Why GIS Petroleum

Why Use GIS in Petroleum?
A free eBook from Exprodat
Version 1.2 (October 2013)
download latest version
Table of Contents
Section 1: Introduction to GIS .................................................................................. 5
Welcome .............................................................................................................. 5
What is GIS? ......................................................................................................... 5
What Can GIS Do? ................................................................................................ 7
Why You Should Care........................................................................................... 9
Benefits of GIS .................................................................................................. 9
GIS in Petroleum ............................................................................................ 10
When Bad Stuff Happens ............................................................................... 11
GIS Vocabulary ................................................................................................... 12
Section 2: GIS in the Petroleum Industry ............................................................... 14
A Brief History .................................................................................................... 14
GIS and the Oil Field Life-cycle ........................................................................... 14
Acquisition and Portfolio Management............................................................. 15
Seismic Planning ................................................................................................ 16
Exploration ......................................................................................................... 17
Overview ........................................................................................................ 17
Basin Analysis ................................................................................................. 18
Play Analysis ................................................................................................... 19
Acreage Analysis ............................................................................................ 21
Prospect Analysis ........................................................................................... 22
Land Management ......................................................................................... 24
Field Geology.................................................................................................. 25
Exploration Summary..................................................................................... 26
Drilling and Completion ..................................................................................... 27
Production.......................................................................................................... 28
Share this eBook: Facebook LinkedIn
Twitter.
Field Operations ............................................................................................. 28

Facilities Management ................................................................................... 29
Distribution and Pipeline ................................................................................... 30
Pipeline Routing ............................................................................................. 31
Pipeline Monitoring ....................................................................................... 32
Vessel Tracking............................................................................................... 32
Decommissioning ............................................................................................... 33
Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) .............................................................. 33
Emergency Response ..................................................................................... 34
Data Management ............................................................................................. 34
Data QC .......................................................................................................... 34
Data Index Maps ............................................................................................ 35
Spatial Data Standards ................................................................................... 36
Petroleum GIS Data Models ........................................................................... 36
Coordinate Reference System Standards ...................................................... 37
Metadata Standards ...................................................................................... 38
Use of Standards in Petroleum GIS ................................................................ 38
Section 3: Getting Started with GIS in Petroleum ................................................ 40
Introduction ....................................................................................................... 40
Play with the Technology ................................................................................... 40
ArcGIS Online ................................................................................................. 40
ArcGIS Explorer Desktop ................................................................................ 41
ArcGIS for Desktop ......................................................................................... 42
Get Some Training.............................................................................................. 42
Attend a Conference .......................................................................................... 43
Build your Business Case.................................................................................... 43
Twitter.
Petroleum GIS Case Studies ........................................................................... 44

Develop a GIS Strategy....................................................................................... 45
Conclusions and Additional Resources .................................................................. 47
Disclaimer............................................................................................................... 48
Table of Figures ...................................................................................................... 49
Twitter.
Section 1: Introduction to GIS

Welcome
By now youve most likely heard the terms Geographic Information Systems or
GIS. Maybe youve used desktop GIS software without knowing it, to access data
that your organisation has purchased. Maybe youve used GIS technology but
youre not really sure what youre meant to be doing with it in the exploration and
production business. Or maybe youve heard that GIS is important and you think
you or your organisation is missing a trick. If so, then this free eBook should help
you.
Spatial intelligence is becoming increasingly important in both business and
personal decision making. Think about the way you find information that helps you
organise your life do you look up the location of restaurants on the Internet? Do
you use Internet sites to provide you with directions between 2 places? Or maybe
you use Google Earth and browse the photos that people have uploaded? People
are becoming more and more comfortable using GIS in order to make decisions
about their lives, and the same is true of business.
GIS is not a tool just for data managers, or the more tech-savvy geologists in your
organisation, nor is it only relevant for upstream or onshore projects. Rather, GIS is
a tool for problem solving that integrates geographic information from across the
E&P value chain into how we all understand and manage our work.
Yes, it can be difficult to know what to do with GIS technology if you are new to it.
And yes, it can be quite a feat to convince your manager to let you incorporate GIS
into your business processes. But, armed with the right information, it is possible.
So here we go. In an effort to get you up to speed with how to leverage the power
of GIS in the petroleum business, this eBook will walk you through what you need
to know to in order to derive real business value from this powerful technology.
What is GIS?
GIS stands for Geographic Information System. According to Wikipedia, a GIS is
designed to capture, store, manipulate, analyse, manage, and present all types of
geographically referenced data.
Twitter.
Essentially GIS provides map-based systems for spatial data integration, query and
analysis. GIS provides a range of functionality, comprising CAD, cartography, image
processing and database management (Figure 1). But GIS is not just a software
package - it involves a combination of technology, people and processes, working
together.
CAD
Cartography
GIS
RDBMS
Image
Processing
Figure 1. What is GIS?
A GIS lets you visualize, query, analyse, interpret, collaborate on and understand
data in unique ways to reveal relationships, patterns, and trends. GIS data can be
viewed in the form of maps, globes, reports, tables and charts.
Spatial analysis (Figure 2) lies at the core of GIS the ability to analyse data based
on its spatial relationship to other data sets. This analysis capability is unique to
GIS, and in general is not found in more traditional E&P mapping software.
Twitter.
Network
analysis
Geometric
analysis
Visualisation
Spatial
Analysis
Cartographic
output
Raster
analysis
Interface
modelling
Figure 2. What is spatial analysis?
What Can GIS Do?

Understanding the capabilities of GIS is fundamental in being able to plan how best
to use the technology.
There have been many papers and presentations written about the capabilities of
GIS over the years and indeed a search on the Internet will elicit millions of results
on the subject. However, you should not be alarmed at this wealth of information!
Our experience with GIS tells us that it is possible to categorise GIS functionality
into a number of broad groups (Figure 3), as follows:
Data Organisation: Put simply this is the building of a GIS, whereby data is
collated from a variety of sources and organised into a logical structure, including
database and file based data, as well as documents and metadata. Data may be
received in a variety of spatial and non-spatial formats and non-spatial data with a
location component will almost certainly need to be re-formatted into a supported
spatial data format. Clearly, once loaded to GIS the data must be maintained so
that it is as correct, up-to-date and complete as possible.
Twitter.
Prediction
Geoprocessing
Spatial Analysis
Data Editing
Data Query
Visualisation
Data
Organisation
Figure 3. Types of GIS functionality.
Visualisation: One of the main strengths of GIS technology is that it allows the user
to view data from a wide variety of data sources at the same time, often in a single
map view. Spatial data sources can be overlaid on one another, rather like using a
light-table, as well as linked to non-spatial data (e.g. documents, websites,
photographs, etc.). This visual data integration can help identify patterns in the
data and highlight areas where data is lacking, as well as lead to a greater
understanding of the data in a particular area. Current GIS technology allows users
to view GIS data in both 2D and 3D and offers a range of platforms with which to
view the data, such as web-based, desktop and mobile, as well as exporting to PDF
and printing to hardcopy.
Data Query: GIS applications provide a wide range of data query tools to enable
users to find data of interest. Simple GIS data search tools are capable of finding
items using attributes (e.g. well name), location (e.g. wells in a basin) and proximity
(e.g. prospects near to a pipeline or sub-sea facility). Both raster (i.e. grid-based)
and vector (point, line or polygon) layers can be queried.
Data Editing: Data viewed in a GIS can be edited both in terms of its geographic
location and its underlying attributes. In addition, GIS technology enables users to
create completely new data, e.g. by drawing locations directly on to the map or by
extracting co-ordinate data from existing layers in order to create new layers.
Spatial Analysis: GIS differs from many other map viewers available within the
petroleum sector in that it is able to run spatial analysis between layers, such as
Twitter.
calculating distances and areas of features; gridding and contouring point data;
performing deterministic and geostatistical analysis on layers; and network
analysis.
Geoprocessing: GIS provides tools for manipulating spatial data, ranging from
converting between data formats and re-projecting co-ordinates, through surface
analysis to satellite image processing. Many GIS tools allow such processing
workflows to be grouped into models and saved for re-use. This allows complex
data processing to be easily repeated ensuring that modelling procedures can be
standardised or run iteratively.
Prediction: Using a combination of the functions described above GIS can be used
to predict favourable locations based on vast amounts of data and multiple factors.
Examples of this in oil and gas would be grading open acreage or siting a facility,
based on multiple input datasets.
Why You Should Care

