Use of Geographic Information System and Remote

Sensing technologies in Hydrocarbon Sector

ABSTRACT
In recent years, the significant increase in performance and decrease of
prices of the personal computer (PC) platform have accelerated the
growth of Geographic Information System (GIS) usage. GIS is a very
dynamic technology which the user to display a map of any location in
the world and rescale that map instantaneously. The key to the success
of any exploration or exploitation team is the integration of the
members, the database, and the multiple software functions. GIS is a
particularly effective means of providing functionality for all of the
disciplines represented on the team. GIS cannot replace all existing
software applications, but it can be used to integrate and link other
programs. Although GIS can be effectively applied in various petroleum
industry settings, its use in exploration and exploitation is of particular
interest. One specific exploration application involves the creation of
Reconnaissance Maps. Uses of GIS in exploitation projects are perhaps
more varied because exploitation evaluation typically deals with more
extensive data sets than those typically used in exploration settings.
Exploitation approaches are generally applied to mature producing areas
where well control is dense, whereas exploration projects may not
involve any wells at all. GIS is a particularly effective technology that
enables exploration and exploitation teams to share information,
analyze data in new ways, and integrate the evaluation process.

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INTRODUCTION
BENEFITS OF GIS
A Geographic Information System (GIS) is a powerful technological tool
that can be used in the problem-solving process facing any exploration
and exploitation team. A GIS can provide the team with a whole new way
of analyzing, visualizing, and integrating data. GIS technology is now
available across all computer platforms, including the Internet. In recent
years, its cost has decreased significantly, whereas functionality has been
dramatically enhanced. GIS can specifically benefit exploration and
exploitation teams in the following ways:
Integration of the contributions of various team members through
cross-discipline interpretation and software functionality
Provision of new methods for visualizing data sets through the use of
symbology
Dynamic mapping of digital databases
Presentation of data in various forms, such as maps, charts, data tables,
and query results
Sharing of, integration of, and access to centralized databases via
computer networks or the Internet
Linkage of multiple software applications
Technology use across multiple computer platforms
Enhanced portability of technology and data via laptop and handheld
computers
Proliferation of new tools, which are affordable and easy to use

GIS is a very dynamic technology, and it enables the user to display a map
of any location in the world and to rescale that map instantaneously.
Interpreters can zoom into a specific area of interest by simply defining
the four geographic coordinate boundaries of the map. GIS and digital

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map data sets create a dynamic combination whose functionality is

unlimited in their combined capabilities.
Symbology is a classification method used in GIS to represent data or
individual map features as varying sizes, thicknesses, colors, or styles. In
any GIS, there are three types of data:
points,
lines, and
polygons.
Each type of data can be represented by different types of symbology.
Color, size, and style can represent point data, such as well locations.
Color, thickness, and style can represent line data, such as pipeline
locations.
Polygon-fill color or style can represent polygonal data, such as offshore
block boundaries. Symbology on a map presents three types of results:
trends or patterns,
anomalies,
random representation.
A common GIS technique is to filter data to restrict an analysis or
presentation to only the information that satisfies some specific
criterion. Filtering data is very effective in areas with dense data control,
enabling some of the data to be removed from consideration, if only
temporarily. Filtering is an excellent tool to be used, for example, in field
exploitation settings, especially when many wells have been drilled. As
an example, a filter could be applied to total depth drilled to remove
all of the shallow wells from a map. The key to the success in any
multidisciplinary effort is the integration of the members, the databases,
and the multiple software functions. GIS is a particularly effective means
of providing functionality for all of the disciplines on the team. Most GIS
systems can present data via maps, as well as in charts and tabular
database tables. Multiple databases can be integrated via the GIS; and
once they are integrated and centralized, every member of the team can
share the same database and data sets across networks or the Internet.
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GIS cannot replace the capabilities of all existing software, but it can be
used to integrate and link various programs. A GIS can also access
databases that are being used in other applications, and individual
features in the GIS database can be linked to files from other software
packages.
Todays multidisciplinary teams use various computer platforms such as
UNIX workstations and PCs operating under Windows. Cross-platform
GIS functionality enables the team members to continue to use their
individual machines. Also, with the significant increase in speed and
power of laptop PCs, GIS functionality is even more portable. The
multidisciplinary
team can now take a GIS on the road to the well site, lease sale, or outof-town meeting without fear of losing access to data or established
geocomputing routines. In addition, Internet-based GIS now enables
spatial databases to be accessible from anywhere in the world.

