2009 Petroleum User Group Conference

Proceedings

2009 Petroleum User Group Conference

The 2009 Petroleum User Group Conference Proceedings is a compilation of professional abstracts and presentations delivered February 23–25, 2009, in Houston, Texas. ESRI users contributed a fundamental part to the conference by submitting and presenting their presentations on a diverse collection of GIS applications. The proceeds promote GIS application by stimulating users to share their experiences and knowledge.

Plenary Presentations

Keynote Address
—Clint Brown, Product Director, ESRI
View Presentation [PDF]

Federal Oil and Gas Accessibility of the United States
—Richard Watson, Bureau of Land Management
View Presentation [PDF]

Paper Sessions

Track Abbreviations
HSE—Health, Safety, and Environment	EXP—Exploration
DMT—Data Management and Technology	PIP—Pipeline Integrity and Risk Management
LMG—Land Management	IFO—iField Operations and Production Optimization

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View Technical Workshops

Tuesday, February 24

HSE—Planning for Health, Safety and Environment

The Ecological Footprint Of Oil Production And Sustainability View Presentation [PDF]

—Chris Baynard, University of North Florida

The ecological footprint caused by energy development creates large-scale and permanent changes on the landscape. The size and type of footprint varies on location, energy policy and company dynamics. Energy companies are increasingly concerned with minimizing environmental alterations as part of best environmental practices.

The methods described here provide a useful and cost-effective process for measuring the ecological footprint created by exploration and production (E&P) operations. It uses GIS and remote sensing techniques to measure the following landscape ecology disturbances: vegetation change, infrastructure density, edge-effect zones, core areas and number of rivers crossed. The study site is Venezuela’s heavy oil belt between 1990 and 2005.

Findings show variations among the operations examined, with the newest concessions exhibiting the smallest footprint. This suggests that implementing lessons learned and adopting newer technology can minimize landscape disturbances related to E&P. It also suggests that the type of company involved, state versus multinational, may also affect the type and size of footprint.

These methods can provide a landscape assessment of E&P operations from the desktop. This information can be used to reduce alterations in subsequent development phases as well as improve planning for new concessions. Finally, these findings lend themselves for the establishment of a sustainability index based on objective measures. This type of transparency can fortify self reporting.

DMT—Technology

One Size Rarely Fits All: Managing GIS Content and Functionality View Presentation [PDF]

—Ryan Ross, Quorum Business Solutions

One of the many challenges a company faces when implementing an enterprise GIS solution, is ensuring the right people have easy access to the right information. In this session we will discuss different methodologies to approach GIS accessibility and security across both ArcGIS Desktop and Server solutions. By centrally managing maps, layers and GIS functionality with users and roles, users can easily access the data they need to get their job done while maintaining cartographic consistency and representation standards across a large number of GIS consumer groups within a company.

This session will benefit GIS Managers, GIS professionals, Spatial Analysts, Mapping Techs, E&P and Land Managers.

DMT—Facilities Management

Offshore Field Layout Planning and Development with ArcGIS View Presentation [PDF]

—Angus Colyer and Tom O'Donnell, Chevron Energy Technology Co.
—James Ellis, Ellis GeoSpatial
—Matt Levey, AOA Geophysics
—Neil Delfino

Chevron is developing a Subsea Field Development and Planning Tool utilizing ArcGIS, 3D Analyst, ArcScene and 3D Simulation. The purpose is to reduce project risk and cost by generating a common 3D visualization tool which can be utilized by typical engineering disciplines ranging from Reservoir Engineering through Seabed Equipment to Onshore Process Facilities.

A common planning tool integrates planning decisions, 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 Chevron and contractors, and supplies through-field-life support.

GIS field layout planning is initiated by compiling geophysical assessments, hazard maps, bathymetry, existing infrastructure, reservoirs, and wells. A subsea engineer then position subsea equipment such as pipelines, umbilicals, surface-processing host, mooring lines, and risers. 3D Analyst is used to visualize the field layout. The field layout GIS is passed to the ROV 3D simulation program for mock up and verification.

ArcGIS employs 3D symbols of equipment with x, y, z reference points and snap-to-points (representing connection points for other equipment). These equipment points are exchanged between ArcGIS and the ROV 3D simulation program. Shapefiles are exported to AutoCAD so engineering drawings can be generated - these are used with front-end engineering and design (FEED) contactors and to generate bids.

The survey of installed manifold foundation piles and wellhead conductors will be integrated into the GIS to provide as-built details of the field layout. The 3D Simulation will utilize the as-built details from the field layout to provide virtual measurements for the subsea equipment locations. Virtual measurement of subsea equipment enables jumper spools to be pre-fabricated, thereby reducing the requirement to perform subsea metrology and project costs.