Benefits of GIS
There is a growing awareness of the economic and strategic value of GIS. The
benefits of which, according to Esris gis.com website, are:
Better decision making - Making correct decisions about location can be

critical to the success of an organisation. Common petroleum examples
include deciding which acreage or play to enter, planning a pipeline route or
seismic survey, managing facilities and planning emergency response.
Cost savings and increased efficiency - GIS is widely used to optimise
maintenance schedules and daily fleet movements. Esri claims typical
implementations can result in savings of 10 to 30 percent in operational
expenses through reduction in resource costs.
Improved communication - Maps greatly assist in explaining situations.
They are a type of language that improves communication with
management, between different teams, departments, disciplines,
professional fields, organisations, and even with the public.
Twitter.
10
Better record keeping - Many organisations have a responsibility to

maintain authoritative records. GIS provides a strong framework for
managing data with full transaction support and reporting tools.
GIS in Petroleum
Spatial information is a key element in any petroleum venture, from the initial
opportunity analysis and exploration, through appraisal, production and the
abandonment phase. It is generally estimated that over 80% of the data used in the
petroleum business has a spatial component implying that it can be accessed
through a map or linked to something with a location.
In the petroleum industry large amounts of data have to be managed in order to
cope with the complexity of the process of discovering new resources and
managing producing assets. As such, the petroleum business requires the analysis
of many different types of spatial data, often achieved using a GIS.
There has been major progress in recent years in integrating spatial information
systems with existing data management and interpretation systems, to the extent
that GIS has started to become a critical part of the technology employed in the
petroleum business.
Esri is one of the market-leading GIS suppliers in the E&P sector, and lists
Halliburton, Schlumberger, Oracle, IBM, SAP and Microsoft as partners, among
others. Esri has also recently signed-up to provide a spatial foundation for
geoscience applications interoperability via the Microsoft Upstream Reference
Architecture (MURA) initiative, a project to enhance applications integration and
interoperability for the upstream oil and gas sector.
However, despite growing maturity in underlying GIS technology and increasing
industry awareness, we believe that the spatial component of data is still underutilised. Many petroleum companies are struggling to define the role of GIS in their
business, and few companies are extracting maximum value from their investment
in spatial data and analysis systems.
Twitter.
11
When Bad Stuff Happens

Another way to demonstrate the value of GIS is to look at real world examples of
what happened when spatial technology was not properly applied:
PG&E admits violating federal law requiring pipeline inspections every

five years On September 9, 2010, a 30-inch-diameter segment of an
intrastate natural gas transmission pipeline owned and operated by the
Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E), ruptured in a residential area
in San Bruno, California. The rupture produced a crater about 72 feet
long by 26 feet wide. The section of pipe that ruptured, which weighed
about 3,000 pounds, was found 100 feet south of the crater. PG&E
estimated that 47.6 million standard cubic feet of natural gas was
released. The released natural gas ignited, resulting in a fire that killed 8
people and destroyed 38 homes, damaging 70 more. It was later
discovered that PG&E failed to check nearly 14 miles of gas distribution
pipelines for leaks for up to two decades when it lost track of 16 maps
needed to guide mandated safety inspections of its system.
Maersk Victory jack-up sustains major damage In 1996 the Maersk
Victory jack-up sustained major damage when one of its legs broke
through soft seabed limestone in St. Vincents Gulf off South Australia.
The incident happened while the rig was jacking up on location prior to
spudding the first of two wells in the Stansbury basin on exploration
permit PEL 53. The South Australia Department of Mines and Energy
Resources (MESA) undertook an investigation and determined that the
cause of damage was the failure of the sub-sea sediments beneath the
rig. MESA concluded that there was a failure to fully evaluate the risks of
the drilling location, a failure to fully evaluate the geotechnical data of
the sub-sea sediments, and a failure in management systems and
procedures for locating the rig.
Anonymous North Sea example of incorrect rig positioning During a
jack-up rig move the engineer looking after the navigation didnt realise
that hed inadvertently changed the coordinate reference parameters
he was using. Later radar positioning checks revealed it was 1.5 km off
location, in another operators block. The company in question had to
Twitter.
12
move the rig at a cost of $750,000, and suffered reputation issues as the
government reviewed its license arrangements (from the OGP
Geomatics Committee geodetic awareness guidance notes document,
which contains other examples of georeference integrity failures).
GIS Vocabulary
Quick reference glossary:
Attribute - A geographic features non-spatial information is usually stored

in a database and is linked to the spatial feature by a unique identifier. For
example, the status of a field or a wells name.
ArcGIS Esris GIS platform, comprising desktop, mobile, server and online
GIS applications. ArcGIS is the global market leading GIS platform and one
of the market leaders in the petroleum industry.
DEM A Digital Elevation Model. A raster dataset that represents elevation
values over a topographic surface.
EDMS Electronic Document Management System.
Feature An object represented on a map, such as a well or field.
Field Contains common values for a set of features. Usually a column in a
database.
Geodatabase A collection of geographic datasets used by ArcGIS.
Geoprocessing The use of tools, scripts and models to analyse and
manipulate geographic data.
Georeferencing The process of positioning a dataset such as a scanned
map image to its correct location in geographic space.
Interpolation A method of estimating a continuous surface at un-sampled
points between locations with known values. Similar to surface modelling
or gridding in applications such as CPS-III, Petrel or ZMap Plus.
Layer The visual representation of a geographic dataset in a digital map.
On a petroleum map, for example, wells, fields, pipelines, and license blocks
would normally be contained in different layers.
MapInfo A common desktop GIS application, owned by Pitney Bowes.
Python A scripting language, often used in geoprocessing.
Twitter.
13
Raster Dataset made of a grid of cells or pixels containing a single value.

