ABOUT THE NPMS

The National Pipeline Mapping System (NPMS) is a geographic information system (GIS) created by the U.S. Department of Transportation, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), Office of Pipeline Safety (OPS) in cooperation with other federal and state governmental agencies and the pipeline industry.  The NPMS consists of geospatial data, attribute data, public contact information, and metadata pertaining to the interstate and intrastate gas and hazardous liquid transmission pipelines, liquefied natural gas (LNG) plants, and hazardous liquid breakout tanks jurisdictional to PHMSA. 

The nominal accuracy of geospatial data in the NPMS is +/-500 feet. Therefore, the NPMS should never be used as a substitute for contacting a one-call center before excavating. Attributes in the NPMS pipeline data layer include:

• PHMSA-assigned operator identification number
• Operator name
• System name
• Subsystem name
• Diameter (voluntary data element)
• General commodities transported
• Interstate/intrastate designation
• Operating status (in service, abandoned, retired)
• Geospatial accuracy estimate

The NPMS does not contain information on interconnects, pump and compressor stations, valves, direction of flow, capacity, throughput, or operating pressure. In addition, distribution and gathering pipelines are not included in the NPMS.

The NPMS is built from data submitted by pipeline, LNG plant, and breakout tank facility operators. Since 2002, transmission pipeline and LNG plant facility operators are required to submit mapping information to the NPMS and to update their submissions annually.  Breakout tank operators are able to submit data to the NPMS on a voluntary basis.

The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration uses the NPMS as a tool to support various regulatory programs, pipeline inspections, and authorized external customers.