A single, authoritative geodatabase using ArcGIS Server and SQL Server 2008 is being developed to enable project team members to read, update, and edit geodata simultaneously. The ArcGIS solution provides easily understood visual evidence of the interfaces between subsurface, subsea, and surface equipment and is fulfilling the company’s vision of a seamless, integrated, and standardized field layout planning & development tool.

LMG—Land

Utilizing GIS to Manage Oil and Gas Leases View Presentation [PDF]: —Tijerina Troy and Damion Scholz, Digital Mapping Services
The utilization of GIS to construct a land management system has greatly facilitated the decision making process of oil and gas companies. Throughout the history of Digital Mapping Services, we have assisted several companies in the oil and gas industry in managing their leasehold information. Lease mapping begins by organizing the lease information in a database, then reviewing the lease data individually to establish its position through the employment of proper resources and base data. Collaborating surveying and GIS will result in an interactive, fully functional and completely updateable LIS with minimal errors.

LMG—Building a GIS Community

Perspectives on GIS Day Events Within an Energy Company View Presentation [PDF]

—Ellen Hoveland, Hess Corpration
—Bruce Sanderson, Apache Corporation
—Lisa Derenthal, Gimmal Group, Inc

GIS Day provides an international forum for users of geographic information systems (GIS) technology to demonstrate real-world applications that are making a difference in our society. Recently, GIS leaders in the energy industry have established internal GIS Day programs that seek to expand the understanding of GIS and its application beyond existing systems and users. This session will include success stories and lessons learned from two GIS Day programs within large petroleum companies.

4-H Youth Collaborates with Multi-Partners on Historic Map Project View Presentation [PDF]

—Tyler Leinonen, Student
—Jeanette Buelt, RMOTC

Rocky Mountain Oilfield Testing Center (RMOTC) has recently collaborated with Casper College, the Natrona County 4-H Program, Anadarko Petroleum Company, and ESRI to create a historic map of the 1920’s campsites (townsites) in the Teapot Dome and Salt Creek oil field areas. Remnants of these sites today include concrete foundations, fireplaces, sidewalks, excavations, and old pipes. This interactive map not only locates the historic sites, but also offers links to a brief text history of each site along with a selection of original photos. Since this information will be presented to visitors at the two oil field locations, a virtual tour of the area will also be offered in a 3D video format.

This project utilized Casper College Advanced GIS students to mentor and help 4-H youth develop skills in GPS data collection, ArcGIS mapping and creating ArcScene 3D videos. But, even the Casper College student’s knowledge and skills in 3D was limited. Therefore, an ESRI 3D Specialist was requested to give them a net-meeting crash course on the process of exporting spatial footprints out of ArcMap into Google SketchUp in order to create campsite replicas using original photos, and then importing the 3D mockups back into ArcScene so that 3D virtual tours could be recorded on video.

Tyler Leinonen, the 13-year old who took on this 4-H project, began working with the four Casper College students in September 2008. They took Trimble GPS units to the field and collected spatial data on the historic remnants of the old campsites. That data was overlaid on an aerial photographic background, and then the students were assigned specific tasks for completing the project. Two students worked on collecting historic documents and photos from the college library archives, RMOTC and Anadarko. The other two students split the project in half – Teapot Dome and Salt Creek – and began working on ArcMap layouts. Tyler, having the least GIS experience, was assigned the project of creating 3D mockups of the old campsites in Google SketchUp and then helped create a variety of fly-through videos in ArcScene.

The final product consisting of an interactive historic ArcMap and 3D ArcScene videos of the historic area is being presented to RMOTC and Anadarko at the end of the semester, December 2008, in a class presentation.

DMT—Open Standards

Leveraging Open Standards With ArcServer 9.3 and Google Earth View Presentation [PDF]

—Brian Timoney, The Timoney Group

Drowning in both data as well as a mind-numbing quantity of tools and applications, Oil & Gas has been challenged in finding an approach for delivering visual intelligence to its non-technical management: the folks who both make the high-dollar decisions and have no time for reading instruction manuals, let alone formal training classes.

By combining the popular and intuitive Google Earth interface with OGC web standards such as WMS and KML, GIS/IT departments can serve broad audiences without the painstaking architecting and programming of first generation web mapping applications. Further, by using open standards, GIS shops can access both relevant 3rd party data streams such as those provided by the USGS and the BLM, as well as harness the capabilities of ArcServer 9.3 to easily publish their in-house data as WMS or KML.

This presentation will discuss how to quickly access government sources of topo maps, land grid, and lease information. Then, in using ArcServer to stream internal datasets, we will do a quick overview of streaming "big" data, customizing the info balloon, and intelligently hyperlinking individual features to other data repositories.

By combining open standards with the Google Earth interface, GIS/IT departments are no longer facing the grim prospect of "re-inventing the wheel" in creating their own internal web mapping system from scratch. Rather, by combining freely available 3rd party data streams with ArcServer's new capabilities to publish internal data sets, they give a broad audience of non-technical users easy access to critical information.