Satellite imagery, aerial photos and grid-based structure maps are often
termed as raster data.
Record Contains all the attribute data for one feature. Usually a row in a
database.
Shapefile Storage format for geographic vector data stored in a set of
related files.
SDE An Esri database application for storing geographic data in a RDBMS.
TIN Triangulated Irregular Network. A data format that separates a vector
dataset into non-overlapping triangles for 3D representation.
Topology The spatial relationship and sharing of geometry between
connecting or adjacent points, lines or polygons.
Transformation The process of converting the coordinate system of a
dataset to a different coordinate system.
Vector Dataset made up of points, lines or polygons, with an associated
attribute table.
There are also numerous comprehensive GIS glossaries available online.
Twitter.
14
Section 2: GIS in the Petroleum Industry

A Brief History
GIS developed from the rise of computer mapping technology in the 1960s, and by
the 1990s, widespread use of Unix workstations and the personal computer had
brought GIS technology to desktop computer users, standardised on relatively few
vendor platforms (like ArcGIS and MapInfo).
The 1990s also saw the rise of GIS use in the petroleum industry, with many large
multinationals migrating to GIS from CAD-based systems. The first Esri Petroleum
User Group (PUG), led by companies such as Exxon and Shell, met in the early
1990s. By the late 1990s oil and gas service companies such as Landmark and
Schlumberger were starting to package GIS technology within their commercial
software products, and use of GIS within data management, exploration, pipeline
and land management started to develop.
The 2000s saw advances in Internet mapping, allowing GIS data and analysis to be
compiled by an expert using desktop GIS, but distributed to a wider user-base via
Internet technology. In the petroleum industry this period saw GIS use spread to
other operational areas, such as production, facilities management, HSE and
emergency response.
In recent years the rise of Google, in-car navigation systems and widespread GPS
use have brought GIS to the mass consumer market, and this trend is set to
continue with cloud-based GIS. Meanwhile, the Esri PUG event (now called the
Petroleum GIS Conference) still runs annually in Houston attracting a larger and
larger audience, with regional PUG meetings also springing up, both inside and
outside the US.
GIS and the Oil Field Life-cycle

GIS technology has applications throughout the oil field life-cycle (Figure 4), from
new ventures acquisition through exploration and production to abandonment.
Examples of how GIS is used in each of these areas is provided below.
Twitter.
15
Acquisition &
Portfolio
Management
Decommissioning
Seismic
Planning
Data
Management
HSE
Distribution
and Pipeline
Exploration
Drilling &
Completions
Production
Figure 4. The oil field life-cycle.
Acquisition and Portfolio Management

An oil and gas exploration portfolio contains data in multiple formats on potential
hydrocarbon accumulations, such as leads and prospects, as well as information
about competing companies and estimates of their portfolio quality and value, for
use during farm-ins or when acquiring companies.
The key challenges of working with such data are ensuring that the varied datasets
can be integrated, that data is up-to-date, consistent, has a clear audit trail, and is
kept secure yet accessible to those who need to use it. Not surprisingly, GIS is
increasingly being used for this. For example in Petroleum Development Omans
frontier exploration projects, GIS-based portfolio management tools and processes
have been introduced to address some these challenges.
Twitter.
16
Seismic Planning
Due to its geodetic accuracy, data visualisation and integration functionality GIS
technology is often applied to seismic survey planning.
Whether it is onshore, using satellite imagery, or offshore, using bathymetry, sea
floor surveys and shipping lane data, GIS can help analyse areas where seismic 2D
or 3D is to be acquired.
Figure 5. Example of GIS-based seismic survey planning (Yates, 2011).
By way of an example of using GIS for planning a 3D seismic survey, Apache used
desktop GIS technology to help plan some complex 3D seismic surveys in Argentina
(Figure 5). GIS was used to move planned receiver positions to better locations
using satellite image data, and also to help address the significant permitting issues
encountered during the project.
Twitter.
17
Exploration
Overview
Play and acreage analysis form a key part of the exploration process (Figure 6), but
are generally the most poorly defined from a standardised process point of view.
Decisions are often driven by subsets of the large volumes of data available to an
exploration team, and by personal or historical bias, based on past experiences or
exploration strategies.
Basin analysis
Play analysis
Acreage
analysis
Prospect
analysis
Figure 6. The exploration process.
This can present a challenge to oil and gas exploration as Peter Rose, the
petroleum geologist, noted in 1996, the most difficult and critical decision in
petroleum exploration is not which prospect to drill, but instead, which new play to
enter.
Many companies apply different processes to their analysis, varying between
countries, assets or even individuals. This makes it very difficult to objectively
review opportunities on a company-wide basis, and leads to greater uncertainty in
opportunity ranking and portfolio management. It is also rarely seen as an iterative
process; new data is rarely fed back in on a regular basis to refine the model.
Technology vendors have traditionally focused on the prospect analysis part of the
exploration process, then down in to the earth model and the Digital Oil Field.
There are also several innovative technologies associated with basin analysis, often
driven by academic research. However, there is less technology support for the
play and acreage analysis components.
Twitter.
18
GIS technology has been used increasingly in this area in recent years, with much
success. A challenge oil and companies have is that out of the box GIS, being a
horizontal technology, is not tuned to the needs of the sector. Many companies
only use GIS as a data integration and visualisation tool, and dont exploit its full
analytical capabilities.
Basin Analysis
GIS is beginning to be used more in basin analysis, generally as a first-pass
screening tool before more specialised software is deployed. GIS can be used for
petroleum systems analysis using data such as regional, structure, faults, gross
depositional environment, hydrocarbon seeps, gravity and magnetics.
Standard GIS functionality can be used to produce a number of exploration
statistics, commonly employed by geoscientists such as creaming curves, field size
distributions (Figure 7) and yet-to-find analysis.
Figure 7. Pool Size Distributions produced using ArcGIS for Desktop.
Exprodats Team-GIS Exploration Analyst software contains powerful tools for

