A system for controlling gas flows in a pipeline network comprising: a pipeline network having a plurality of gas import points, a plurality of gas export points, and pipelines connected therebetween, the pipelines interconnected by at least one junction, each of the gas import points, gas export points and junction having a sensor and a flow control device, both of which correspond to a unique one of a plurality of smart meters, each of the plurality of smart meters including a communication network interface and a flow control device controller; a plurality of gas sources at gas import points; a plurality of gas customers associated with the gas export points, the gas customers providing customer gas request parameters; a communication and control network including the plurality of peer-to-peer smart meters, each smart meter capable of repeatedly: receiving system gas data via the communication network interface, the system gas data including the customer gas request parameters and first local gas request parameters from at least one other smart meter, controlling the flow control device based on the first local gas request parameters via the flow control device controller, generating local gas values based on an output from the corresponding sensor, the local gas values including one or more of gas PVT correlations, gas quality values, gas energy content values, gas composition values, gas phase values, gas flow rate values, and gas dew point values, calculating second local gas request parameters based on the local gas values and the system gas data; and transmitting the system gas data including the second local gas request parameters. a pipeline network having a plurality of gas import points, a plurality of gas export points, and pipelines connected therebetween, the pipelines interconnected by at least one junction, each of the gas import points, gas export points and junction having a sensor and a flow control device, both of which correspond to a unique one of a plurality of smart meters, each of the plurality of smart meters including a communication network interface and a flow control device controller; a plurality of gas sources at gas import points; a plurality of gas customers associated with the gas export points, the gas customers providing customer gas request parameters; a communication and control network including the plurality of peer-to-peer smart meters, each smart meter capable of repeatedly: receiving system gas data via the communication network interface, the system gas data including the customer gas request parameters and first local gas request parameters from at least one other smart meter, controlling the flow control device based on the first local gas request parameters via the flow control device controller, generating local gas values based on an output from the corresponding sensor, the local gas values including one or more of gas PVT correlations, gas quality values, gas energy content values, gas composition values, gas phase values, gas flow rate values, and gas dew point values, calculating second local gas request parameters based on the local gas values and the system gas data; and transmitting the system gas data including the second local gas request parameters.