How the Hummingbird Digital Map Delivers Transportation Savings and Operational Efficiencies.
At TOTEC Solutions, our mission has always been to empower NGTL shippers: natural gas producers, industrial, marketers, traders and (now) data centers with better tools for the complex realities of the NGTL system. What began as a simple but powerful idea — the need to truly see the NGTL network in operation — has now become reality with the launch of the Hummingbird Digital Map.
This is the feature that started it all for us. Today, we’re making it free for everyone to drive greater transparency, smarter decisions, and real savings across Alberta’s natural gas industry.
Why the NGTL System Needs Better Visualization
The NGTL (Nova Gas Transmission Ltd.)^ system is one of North America’s largest natural gas gathering and transmission networks, spanning over 24,000 km with thousands of receipt and delivery points. Shippers manage billions of dollars in firm transportation contracts (FT-R and FT-D), but the market remains fragmented, opaque, and heavily reliant on manual processes, phone calls, and legacy spreadsheets.
Seasonal swings, production variability, outages, and hydraulic constraints create constant imbalances. The result? Hundreds of millions in unused firm transportation contracts annually, and missed opportunities for optimization.
The Hummingbird Digital Map changes this by providing the clearest, most actionable view of the NGTL system ever available in one place.
Key Features of the Hummingbird Digital Map
Built on our proprietary technology, the Hummingbird Digital Map goes far beyond static pipeline diagrams. Here’s what sets it apart:
Live Constraints & Outages Layer: Visualize bottlenecks, hydraulic constraints, and outage impacts at the meter level — integrated with our popular Outage Dashboard.
High Customization: Users can add their own meters and directly onto the map for personalized portfolio views, custom overlays, and more relevant insights tailored to their specific operations.
Wildfire Data Integration: Overlay real-time wildfire data to assess potential impacts on pipeline operations, flows, and constraints — enabling proactive risk management during wildfire season.
Secure, Cloud-Native Access: No downloads required, with enterprise-grade security and Canadian data residency.
All of this is grounded in the same intelligence that powers the full Hummingbird platform, making it a natural extension of tools like our Alternate Access, Many-to-One functionality, and negotiation marketplace matching engine.
How the Digital Map Delivers Significant Transportation Savings and Operational Efficiencies
For NGTL shippers, marketers, tradersand data centers visibility is the foundation of optimization:
Monetize Unused Firm Transportation Contracts — Spot underutilized contracts in real system context and take action immediately using our dedicated negotiation marketplace.
Reduce Transportation Costs — Secure firm contract transfers with better constraint awareness.
Minimize Failed Transfers — Improve success rates by 20-30% through custom visualization.
Proactive Risk Management — Use wildfire data and custom meters to anticipate disruptions and optimize around them.
Smarter Portfolio Optimization — Gain a competitive edge with personalized, data-driven insights.
Early users report faster decisions and measurable cost recovery.
Part of a Broader Commitment to Free Tools
The Digital Map joins our Outage Dashboard and other free resources to support the natural gas industry in Alberta and across Western Canada.
Get Started Today
The Hummingbird Digital Map is now live and free for all. Contact us todayand register to explore it.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What is the Hummingbird Digital Map? An interactive, real-time visualization tool for Alberta and Western Canada natural gas pipelines like Alberta’s NGTL pipeline system.
What customization options does it offer? High customization allows you to add your own meters and create personalized views of your NGTL meter portfolio alongside the full NGTL system.
Does it include external risk factors like wildfires? Yes — it features wildfire data integration, letting you overlay active wildfire information to evaluate impacts on flows, constraints, and operations.
Who can access it? Free for everyone — no subscription required and only requires a formal onboard request.
How does it help generate savings? By enabling better monetization of firm transportation contracts combined with Hummingbird negotiation marketplace. Reduction focused on transportation costs, fewer failed transfers, and proactive risk management (including wildfires and custom firm contracts and supply comparisons).
Is the data secure? Yes — secure AWS cloud platform with Canadian data residency.
How do I get started? Email us at hello@totec-solutions.com and request your access.
^ Disclaimer: Hummingbird is an independent platform by TOTEC Solutions Ltd. Not affiliated with NGTL/TC Energy or any other pipeline operator. Data derived from public and user-provided sources. Read our full disclaimer