easily generating such basin (and play) statistics.
More advanced GIS analytics can be used to map likely sub-surface secondary fluid
migration (Figure 8), using tools originally designed for hydrological mapping. This
is a well-established raster analysis technique used to define drainage networks
Twitter.
19
and basins using a digital elevation model (DEM). A variety of tools are available to
assist with this work:
Esris Spatial Analyst extension has hydrology tools to map the flow
direction and flow accumulation across a DEM surface.
Arc Hydro is a set of data models and tools that build on Spatial Analyst to
enhance the drainage mapping functionality.
Figure 8. Regional seal surface showing potential migration pathways.
Play Analysis
GIS has been used for some time in exploration play fairway mapping. Maps of
areas of interest can be produced showing well results, well penetrations,
paleogeography, gross depositional environment, structure and other pertinent
datasets. GIS allows the geologist to see all the data available in a single application
for the first time. In addition, the ability of GIS to label and symbolise features using
complex patterns and shapes allows multiple feature attributes to be displayed on
the map, e.g. a well may show the well location, the depth of penetration, net to
Twitter.
20
gross value, as well as indicators for whether the play source, reservoir and seal are
present or not.
In play chance or common risk segment mapping, a geologist is able to assign a
chance of success (COS) to each key petroleum play element, such as reservoir,
seal, source, migration and structure. Once the data has been converted into a
consistent numeric schema geoscientists can perform mathematical calculations on
the play element data stack in order to summarise play adequacy or overall chance
of success (Figure 9).
If a region has a high COS in all categories it is coloured green, if one or more
category are risky, it is coloured amber, and if a critical element is known to be
absent the block is coloured red.
Figure 9. Common risk segment analysis (after Hood, 2000).
Prior to the use of GIS this could be a slow process, with each block having to be
individually assessed against a series of regional maps. Any changes to the regional
risk model would mean the whole process would need to be repeated.
Twitter.
21
However, once the process is set up within GIS it can be carried out in minutes
rather than days and iterated repeatedly which has the effect of dramatically
improving decision quality.
Exprodats Team-GIS Exploration Analyst software contains easy-to-use tools for
creating play chance or common risk segment maps using GIS.
Acreage Analysis
Ranking opportunities via quantitative analysis using all available information
require data integration on a massive scale. It is usually seen as too time consuming
to carry out on a regular basis, if its ever carried out at all in a structured,
repeatable way.
GIS provides the perfect environment in which to rapidly evaluate and grade oil
and gas acreage opportunities, such as license or lease blocks (Figure 10). It
provides a unique way of mining large quantities of different types of data in order
to help make a decision.
Figure 10. Ranked Haynesville Shale play sections, near Shreveport, Louisiana.
Twitter.
22
GIS allows the user to integrate multi-disciplinary asset data (e.g. geology,
environment, economic, infrastructure) in order to define analysis criteria and
weightings; rank acreage and company acreage positions; and ultimately identify
and prioritise opportunities.
Using GIS technology acreage and portfolio ranking workflows can be dramatically
shortened, standardised and rapidly iterated in order to improve decision quality,
reduce uncertainty and cut decision cycle-times.
Exprodats Team-GIS Exploration Analyst software contains tools for rapidly ranking
petroleum leases, blocks and companies, using GIS data.
Prospect Analysis
GIS is occasionally used in prospect analysis, generally as a first-pass hydrocarbon
reserve or volume estimation tool before more specialised software is deployed.
In conventional hydrocarbon plays where petroleum reservoirs can be delineated
and mapped it is possible to use GIS raster-based analysis to calculate the volume
between two gridded surfaces, or between a single surface and a series of depth
levels.
The resulting volume can be multiplied by other volumetric factors such as
recovery efficiency, net to gross, porosity and oil saturation to produce a first pass
deterministic ball park prospect volume.
In unconventional hydrocarbon plays such as shale gas, shale oil or coal bed
methane it is often useful to know the amount of area estimated to contain
proven, possible and probable reserves, based on preliminary drilling results from
exploration or development pilot wells using the common drill spacing unit (DSU)
grid-based reserve classification technique (Figure 11).
Due to its inherent spatial awareness, GIS technology allows you to calculate
accurate reserve areas, as well as use buffering around producing wells to help
estimate reserves. This is demonstrated by the newly updated Society of Petroleum
Evaluation Engineers (SPEE) Guidelines for the Practical Evaluation of Undeveloped
Reserves in Resource Plays publication which includes a recommended reserve
estimation methodology based on GIS technology (Figure 12).
Twitter.
23
Figure 11. 1P and 2P reserve areas based on Haynesville horizontal wells.
Figure 12. Expanding Concentric Radii resource area estimation (SPEE, 2010).
Twitter.
24
Once generated, such reserve area polygons can be combined with raster-based
reserve-in-place (e.g. gas in place) grids derived from preliminary drilling at pilot
sites. Using spatial analysis of the grids you can then calculate estimated reserve
volumes based on the gas-in-place raster, as well as license interest and recovery
factor attribute data.
Exprodats Team-GIS Unconventionals Analyst software packages many of the
above reserve estimation workflows into an easy-to-use toolkit providing
considerable efficiencies in terms of managing these complex geospatial
workflows.
Land Management
Considering that the first GIS ever built (the Canada Geographic Information
System developed by Dr. Roger Tomlinson in 1960) was used for land management,
it is no surprise that the petroleum sector has used GIS for land management for
some time, particularly in North America.
Petroleum lease mapping begins by organising mineral rights and lease information
in a database, then reviewing the lease data individually to establish its legal
position.
Figure 13. GIS-based land management (Gardner, 2009).
Twitter.
25
Data types integrated in a typical petroleum land management system include

survey data such as county boundaries, blocks and sections; lease data such as
county courthouse data; well locations and regulatory data such as proration units
(Figure 13).
The way GIS stores information as attributes allows the land man to annotate the
map with key data such as lessor names, lease expiry dates, working interests (WI),
overriding royalty (OR), overriding royalty interest (ORRI), net revenue interest
(NRI) and gross/net acreages, while centralising all land management data in an
enterprise GIS environment also helps generate the reports that are a monthly
regulatory requirement of many US state agencies.
In addition, the integration of mobile GIS technology using GPS location has
allowed the land man to accurately capture data from the field directly into a
spatial database. This can be useful in tracking features that are too small to be
seen from aerial photography or that post-date the aerial photography available
for the area in question.
Field Geology
One of the more obvious applications of GIS to the petroleum industry is in the
creation and maintenance of geological maps. Esris ArcGIS geology data model
was built specifically for the geoscience industries to help with building geological
maps in ArcGIS (Figure 14).
In addition GIS can be very useful in ground-truthing, i.e. the process of validating
interpretations made remotely (e.g. from satellite imagery) through field studies.
As with land management, use of mobile GIS and GPS technology with an
enterprise geodatabase can streamline the integration of the field-derived data
with the GIS database.
Twitter.
26
Figure 14. GIS-based geological map (USGS, 2006).
Exploration Summary
In this section we have seen how GIS is a key technology for supporting and
improving the exploration process, including risk assessment and opportunity
screening and ranking. The key benefits of this approach are summarised below:
GIS provides the ideal platform for data integration in the exploration
analysis process. Using all the data available, in a consistent fashion,
improves confidence levels in assessing risk and uncertainty.
GIS can significantly reduce the cycle times for an exploration project,
especially for manually intensive processes such as data integration,
analysis and risk map generation. This time can be used to iterate and refine
the models used for ranking opportunities, or to reduce overall project
times.
GIS provides a framework for developing consistent exploration processes
across all assets within a company. This leads to a more consistent,
auditable corporate prospect portfolio, and better portfolio management
decisions.
Twitter.
27
Reducing technical uncertainty, standardising process and understanding risk

improves decision making and exploration efficiency. Better prospects can be
drilled earlier in a programme, and an improved framework for integrating the
results of new wells back in to the regional play risk model can be established.
Drilling and Completion

