Intelligent IoT- and UAV-Assisted Architecture for Pipeline Monitoring in OGI

With the advent of the Internet of Things (IoT) and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in industrial application scenarios, oil and gas industry (OGI) automation is undergoing a remarkable transformation. Existing monitoring methods like IoT sensor-based surveillance offer accuracy but struggle with transmission inefficiency. Conversely, UAV-based surveillance enables seamless communication but limited sensing capabilities. This article addresses the challenges of latency, energy efficiency, and cost in state-of-the-art leakage detection technologies for OGI pipelines. A three-tier architecture is proposed, integrating IoT, UAVs, and artificial intelligence-empowered edge computing to enhance pipeline surveillance. We aim to propose specialized routing that addresses IoT energy and fault tolerance issues, while UAVs act as relays to transmit data efficiently to control centers, considering factors like UAV energy and data complexity. Intelligent edge services optimize data transmission, prolong UAV lifespan, and manage latency. Various use cases are explored, and open research challenges with potential solutions are presented.