The complexities of most underground pipeline systems and surroundings continue to pose challenges for above ground indirect inspection surveys and the utility of the acquired data. The result has been gradual loss of confidence in indirect inspection surveys and subsequent increase in research and development efforts in above ground survey techniques. At the crux of the matter is the following objective: to improve the probability of anomaly detection through effective above ground survey methods including data acquisition and data analysis.In this paper we have investigated and reported some of the inherent problems of the typical underground pipeline surroundings by simulating these complexities in a lab scale facility. In the experiments we varied three classes of factors that normally influence conventional pipeline survey data: pipeline features soil features and survey features. Our tests revealed that the probability of detection of a given anomaly size can be highly variable with respect to any of these parameters.We also found that difficulties in detecting anomalies is very often linked to the survey methodologies employed – that is the way the survey was performed the way the survey data was gathered and the data analysis method. From lessons learned in this test facility suggestions are proffered for improving the effectiveness of survey data acquisition and analysis and or course increasing the probability of coating anomaly detection and prioritization.