GIS is being used increasingly in the well planning arena, particularly with the rise
of unconventional resources such as shale gas, shale oil and coal bed methane. Not
only can GIS be used to plan well pad patterns around multiple surface drilling
constraints, but its unique spatial analytics can be used to calculate the most
efficient drilling configuration.
Figure 15. GIS well planning from the Green River Basin, Wyoming (Shell, 2009).
One example of this is the Pinedale field in the Green River Basin in Wyoming,
where Shell uses GIS to support the well planning and execution team, including
drilling engineers, surveyors, production geologists and rig planners. The use of an
integrated GIS database and analytical tools has reduced Shells well planning cycle
Twitter.
28
from three to five months to just two weeks, and has enabled Shell to undertake
multiple planning cycles at the same time (Figure 15).
Exprodats Team-GIS Unconventionals Analyst software packages similar geospatial
well pattern optimisation workflows into an easy-to-use toolkit.
Production
Oil and gas companies are now starting to use GIS in petroleum production i.e.
getting oil and gas out of the ground and into pipelines for distribution. GIS is being
used to improve field production efficiency from single well completions to
monitoring whole reservoirs.
The data integration and visualisation capabilities of GIS allow production
engineers to create smart maps containing production volumes, injection rates and
recovery efficiency. Production data can be updated in near real-time on the map
and this allows operators to create production dashboard applications showing
wells or fields displayed using traffic light colour (i.e. red, orange and green)
depending on whether production is meeting expected or target levels.
Field Operations
GIS enables much more efficient planning and monitoring of field operations by
coordinating equipment and personnel movements around rig sites, providing
facilities planning and ensuring the safety of staff. Using GPS technology, assets
can be tracked in real time, providing access to the most up-to-date information on
which to base decisions.
Onshore, particularly in the unconventionals arena, field sites can be monitored
using GIS, e.g. using regularly updated DEMs to help detect subsidence caused by
extraction of the resources.
An emerging use of GIS for field operations is in using flying sensor technology to
gather on-demand high resolution imagery across a field location in order to survey
a site (Figure 16). This allows companies to regularly monitor sites and to identify
and manage change, without having to commission expensive satellite data
capture.
Twitter.
29
Figure 16. The swinglet CAM flying sensor from senseFly.
Facilities Management
Many oil companies have developed field development and planning tools using
GIS technology in order to reduce project risk and cost. This is achieved through
generating a common 3D visualization tool for data generated by engineering
disciplines, such as reservoir engineering, seabed equipment and onshore process
facilities (Figure 17).
In this example from Chevron, the system integrates decision planning, minimizes
field layout design conflicts, supports a centralized database development,
provides design verification utilizing ROV-based 3D simulation, promotes training,
enables solutions to be verified before equipment is ordered, improves
understanding between the oil company and contractors, and supplies support
throughout the life-cycle of the field.
GIS field layout planning is initiated by compiling geophysical assessments, hazard
maps, bathymetry, existing infrastructure, reservoirs, and well data. Engineers then
position equipment such as pipelines, umbilicals, surface-processing host, mooring
lines, and risers. 3D GIS technology can then be used to visualize the field layout.
Twitter.
30
Data can be exported to AutoCAD so engineering drawings can be generated these are used with front-end engineering and design (FEED) contactors and to
generate bids.
Figure 17. Web-based GIS facilities management application (Moore, 2009).
The survey of installed equipment (e.g. manifold foundation piles and wellhead
conductors) can be integrated into the GIS to provide as-built details of the field
layout. 3D simulations use these as-built details to provide virtual measurements
for subsea equipment locations, which enables jumper spools to be pre-fabricated,
thereby reducing the requirement to perform subsea metrology and project costs.
Distribution and Pipeline

The strict regulations imposed on pipelines combined with the negative
consequences of an accident make decisions regarding pipeline integrity
management increasingly important.
As a result many oil companies use GIS across the project life-cycle, capturing
engineering information while projects are under construction and managing it
during the operational phase, which can be essential for meeting regulatory
reporting obligations.
Twitter.
31
In addition to the benefits GIS provides in centralising data management for such
infrastructure projects, GIS analysis and monitoring can also be used for specific
value-add scenarios, such as pipeline routing and pipeline monitoring.
Outside of the pipeline domain GIS also has an important role to play in the
successful use of vessels in safely and cleanly distributing hydrocarbons by sea.
While GIS is used heavily in port management, oil companies have employed
similar technologies for applications such as vessel tracking.
Pipeline Routing
Pipelines carrying petroleum products are capital-intensive projects, so
determining an optimum route becomes very important in managing the significant
operational costs involved. This is a non-trivial and time consuming task,
comprising analysis of terrain types and distances.
However, using GIS spatial and network analyses the process can be simplified
significantly through the use of least-cost path analysis - the route of least
resistance between a source point and destination, based on the effort required to
pass through cells in one or more cost raster datasets, such as slope (based on a
DEM) and land-cover (Figure 18).
Figure 18. Least-cost path analysis between two locations.
Twitter.
32
Studies have shown that GIS-based least cost path analysis can produce more
environmentally friendly routes, which are between 5-15% cheaper to implement
than traditional routing methods.
Pipeline Monitoring
Once pipelines have been constructed they need to be continually monitored to
check for leaks and geo-hazards, and to manage and track inspections, the
frequency of which is often a regulatory requirement.
A great example of using GIS for pipeline monitoring is Ormen Lange, Europes
largest offshore subsea development, which services c. 20% of the UKs gas
demand. It comprises giant subsea templates, wells and pipeline, bringing gas to
the Nyhamna processing plant from where it is transported to the UK via the
worlds largest subsea gas pipeline which is c. 1200km long.
GIS is used on the project to support field and survey operations; subsea
inspection; seafloor geodesy; and asset management. One key use of the GIS is in
understanding the complex seabed topography, and digital video has been
integrated with the GIS to allow engineers to view the sections of the pipeline and
monitor any hazards affecting the installation.
Vessel Tracking
Away from the pipeline area GIS is also useful for tracking valuable assets,
especially those that are mobile, such as vehicles and boats.
By way of an example Saudi Aramcos existing telecommunications infrastructure is
being leveraged to dispatch and track the movement of company cars, heavy
trucks, and ocean-going oil tankers (Figure 19). Knowing the precise location of
vehicles and vessels is essential for the timely delivery of goods and services, as
well as for efficient emergency response.
Twitter.
33
Figure 19. Web-based GIS vessel tracking system (Saudi Aramco, 2007).
Decommissioning
Once the petroleum has been extracted from the field it is usually necessary to
decommission it by removing the producing infrastructure and, if onshore,
recovering the land for re-use.
The process is essentially a combined facilities management and environmental
challenge, and can be heavily regulated. It is therefore natural that GIS has a role
to play, especially if field data from the earlier phases of the oil field life-cycle has
already been centralised in an enterprise GIS.
Health, Safety and Environment (HSE)

Environmental management is an intrinsic part of petroleum operations through
the entire oil field life-cycle. GIS can help with creating environmental impact
assessments, complying with local disaster response regulations, remediating sites
after decommissioning, and tracking of natural phenomena such as hurricanes or
storms in order to minimise disruption to production facilities.
Twitter.
34
GIS is also used by many companies to provide up-to-date maps for staff driving in
remote desert locations, and to track the position of their vehicles in real-time.
Companies can supply their field-based staff with the most up-to-date GIS data via
either mobile GIS tools or hardcopy map books in order to assure their safety while
in the field.
Emergency Response
GIS is becoming increasingly important in response to emergencies such as oil spills
and gas explosions, both in mitigation planning and response management. Data
including environmentally sensitive areas, biological resources and human activity
can be loaded into a GIS and made available to all stakeholders, potentially even
the public. Users of the system can then rank areas by environmental sensitivity or
ease of clean-up, or monitor progress of an on-going response.
Emergency response best practise is to maintain a shared common operating
picture (COP) at all times. This can be done via web-based or dashboard GIS
applications comprising all relevant data in order to provide accurate situational
awareness with the ability to add data from the field. This leads to better decision
making for improved responses.
A recent example of this was the response to the Deepwater Horizon incident in
the Gulf of Mexico, the largest oil spill in United States history. This effort was
aided by the most extensive deployment of field GIS for any disaster. For the first
time, responders using mobile GIS technology had a simple process providing twoway situational awareness between field operatives and response agencies in near
real time.
Data Management
As we have seen, spatial data is used throughout the oil field lifecycle for
visualization, modelling, analysis, and decision-making. It is therefore essential that
this is underpinned by robust spatial data management.
Data QC
Many non-spatial data management projects can benefit from the application of
GIS technology, as data errors can be obvious once the data has been added to a
map. This is especially true when cleaning up large amounts of data such as a
Twitter.
35
regions wells or land parcels, and the geoprocessing capabilities provided by GIS
technology can be used to semi-automate data QC and reviews.
Data Index Maps