Exploration Applications
GIS is a powerful tool for petroleum exploration, particularly with regard
to exploration mapping. Such mapping is usually performed across large
geographic areas, where many data sets or map layers are used in the
analysis of hydrocarbon potential. Raster data, such as aerial photos or
satellite imagery, can be incorporated with vector data, and surface
culture, such as
hydrography, elevation contours, and topographic landmarks or points
of interest, can be presented. Where appropriate, coordinates from land
surveys, such as section, township, and range, can be integrated with
well data. In exploration applications, one of the first steps taken is the
creation of reconnaissance maps. Such maps are typically produced
relative to the available well or well layers, with the sizes of the well data
sets being dependent on the maturity of the area or basin of interest.
Reconnaissance maps of mature exploration areas can present distinct
trends, patterns, and anomalies.
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Maps of the following features and characteristics should be included in

the first phase of any exploration reconnaissance mapping program:
Total depth
Spud or completion date
Well operator identification
Producing formation
Cumulative production
Initial potential
Well classification
Such maps are discussed in more detail in following paragraphs. A map
of total depth can quickly identify where shallow and deep drilling has
occurred over a basin, trend, or field, and apparent trends, patterns, and
anomalies can be identified. Figure 1 is a total depth map for an area for
which well layers have been classified according to drillers total depth
of the well. In this example, the symbology creates circular patterns in
which the deeper wells are indicated on the flank of the salt dome
structures. Deeper drilling potential can be identified in between salt
dome structures. Spud date maps represent a chronological history.

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Figure 1
Using spud date map, it can be determined when and where drilling has
taken place. Such a map is useful when an interpreter has just started
evaluating a new trend or basin because it represents a chronological

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history of the area.

Figure 2
When evaluating a new trend or basin, one of the first steps necessary is
to determine which geologic formations produce hydrocarbons and
where the production is located. Once production has been identified, it
can be integrated with a geological structure map. When the geological
structure and production are integrated, the structural positions of
individual wells can be evaluated.
A second step in evaluating production is to assess the cumulative total
production in various wells (Figure 3). Spatial representation of
cumulative well production can be very revealing, and trends, patterns,
and anomalies can become apparent.

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Figure 3
Once cumulative production has been evaluated, well rates or initial
potentials is analyzed. Typical classifications of wells might be wildcat,
development, deeper pool test, or field extension.

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GIS IN INDIA

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1. National Map Policy 2005

To deal with the country's security concerns, for the first time, maps
were segregated into two categories - Defence Series Maps (DSMs) and
Open Series Maps (OSMs). DSMs meant to cater to the demands of
security agencies and OSMs are for civilian use, that is, all those areas
which are 'vulnerable' from security point of view are not covered in
OSMs.
2. Remote Sensing Data Policy 2011
This policy contains the modalities for managing and/ or permitting the
acquisition/dissemination of remote sensing data in support of
developmental activities. The policy was originally introduced in year
2001 and was revised in 2011. The new regulation allows all data of
resolution up to 1 m to be distributed on non-discriminatory basis and
on as requested basis. The original regulation allowed distribution of
data only up to 5.8 m resolution. The RSDP 2011, apart from opening up
the remote sensing sector, will remove certain restrictions to facilitate
more users to access high resolution data for developmental activities.

3. National Data Sharing and Accessibility Policy 2012

This policy is designed to allow the sharing of all non-sensitive data
available either in digital or analogue forms but generated using public
funds
by
various
Ministries/Departments/Subordinates
offices/organizations/agencies of GOI. The policy promotes data sharing
and enables access to government owned data for national planning and
development.

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REMOTE SENSING
Remote sensing and associated technologies for oil and gas (O&G)
applications arent newtheyve been around for several decades.
However, above surface information hasnt been widely used in the
last 30-40 years of O&G exploration and operations; sub-surface
analyses have been more pervasive for several reasons.
Understanding whats happening beneath Earths surface is important
for accurate reservoir and flow modeling, which leads to more-informed
production decisions and the ability to produce more energy for less. The
importance of such understanding helped refine magnetic and
gravimetric data-collection methods as well as associated analysis tools
for these data sources.
Through the years, surface and above-surface remote-sensing analytics
faced several shortcomings in the O&G realm. The low spatial and
spectral resolution of many data sources made it difficult to quantify and
delineate spills, for example, or identify alteration minerals beyond a
regional scale. Low revisit rates of many imaging platforms also is a
barrier to broad-scale temporal analyses.
Although these barriers were real, they no longer exist. Modern imaging
solutions include the following:
Satellite constellations that offer high revisit rates from providers
such as Airbus Defense and Space.
New synthetic-aperture radar (SAR) sensors (e.g., Sentinel-1)
delivering free or very-low-cost data.
Super-spectral sensors such as those aboard DigitalGlobes
WorldView-3 satellite offer high spatial and spectral resolution
with strategically placed bands in the SWIR range, which are
excellent for mineral identification.

