Direct Assessment is one of the primary inspection tools acknowledged globally as an approved
pipeline integrity inspection protocol. This paper is intended to provide an overview of the various types
of Direct Assessment including the wide array of inspection tools and techniques. A comprehensive
coverage of the various inspection tools including their applications, practicality and limitations are also
discussed. Lastly, it concludes with the need for a practical database management system for
integrating, analyzing and visualizing the state of the pipeline from the vast amount of data for sound
engineering decisions. Overall, the paper will illustrate the all important need to integrate the various
results from the wide array of inspection techniques in order to appreciate the overall integrity of the
pipeline using a non-invasive, data intensive inspection methodology.
Key words: pipeline integrity management (PIM), direct assessment (DA), external corrosion direct
assessment (ECDA), internal corrosion direct assessment (ICDA), stress corrosion cracking direct
assessment (SCCDA), integrated direct assessment pipeline integrity management (IDAPIM), inline
inspection (ILI), hydrostatic testing (HT), indirect inspection.