the Minister for Investment and Development) — specify accuracy requirements, mine survey journal maintenance, and documentation content.
• SP RK 1.04-103 “Geodetic Work in Construction” — applies to construction activities on industrial sites.

Individual operators (KazMunayGas, MangistauMunaiGas, Karazhanbasmunai, and others) frequently impose additional internal requirements covering documentation content, coordinate systems, and submission procedures. Practical knowledge of specific operator regulations is something that can only be gained from direct project experience over many years.

Access to Licence Blocks

A survey crew entering a subsoil user’s licence block must hold an approved work permit or equivalent access document and must complete the operator’s site-specific induction in occupational health and safety. Work within civil-defence emergency planning zones requires separate approvals.

GeoProGlobal holds current access permits for key operators in Mangystau Region and has extensive experience with all associated administrative procedures, which significantly reduces crew mobilisation time.

Coordinate Tie to the National Geodetic Network

All geodetic documentation submitted to an operator must be tied to Kazakhstan’s State Geodetic Network. The use of arbitrary local coordinate systems without verified transformation parameters is not acceptable. Areas with few SGN control points present a particular challenge, requiring long-session static GNSS observations and reconciliation with the local coordinate systems used by individual operators.

UAV Aerial Survey for Oil and Gas Areas

One of the most valuable capabilities in modern geodesy is the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for surveying large areas. For oil and gas projects in Aktau and across Mangystau Region, GeoProGlobal deploys the DJI Matrice 4E, equipped with an integrated photogrammetric sensor suite.

When UAV Survey Beats Ground Survey

Aerial survey by drone becomes cost-effective when the area to be mapped exceeds 20–50 ha. For comparison: a two-person ground survey crew covers roughly 5–10 ha per working day depending on terrain complexity and the density of features to be plotted. The DJI Matrice 4E covers 50–150 ha in a single flight session of 40–50 minutes at 80% frame overlap. The practical result is that surveying a 200 ha oilfield area — which would take 5–7 days by ground methods — is completed in 1–2 field days using the UAV. The time saving is three to five times.

Accuracy of Aerial Survey

The DJI Matrice 4E produces an orthophoto and digital terrain model (DTM) at a ground sample distance of 3–5 cm per pixel from a flight altitude of 80–120 m. Planimetric accuracy is 5–10 cm and height accuracy is 8–15 cm when ground control points (GCPs) established with the CHCNAV RS10 GNSS receiver are used. This is sufficient for topographic surveys at scales of 1:500 to 1:2 000 — covering all pre-design and design-stage requirements for oil and gas areas.

Practical Applications in Oil and Gas

Oilfield facility inventory. An up-to-date orthophoto of the entire production area, showing the locations of wells, pipelines, process structures, access roads, and drilling sumps.

Route survey for pipeline design. On corridors 5–50 km in length, a survey strip 200–500 m wide is flown in one or two days instead of the several weeks that a ground survey would take.

Reclamation verification. Comparison of DTMs captured before and after reclamation confirms the volumes of work completed and the conformity of the reinstated landform with the design.

Documentation of emergency spills. In an environmental incident, aerial survey establishes the area and boundaries of contamination for submission to regulatory authorities.

Documentation and Reporting: What the Client Receives

On completion of geodetic surveys for an oil and gas facility, the client receives a complete technical documentation package:

Technical survey report — covers methodology, instruments and software used, processing results, accuracy assessment, coordinate and elevation register, and SGN tie diagrams.

Topographic plans and maps at the scale specified in the terms of reference (1:500 to 1:5 000), in DWG (AutoCAD) and PDF formats. Where aerial survey is performed, an orthophoto and DTM in GeoTIFF and LAS formats are also provided.

As-built documentation — as-built drawings tied to the coordinate network, deviation schedule, concealed-works records.

Geodetic field journals — field observation logs, levelling records, GNSS session processing logs. These are a mandatory component of the documentation package for submission to mine survey authorities.

Deformation monitoring report (where monitoring is carried out) — displacement tables, settlement charts by monitoring cycle, structural stability conclusions.

All documentation is prepared in accordance with the requirements of applicable regulatory documents and the operator’s internal standards, and is signed by a certified specialist.

How to Choose a Geodetic Contractor for an Oil and Gas Project

The technical specialist selecting a geodetic contractor for an industrial facility should evaluate several factors.

Equipment and metrological certification. Geodetic instruments must carry a current calibration certificate. Using uncalibrated equipment is a regulatory violation that may result in documentation being rejected by the supervisory authority. Our Leica TS06 Plus total station and CHCNAV RS10 GNSS receiver are supported by current calibration certificates.

Experience with comparable facilities. Geodetic work on an oil and gas industrial facility is fundamentally different from urban construction. Knowledge of operator requirements, hands-on experience at Mangystau Region oilfields, and an understanding of mine survey work in subsoil-use zones are things that can only be acquired on real projects.

Crew qualifications. Specialists performing geodetic work on oil and gas facilities must hold the appropriate professional qualifications, work permits for high-risk activities, and industrial safety training certificates.

Ability to deliver a full-cycle service. Clients benefit from a single contractor for all stages from topographic survey to as-built documentation: a unified coordinate system, end-to-end data continuity, and a single point of accountability.

Mobility. Facilities in Mangystau Region are often 200–400 km from Aktau. A contractor must have its own transport, field expedition equipment, and experience working autonomously in remote conditions.

Summary

Geodetic surveys are not an administrative formality — they are the technical foundation of an oil and gas project. The accuracy of survey data obtained at the investigation stage directly determines the quality of design solutions and the safety of construction. For facilities in Aktau, Zhanaozen, Beyneu, and across the oilfields of Mangystau Region, this is especially true: complex terrain, remoteness, saline-soil conditions, and the requirements of major operators together place high demands on any geodetic contractor.

GeoProGlobal provides a full range of geodetic services for the oil and gas industry in Kazakhstan: from pre-design topographic surveys using the DJI Matrice 4E UAV to as-built documentation and deformation monitoring. We work with operators across Mangystau Region and know their procedural requirements and documentation standards.

To discuss the terms of reference and costs for your project, contact us through geoproglobal.kz or call us directly. We will prepare a commercial proposal within one working day.