One of the most common uses of GIS in oil and gas data management is to provide
a data index map to oil company users so that they drastically reduce the amount
of time they spend looking for the data they need to do their work. Often such
maps are delivered using web-based GIS technology, and act as an easy-to-use
virtual data integrator, showing all data of interest side-by-side in a single interface
(Figure 20).
Figure 20. Web-based data index map.
Using Web technology you can drill-down from the data index map into more
detailed data, e.g. from a well to its completion log, from a lease to its legal
Twitter.
36
documents stored in an EDMS, or from a pipeline feature to its last inspection

report or digital video clip.
There are a several commercial tools available for building web-based data index
maps, such as ArcGIS for Server and Exprodats Team-GIS Discovery ArcGIS for
Server add-on that allows you to rapidly build extremely powerful web applications
and saves you the trouble of doing your own custom development.
Spatial Data Standards

The consensus in the GIS industry is that an organisation should adopt standards in
order to effectively deploy GIS. Standards of importance to GIS users in petroleum
aim at achieving data consolidation, conversion and integration in order to
maximise data interoperability.
There are a variety of standards available for petroleum organisations to deploy:
Data model standards.

Coordinate Reference System standards.
Metadata standards.
Petroleum GIS Data Models

Data models define how geographic entities are described by GIS applications. The
choice of a particular data model can yield benefits in terms of simplifying realworld features and supporting data interoperability between applications (both GIS
and non-GIS based).
The following GIS data models are available to the petroleum sector:
Public Petroleum Data Model (PPDM) PPDM is developed and

maintained by the PPDM Association, a not-for-profit society whose
mission is to develop and maintain standards for the energy industry. A
number of E&P organisations have implemented PPDM compliant data
stores to manage corporate data in a vendor neutral format. This allows
the company to develop a single master data store for all corporate data
which can be integrated with multiple vendor products and services.
Pipeline Open Data Standard (PODS) PODS is an independent
database modelling initiative applicable to gas and liquid gathering,
Twitter.
37
transmission and distribution pipeline systems. PODS was developed by

the PODS Association, a not-for-profit organisation whose specific
mandate is to develop and maintain data standards and exchange
formats for the pipeline industry.
ArcGIS Pipeline Data Model (APDM) APDM is a database template
designed for storing information pertaining to features found in
gathering and transmission pipelines, particularly gas and liquid
systems. APDM is expressly designed for implementation in an ArcGIS
geodatabase for use with Esri products and it is intended to work as a
template for ArcGIS users rather than as a cross-platform standard.
Seabed Survey Data Model (SSDM) Oil and gas companies aim to
manage seabed survey data based on sound geo-information
management principles and practices. The International Association of
Oil & Gas Producers (OGP) set-up a task force in 2010 to define a
standard GIS data model for seabed survey data. The resulting SSDM
model can be used both as a data exchange standard (e.g. for survey
data between operators and survey contractors) and as a data model
for managing seabed survey data within the enterprise.
Coordinate Reference System Standards

The EPSG Geodetic Parameter Datasets Standard is the primary standard for
coordinate reference systems and coordinate transformation. The standard has
been recognised internationally and included in other data exchange formats and
data models such as PPDM.
The standard comprises parameters required to identify coordinates through a
coordinate reference system (CRS) definition and to define transformations and
conversions that allow coordinates to be changed from one CRS to another. It is
available for downloading at no charge from the OGP website.
The good news for GIS users is that most commercial GIS software applications
support the EPSG standard. That said, there is some variety in the level of support
and in response to this the OGP set-up the Geospatial Integrity of Geoscience
Software (GIGS) initiative to address user concern of violations of geospatial data
Twitter.
38
integrity when using geoscience software. See the OGP website for further
information.
Metadata Standards
Metadata is data about data. With the diverse sources from which spatial data are
derived in typical E&P workflows it is extremely important to maintain information
about the content, quality, source and lineage of the data. As such a number of
standards organisations have developed standards for storing and maintaining
metadata, such as ISO and FGDC.
Support for metadata standards in most off-the-shelf GIS applications is strong, and
its usually just a question of selecting an appropriate standard and making sure the
metadata is filled-in and up-to-date. In the petroleum GIS space the ISO and FGDC
standards are commonly used.
The Energistics Metadata Work Group is in the process of developing a metadata
specification for the energy industry, designed to help improve operational
efficiency within the industry through adoption of metadata standards, guidelines
and best practices. The intention is that this will enable efficient cataloging,
discovery, evaluation, and retrieval of information resources, regardless of whether
those resources are hosted internally or externally to an organisation.
Use of Standards in Petroleum GIS

Perhaps no other industry has such an enormous investment in data acquisition
and maintenance as the E&P industry. Leveraging this investment is critical to
success and the application of data standards should be integral to this.
However, in our experience many E&P business processes are not benefiting from
spatial data standards. This is partly because spatial data has historically been
stored in non-standards-based systems but also because migrating legacy data and
systems to new standards-based products is seen as too time-consuming and costly
to be worth the hassle.
If using a standard seems overwhelming Esri have created a number of templates
to help get you started, and these are available from the ArcGIS Petroleum
Resource Center.
Twitter.
39
Its usually easier to start something based on a standard or template rather than
from a blank piece of paper, and we recommend pragmatic use of data standards
on new projects wherever possible.
Twitter.
40
Section 3: Getting Started with GIS in Petroleum

Introduction
If youve made it this far youd probably like to know how to get started. Luckily
there are some easy things you can do to help you on your way, both individually
and as an organisation.
Play with the Technology

There are lots of ways to have a play around with GIS technology without spending
any of your precious budget, and this is a great way to familiarise yourself with
what the tools can do. Esri offer free GIS software as well as free trials of its
commercial products.
ArcGIS Online
A good place to start playing around with GIS is ArcGIS Online, Esris cloud-based
geospatial content management system for storing and managing maps and data.
Built on Esri's cloud infrastructure, it provides some basic web-based GIS viewers
and allows you access to geographic content shared by Esri users around the world.
With ArcGIS Online, you can:
Create and share maps that can be accessed by anyone through a

browser, a mobile device, ArcGIS for Desktop, or a custom application.
Access and discover thousands of free maps, datasets, services, tools
and other geospatial content.
Manage geospatial content through an easy-to-use catalogue of items
or groups.
Share your content publically, with specific groups, or keep it private.
Use the lightweight map viewers (Figure 21) to make and view web-based maps
that contain a base map and additional layers you find in ArcGIS.com or that you
load in yourself. You can set the area of interest, save your maps, and share them
with others. The ArcGIS Online map viewers are free and only require a Web
browser and an Internet connection.
Twitter.
41
You can also embed maps you create with ArcGIS Online into your Web site or use
the provided templates to make your own Web mapping application.
Figure 21. ArcGIS Explorer Online viewer.
ArcGIS Online is available in several ways, as follows:
Free version, hosted on Esris cloud infrastructure.