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New Data Modalities

These new data sources pave the way to think outside the box in how
remote-sensing data are used across all disciplines within the O&G
industry. For example, surface obstructions such as dense forest have
historically been obstacles to finding geologic faults that would
otherwise be exposed. But LiDAR sensors calculate multiple returns from
an active laser scanner thousands of times per second, resulting in a 3-D
representation of the ground. Pulses of light sent from a scanner may
bounce off a tree or other object, or they may find the ground. As a
result, faults that were previously undetected are easily revealed. LiDAR
is used for high-resolution surface modeling to augment ground surveys,
temporal analyses to identify surface changes over time before they
become hazards, feature identification for infrastructure mapping, and
hydrologic modeling to mitigate flooding or other water hazards around
production sites.
LiDAR isnt the only pervasive data source for above-ground analyses
that can facilitate lower cost to market and greater control over
environmental impact. SAR data also are incredibly useful, because they
can be used day or night and can also penetrate clouds. In addition, SAR
images collected by the same sensor at different times enable the use of
interferometric processing (InSAR), which is used to measure
displacement to a very high degree of accuracy. Such measurable
displacements range from small-scale land deformations to landslides
and earthquake monitoring.
Going a step further, when multiple (20+) files are available over a
relatively short period of time over an area of interest (AOI), such as data
from Sentinel-1 with a 12-day revisit time, higher granularity of change
can be measured using methods such as Small Baseline Subset (SBAS)
processing, which takes advantage of small spatial and temporal orbital
separation between the sensor and images, making millimeter-scale
displacement measurements a reality.
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Resolution Enhancements for Increased Productivity

Another useful new data source comes from satellites (e.g.,
DigitalGlobes WorldView-3) that offer high spatial and spectral
resolution while imaging in strategically placed bands in visible and nearinfrared (VNIR), useful for vegetation analyses, as well as shortwave
infrared (SWIR) wavelengths, useful for mineral identification.
For example, subsurface hydrocarbon leaks affect soil chemistry, which
manifest as changes to vegetation health. These changes may be subtle
at first and difficult to detect in the visible spectral range. However,
vegetation is highly sensitive, and when stressed, changes in the NIR and
red-edge portions of the spectrum are pronounced. Spectral indices such
as normalized-difference vegetation index (NDVI), soil-adjusted
vegetation (SAVI), leaf-area index (LAI), and several other broadband
greenness indices that exploit changes in these wavelengths help
identify potential problems at an early stage.

Temporal Analysis and Data Fusion

Although data type as well as spatial and spectral resolution are
important considerations for O&G remote-sensing analyses, temporal
information and data fusion also add great value. New imagery is
available almost anywhere on Earth at higher temporal resolution than
ever before. The 16-day revisit time of Landsat-8 and Modis (groundtrack repeat cycle) makes it possible to include time as a variable in
regional-scale analyses at little to no cost. Higher-spatial-resolution
imagery such as from the Pleiades sensors or WorldView-3 (and others)
enables daily revisits for very granular time-sensitive analyses, such as
tracking the size and scope of a spill or frequently monitoring a natural
hazard or disaster that can impact operations.
But satellites arent the only platforms offering high revisit rates. The
booming industry of unmanned aerial systems (UASs) enables revisit
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times often more than once per day, and perhaps equally as powerful is
their ability to interchange the payload, making multimodal data fusion
a common practice.

Modern Analytics and Infrastructure

The myriad data modalities and resolutions now available mandate the
need for modern and easy-to-consume analytics that are accessible
within a powerful infrastructure. For example, using ENVI software, no
matter what data format or source modality, the ingestion, processing,
exploitation and dissemination of information products are seamless,
because it uses an open architecture in which each individual dataprocessing task is consumable as a discrete process that accomplishes a
very specific goal.

CONCLUSION
GIS is a particularly effective technology that enables petroleum
exploration and exploitation teams to share information, analyze data in
new ways, and integrate the evaluation process. Multidisciplinary teams
are now present in most exploration and exploitation departments.
Technological tools, such as GIS, play a vital role in the team-based
approach to upstream problem solving. In particular, the application of
map symbology enables geoscientists from various disciplines to more
productively visualize data, examine spatial relationships, and compare
and integrate interpretations. Such an approach enhances the overall
problem-solving process.

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REFERENCE
1. Remote Sensing
http://eijournal.com/print/articles/a-new-age-for-oil-and-gasexploration-remote-sensing-data-and-analytics-are-changing-theindustry
By Rebecca Lasica, manager, Solutions Engineering, Exelis Visual
Information Solutions Inc. (www.exelisvis.com), a subsidiary of Harris
Corp.
2. Directorate General of India Hydrocarbon Exploration and
Production Activities
3. GIS: The Exploration and Exploitation Tool
Kirk A. Barrell
Geodynamic Solutions, Inc.
Houston, Texas, U.S.A.
4. Overview Geospatial Technologies (FICCI)

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