This paper addresses the problem of damage monitoring system for buried ductile steel pipeline subject to earthquakes. To determine the capacity of a pipeline to perform its mechanical functions face to occasional or incidental damages, such as earthquakes, it is needed to evaluate the structural integrity of pipe and to track relevant environment parameters. This may be performed through intelligent monitoring system of earthquakes environment. For risk prevention decision support, it is necessary to collect and analyze data to predict the failures and damages, and to provide data. First, we propose a model for the steel pipes structural behavior under earthquake strengths. Simulation result, allowed identifying key parameters to be monitored and to suggest sensors based instrumentation and placement for data collection and risk assessment. Then we suggest an intelligent data acquisition system with a strategy following 3 phases of earthquake impact of buried pipes: damage accumulation, crack initiation and crack propagation. The analysis results of the current study suggest that an intelligent data acquisition system requires intelligent sensors based instrumentation with an appropriate technology for buried ductile steel pipeline subjected to earthquakes. The resulting intelligent instrumentation system requires solving an optimal positioning problem of networked smart wireless sensors, under uncertainties constraints, with self-adaptive and remote monitoring operational capacities.