A Q&A with Gas Mapping LiDAR Project Development Coordinator Brian Hogan
Congratulations! You’ve chosen Gas Mapping LiDAR™ as your methane emissions reduction technology. Your Bridger account team will be with you every step of the way and will guide you through information gathering, onboarding, and planning. To share his proven methodology and process used with countless oil and natural gas customers, we sat down with Brian Hogan, Bridger Photonics’ Project Development Coordinator. Brian shares some great tips that take the mystery out of the process and set you on the pathway to methane emissions reduction success.
Q: What client information is necessary to get started?
Hogan: My first request is for the client’s GIS data to define field assets to be scanned. This data is used to begin regional scan planning, and it allows us to identify assets for equipment-level emissions reporting. We only scan assets and facilities owned by our contracted operators and use the GIS data to ensure we share only that client’s data with them. Integrity is non-negotiable here - site-specific data collected is never shared with associations, non-profits, or the media unless our clients choose to do so.
Q: What other information about client sites is helpful?
Hogan: It is important for us to understand why sites are being scanned and what the overall goals are for the project. There is often a combination of sites where federal Quad Oa or state-level regulations apply. Additionally, Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) initiatives are defining corporate standards for sustainability across the oil and gas supply chain. These dynamics are unique for each oil and gas company and help shape the methane emission reduction program we design with our clients.
Q: What kinds of decisions do clients need to make before deploying Gas Mapping LiDAR?
Hogan: We work with our clients to set a scan frequency baseline that will best meet their methane emission reduction goals. Because we have clients across all major basins in the US and Canada, we can adjust the frequency and regional scanning plans to adapt to our client's operational flow. Most clients have us scan their facilities multiple times per year, the first serving as a baseline to understand their emission inventory, followed by subsequent scans to track their progress on reducing emissions. We're seeing the industry move to at least quarterly scans and potentially more frequent scanning depending on upcoming EPA regulations.
Q: Is there anything that should be decided early that can help smooth LDAR operations?
Hogan: We collect and process an enormous amount of data during our scans. It is imperative to understand exactly what information the client needs to receive and in what format. Before we deploy our first project, we show clients examples of the types of reports and data we can deliver and customize delivery based on their operational needs and system capabilities. Clients get exactly what they need rather than mountains of data that need to be deciphered.
Q: Are there additional options that add value to the Gas Mapping LiDAR program?
Hogan: There are several, but one of the most valuable is geo-stitched aerial photography. Our sensors take high-definition aerial photographs that help document surface equipment and determine the exact status of the site when it was scanned. This has benefits beyond equipment inventories and ground crews doing repairs to response teams that may need to react to acts of nature and emergency situations. This is a unique offering by Bridger Photonics and is extremely useful for remote areas where Google Maps does not frequently update.
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Brian Hogan is a Project Development Coordinator at Bridger Photonics. He has experience working in different industries within the energy sector and has a passion for sustainable energy solutions. In his current role, he helps clients find the best solution to meet their LDAR objectives, collaborating to understand their unique needs and helping to deploy the most meaningful solutions to meet their methane emissions reduction goals.
When he’s not in the office, you can usually find Brian climbing and skiing in the mountains, packrafting and fishing in the rivers, or in one of Montana's many other landscapes fully immersing himself in the outdoors.
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