Subscription version containing additional management tools and
customisation options, hosted on Esris cloud infrastructure (previously
known as ArcGIS Online for Organizations).
Subscription on-premise version containing the additional management
tools and customisation options, hosted behind an organisations firewall
(also known as Portal for ArcGIS).
ArcGIS Explorer Desktop

ArcGIS Explorer Desktop is a free desktop GIS application that gives you an easy
way to explore, visualize, and share GIS information. ArcGIS Explorer Desktop can
Twitter.
42
run in 3D globe mode, and as such is much like Google Earth with the addition of
GIS functionality such as coordinate reference integrity and support for common
GIS data formats.
With ArcGIS Explorer, you can:
Access ready-to-use ArcGIS Online base maps and layers.

Fuse your local data with map services to create custom maps.
Add photos, reports, videos, and other information to your maps.
Perform spatial analysis (e.g., visibility, modelling, proximity search).
ArcGIS for Desktop

If you want to get your hands on a fully functional GIS application, Esris ArcGIS for
Desktop is ideal as it is commonly used throughout the E&P sector. Esri offer free
60 day trials of ArcGIS for Desktop and all of its extensions - specialized tools that
allow you to perform more sophisticated tasks such as raster geoprocessing and 3D
analysis.
Like Exprodats Team-GIS tools for simplifying upstream petroleum workflows,
other companies also offer extensions to ArcGIS for Desktop, often packaging up
common petroleum workflows into easy to use tools. Take a look at Esris
Solutions Guide for a list of its petroleum partners.
Get Some Training

If youre thinking of getting into using ArcGIS for Desktop its likely that youll
benefit from some training as the application can seem complex to the novice user.
To get started you could check out the free Esri tutorials that come with the
software, but another great way to learn is via a formal course.
The following training courses are excellent ways to learn the application:
Exprodat petroleum GIS courses Focus specifically on the application of

ArcGIS in the petroleum sector, using common E&P scenarios, data and
workflows.
Esri courses Teach the ArcGIS application using non-petroleum specific
examples and data.
Twitter.
43
Attend a Conference
There are a number of conferences and events aimed specifically at the petroleum
GIS sector. Attending these can give you a great overview of what companies have
achieved with GIS and where the technology is heading. Theyre also a great way to
meet people with similar interests and to build up your professional network.
Some of the best conferences for this are:
Esri Petroleum GIS Conference Formally known as the Esri Petroleum

User Group Conference or Esri PUG, this event focusses on using ArcGIS
technology in the oil and gas industry and features Esri sessions, technical
workshops, user presentations, networking events and an exhibition of
partner solutions. It is held in Houston, Texas, with regional PUG meetings
held annually in Europe and elsewhere.
GITA GIS for Oil & Gas Pipeline Conference This conference, with a
technology-neutral focus on the downstream, features seminars, technical
paper presentations, discussion forums, panel discussions and networking
events for geospatial professionals in the oil and gas sector. There is also an
adjacent exhibit hall where companies showcase their offerings that target
the unique needs of the energy industry. It is held annually in Houston,
Texas.
GeoGathering - This conference enables oil and gas gathering system and
production line operators to share their experiences in applying GIS
technology towards data maintenance and integrity management
initiatives. It is held annually in the United States.
Build your Business Case

Once youve had a play around with the technology and got a feel for what it can
do youre getting closer to being able to present your team or boss with a business
case.
Here are a few ways that our technical and strategic consultants have found useful
for promoting GIS to decision makers:
Generate buy-in before doing demos As you discuss the potential of

GIS in your company you will most likely identify areas where GIS can
Twitter.
44
provide clear business benefits. Holding back on the technology now will
help you build relevant and compelling demos later, and prevent
accusations of being technology-led.
Be relevant - Make your examples as relevant to your business
challenges as possible. Identify the problems you see your organisation
facing and explain how you think GIS can assist.
Use simple tools - Having identified which area to focus your demo, you
now need to select the right technology. Make your demo simple
enough for decision makers who don't have time to learn complex
technical applications. Use simple tools like ArcGIS Explorer or ArcGIS
Online to demonstrate that GIS does not have to be exclusive to
specialists.
KISS - Keep it simple, stupid - you might only get one shot at this, so
make it easy to understand, and keep it brief. Prepare a five minute
presentation with plenty of additional material to embellish if
necessary. If all goes well you can always reschedule another meeting at
a later date to show further detail.
Use consumer reference points - Your manager might not know it, but
hes probably more GIS savvy than he realises. Has he ever used Google
Earth? Satnav? Mobile phones? Over the last 5 years we have seen a
proliferation of GIS related applications in the domestic market so make
the most of any examples that your audience might already be familiar
with.
Bring it back to the bottom line - Focus on return on investment, e.g.
through efficiency savings, improved decision making and better risk
management. Esris own Business Benefits of GIS website is a great
resource. You might also consider using a pre-existing strategy approach
like Exprodats GIS Strategy model (see below).
A great way to bolster your business case is to look at what other companies or
organisations have achieved through using GIS, and many of these are available as
case studies on the internet.
Petroleum GIS Case Studies

The following websites contain case study material that you can use for reference:
Twitter.
45
Esris GIS for Petroleum website.

Esris Petroleum GIS Perspectives newsletter.
Esris Petroleum User Group event website.
Exprodats client case studies.
Exprodats blog.
Develop a GIS Strategy

Once youve got buy-in to invest in the technology it is useful to get organised by
having a strategy for getting the most out of GIS. Many companies and
organisations struggle to realise the benefits that GIS technology can deliver
because they have not developed a coherent GIS strategy.
Vision
Implement
Strategy
Prioritise
Governance
Define
projects
Figure 22. Steps in implementing a GIS strategy.
A GIS strategy should provide a company or organisation with clear goals that will
inform all decisions taken around GIS technology ensuring that any GIS initiatives
make sense in a wider GIS and IM framework. Additionally, having a correctly
defined GIS strategy in place will increase the likelihood of rolling out successful GIS
projects by making sure that technology is not rolled out in isolation to the rest of
the business.
Twitter.
46
One of the fundamentals when developing a GIS strategy is assessing which stage
of GIS maturity an organisation is currently in and which maturity stage they are
trying to progress to. This may be expressed in terms of a simply stated vision, or
mapped out in more detail as the desired future state (or strategic goals).
The stages in implementing a GIS strategy (Figure 22) can be summarised as
follows:
Set your vision A brief statement of what it is you want to achieve.

