PODScast Recap: PODS Structured Integrity Data: The Fast Lane for Pipeline AI/ML with Geonamic

From System of Record to System of Intelligence

If you handed your integrity data to a data scientist tomorrow, how much cleanup would they have to do before they could actually use it? That was the question our own Brad Schaaf posed to open Geonamic’s recent appearance on the PODS PODScast, where Brad, Yan Wang, and Changming Du joined Monique Roberts, Executive Director of PODS, to talk about structured integrity data and the fast lane to pipeline AI and ML.

The first live audience poll told the story before we even got to the slides: 62% of attendees called their integrity data “somewhat ready, usable with preparation” for AI, and only 5% called it “very ready.” It’s a familiar spot for most operators who are data-rich but insight-poor.

That’s where structure comes in. As Yan Wang, who recently became the chair of the PODS Technical Committee on Data Modeling, put it:

“A complex model isn’t useful if integrity engineers don’t trust the data underneath it.”

Relationships, not just records, are what turn a database into decision-ready intelligence. We backed that up with two live demos on the podcast: AI-assisted anomaly matching across multiple ILI inspections (minute 19:58), and corrosion growth prediction (minute 30:00) built on machine learning trained across an operator’s full historical dataset.

Brad summed up the shift in one line:

“PODS can help you create an AI-ready data layer.”

Pipeline integrity is moving from a system of record to a system of intelligence. The encouraging part? You don’t need a moonshot AI project to start. Structuring and connecting the data you already have pays off immediately.

Watch the full conversation above and let’s connect to talk more at info@geonamic.com.

Yan Wang has been appointed to serve as the temporary Chair of the PODS Technical Committee for Data Management (TCDM) while current Chair Patrick Boes takes time away for family responsibilities. The assignment is expected to last approximately three to six months.

Wang will work alongside Co-Chair Marco Portillo of CenterPoint Energy and collaborate with the PODS Technical Committee Group leadership. During this period, the TCDM will continue its work on important initiatives, including the ongoing Enterprise Architect project, while also exploring opportunities to improve and evolve the PODS data model.

Wang brings extensive experience with PODS implementations, pipeline data management, and Esri technologies, and looks forward to working with the committee and the broader PODS community to support the continued advancement of the PODS standard.

Do you want to learn more about PODS? We look forward to connecting to discuss.