About $4.3 billion had been spent on onshore North American pipelines by mid- November 2013, according to research and consulting firm Douglas-Westwood.

“The development of unconventional oil and gas extraction technologies has made the pipeline sector in the U.S. extremely dynamic and the timeliness of industry information is therefore critical,” said Neha Rustagi, an analyst with Douglas-Westwood.

She pointed to the Rockies Express pipeline as an example. Hailed as one of the longest pipelines in recent U.S. history, the nearly 1,700-mile line was completed in 2009 to bring Rockies gas east. But when the shale boom hit, the line became uneconomical.

Today, activity in shale plays throughout the nation continues at an incredible pace. But while the industry welcomed the vast amounts of gas unlocked, the shale revolution also posed challenges. Regions such as the Bakken and Northeast became restrained by inadequate takeaway capacity. More pipeline is needed up north, too, said Rustagi.

“Pipeline infrastructure is similarly necessary in Canada to enable the transportation of oil from its vast landlocked reserves to both domestic and foreign markets,” she said. “Output from Alberta’s crude oil reserves, the third largest in the world, has been forecast to increase 26% from 2012 to 2015 and over 5,000 miles of pipeline have been proposed for construction in Canada by 2018.

“The North American oil, gas and natural gas liquids (NGLs) markets will remain dynamic in at least the near-term, making the timeliness of pipeline intelligence critical to strategy development.”