Develop the strategy Where are you now and what do you need to do
to achieve your vision? You could use Exprodats GIS maturity model to
help, or you could use your own model. Ideally the strategy should be
integrated with the organisations Information Management strategy.
Set the governance Make sure that your organisation is correctly setup to deliver the strategy successfully. This will include setting roles and
responsibilities, e.g. for GIS Manager, GIS Stakeholder Group, or key
users/champions/support staff, as well as lines of reporting, budgetary
structures, etc.
Define the projects What projects should you implement, according to
your strategy, in order to progress towards achieving your vision? This
stage might require some business analysis to find out what the precise
requirements from certain users or functions really are.
Prioritise the projects Once the project list has been built what
projects should take priority? Are there dependencies between the
projects? Is there enough funding? What projects will deliver the fastest
successes (important for keeping management buy-in)?
Implement the projects Finally, you can start implementing the
projects.
Delivering a successful GIS requires careful planning and business analysis. Time
spent up front planning what to do will pay dividends when it comes to actually
getting down to the technical work.
If you need help with developing a GIS strategy take a look at the Exprodat GIS
Strategy model or contact Exprodat for assistance.
Twitter.
47
Conclusions and Additional Resources

GIS is clearly on the oil patch to stay. From its heartland of use in exploration and
data management, GIS is emerging as an important technology across much of the
oil field life-cycle, with Esri the dominant GIS technology provider.
After reading this eBook you should have a solid foundation to start using GIS
technology in your business. If youd like some help with this then do contact
Exprodat the chances are that we can help you, regardless of where you are
based:
Design a GIS strategy for getting the most out of GIS.

Build, refresh or help you manage your GIS data.
Deploy web-based GIS applications across your organisation.
Provide GIS support to users or projects.
Provide training on using ArcGIS in E&P.
Get started with exploration analysis tools.
Apply GIS to the unconventionals sector, from play based exploration,
through acreage analysis to reserve estimation and well planning.
Twitter.
48
Disclaimer
This eBook is provided free of charge and contains a combination of both
Exprodats own and publically derived information. Weve included references
throughout the eBook to any non-Exprodat material using hyperlinks rather than
using an academic style of referencing, in an attempt to make the eBook
interactive and fun to read.
The eBook is updated from time-to-time and you can download the latest version
from our website.
If weve missed out a hyperlink to non-Exprodat content, or indeed if we have
missed something out or just got something wrong, then please do let us know by
emailing info@exprodat.com and well correct the error and post a new version.
Also, if youve enjoyed reading this eBook please do share it on your favourite
social media channels using the links in the document footer.
Many thanks!
Exprodat
Twitter.
49
Table of Figures
Figure 1. What is GIS? ................................................................................................. 6
Figure 2. What is spatial analysis? .............................................................................. 7
Figure 3. Types of GIS functionality. ........................................................................... 8
Figure 4. The oil field life-cycle. ................................................................................ 15
Figure 5. Example of GIS-based seismic survey planning (Yates, 2011). .................. 16
Figure 6. The exploration process............................................................................. 17
Figure 7. Pool Size Distributions produced using ArcGIS for Desktop. ..................... 18
Figure 8. Regional seal surface showing potential migration pathways. ................. 19
Figure 9. Common risk segment analysis (after Hood, 2000)................................... 20
Figure 10. Ranked Haynesville Shale play sections, near Shreveport, Louisiana. .... 21
Figure 11. 1P and 2P reserve areas based on Haynesville horizontal wells. ............ 23
Figure 12. Expanding Concentric Radii resource area estimation (SPEE, 2010). .... 23
Figure 13. GIS-based land management (Gardner, 2009). ....................................... 24
Figure 14. GIS-based geological map (USGS, 2006). ................................................. 26
Figure 15. GIS well planning from the Green River Basin, Wyoming (Shell, 2009). . 27
Figure 16. The swinglet CAM flying sensor from senseFly. .................................... 29
Figure 17. Web-based GIS facilities management application (Moore, 2009). ........ 30
Figure 18. Least-cost path analysis between two locations. .................................... 31
Figure 19. Web-based GIS vessel tracking system (Saudi Aramco, 2007). ............... 33
Figure 20. Web-based data index map. .................................................................... 35
Figure 21. ArcGIS Explorer Online viewer. ................................................................ 41
Figure 22. Steps in implementing a GIS strategy. ..................................................... 45
Twitter.

Why GIS Petroleum

Hochgeladen von

Dokumentinformationen

Copyright

Verfügbare Formate

Dieses Dokument teilen

Dokument teilen oder einbetten

Freigabeoptionen

Stufen Sie dieses Dokument als nützlich ein?

Sind diese Inhalte unangemessen?

Copyright:

Verfügbare Formate

Why GIS Petroleum

Hochgeladen von

Copyright:

Verfügbare Formate

Why Use GIS in Petroleum?

A free eBook from Exprodat

Version 1.2 (October 2013)

download latest version

Why Use GIS in Petroleum?

Share this eBook: Facebook LinkedIn

Why Use GIS in Petroleum?

Field Operations ............................................................................................. 28

Share this eBook: Facebook LinkedIn

Why Use GIS in Petroleum?

Petroleum GIS Case Studies ........................................................................... 44

Share this eBook: Facebook LinkedIn

Why Use GIS in Petroleum?

Section 1: Introduction to GIS

Share this eBook: Facebook LinkedIn

Why Use GIS in Petroleum?

Figure 1. What is GIS?

Share this eBook: Facebook LinkedIn

Why Use GIS in Petroleum?

Figure 2. What is spatial analysis?

What Can GIS Do?

Share this eBook: Facebook LinkedIn

Why Use GIS in Petroleum?

Figure 3. Types of GIS functionality.

Share this eBook: Facebook LinkedIn

Why Use GIS in Petroleum?

Why You Should Care

Better decision making - Making correct decisions about location can be

Share this eBook: Facebook LinkedIn

Why Use GIS in Petroleum?

Better record keeping - Many organisations have a responsibility to

Share this eBook: Facebook LinkedIn

Why Use GIS in Petroleum?

When Bad Stuff Happens

PG&E admits violating federal law requiring pipeline inspections every

Share this eBook: Facebook LinkedIn

Why Use GIS in Petroleum?

Attribute - A geographic features non-spatial information is usually stored

Share this eBook: Facebook LinkedIn

Why Use GIS in Petroleum?

Raster Dataset made of a grid of cells or pixels containing a single value.

There are also numerous comprehensive GIS glossaries available online.

Share this eBook: Facebook LinkedIn

Why Use GIS in Petroleum?

Section 2: GIS in the Petroleum Industry

GIS and the Oil Field Life-cycle

Share this eBook: Facebook LinkedIn

Why Use GIS in Petroleum?

Figure 4. The oil field life-cycle.

Acquisition and Portfolio Management

Share this eBook: Facebook LinkedIn

Why Use GIS in Petroleum?

Figure 5. Example of GIS-based seismic survey planning (Yates, 2011).

Share this eBook: Facebook LinkedIn

Why Use GIS in Petroleum?

Figure 6. The exploration process.

Share this eBook: Facebook LinkedIn

Why Use GIS in Petroleum?

Figure 7. Pool Size Distributions produced using ArcGIS for Desktop.

Exprodats Team-GIS Exploration Analyst software contains powerful tools for

Share this eBook: Facebook LinkedIn

Why Use GIS in Petroleum?

Figure 8. Regional seal surface showing potential migration pathways.

Share this eBook: Facebook LinkedIn