Beginning Python View Presentation [PDF]

—Tracy Rijken, Inner Corridor Technologies

Python is a simple scripting language that can be used to automate tasks. Start a Python script from an existing model, or write the whole script from scratch. With a few simple Python statements, an entire string of geoprocessing tasks can run repeatedly on a list of files. A few more lines of code can keep a log file of the results. Add just a couple of mouse clicks and the script can run as a tool in the ArcToolbox – complete with parameters! See how to start a script, call geoprocessing commands and existing models, run it as a tool in the ArcToolbox, and share that tool with others.

EXP—Exploration & Production Management

GIS for Oil Operations, History, Geology, and Imagery at Teapot Dome View Presentation [PDF]

—Tom Anderson and Jeanette Buelt, RMOTC

The Rocky Mountain Oilfield Testing Center (RMOTC) operates the Teapot Dome Oilfield near Casper, Wyoming, as a technology testing and demonstration center. In addition to the testing projects, the field produces over 200 barrels of oil per day from several hundred active wells. GIS technology, implemented starting in 2005, provides an excellent platform in which to merge current oil operations, geology, and history at this site.

The author, a petroleum geologist, is conducting numerous scientific studies at the site, including collaborations with academic research partners. This includes subsurface interpretation and modeling in support of field operations, research studies, and enhanced oil recovery opportunities, including carbon dioxide injection. Detailed surface geological mapping is also included in this effort. One recent project has been mapping the Quaternary terraces, both erosional and depositional, and relating those terrace ages to expected soil conditions as well as historic cultural sites.

Teapot Dome has a rich, sometimes infamous history, which provides context for current operations. High-resolution, low-altitude aerial photography obtained just prior to field development in the 1970’s has been indexed and incorporated into the GIS system, and this provides a basis for surface geologic mapping initiatives as well as locating historical sites from the abortive development associated with the “Teapot Dome Scandal” of the 1920’s. One objective of a future Visitors Center will be to recognize the historical contribution to the site and establishment of RMOTC itself, helping visitors to become aware of the activities over the past 100 years. GIS is enabling RMOTC’s ability to input and compare all the relevant layers of information in a geographic context.

PIP—Pipelines

Field Verification of Gas Pipeline HCAs View Presentation [PDF]

—John Linehan, GISP; Enbridge Energy Company

Federal regulations require natural gas transmission pipeline operators identify high consequence areas for integrity management. Once identified, the pipeline must be periodically assessed and mediated if faults are found. Assessments cost money and the main question an operator has is “Do I really need to assess this section of pipe?” The answer lies in the validity of the HCA. This paper will discuss several methods to discover and validate high consequence areas and associated identified sites.

Using online aerial imagery
GPS surveys—method, data collected, data dictionary, ArcPAD/ArcMobil tools
Line Location methods—In line inspections, construction reports, as-builts
Field Surveys—drive-by, local authority consults
Photographs and Forms
Identifying and digitizing structures
Identifying and digitizing high consequence areas
Calculating HCA’s
Annual HCA comparison and reporting

Seamless Data Integration between Enterprise Systems (A Case Study) View Presentation [PDF]

—Chad Zamarin and G. Lamar Crowe, Colonial Pipeline Company

Many companies utilize an Enterprise Asset Management (EAM) system for facilitating maintenance and asset management as well as a Geographical Information Systems (GIS) for infrastructure data management, mapping and analysis. However, few organizations do so in an integrated manner to create advanced and optimized asset management systems. Much of the potential of these systems is never realized due to the lack of integration, coordination and optimization between the systems.

In this case study we will demonstrate how assets and scheduled maintenance (e.g., PM, PdM) procedures associated with spatial data can be managed through enterprise integration by field personnel with little or no training. For those teams tasked with maintaining these applications the integrity of the data structure remains secured and the functionality enhanced through leveraging the best that each technology has to offer.

As the need for Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) develops and matures enterprise integration will continue to find its place in the day to day activities of companies that must maintain diverse assets with multiple data structures and applications. It is the intent of this session to generate interest in this subject and work together to further its progress within the oil & gas pipeline sector.

Pipeline Construction Data Management—Establishing Foundations for an Asset Database View Presentation [PDF]

—Scot Twining, GeoFields, Inc.

Pipeline construction projects involve many activities that can be supported by GIS. These include route selection, ROW Acquisition, cadastral mapping, survey tracking, document management, environmental permit applications, and construction drawing generation. Centralizing data management insures that project activities fulfill requirements on time without re-work, reducing cost. All personnel should access web-based GIS tools for data submittals, retrievals, and tracking surveys. This paper discusses the collection, management, and conversion of project data into an asset database.

DMT—Geodesy Considerations

"Project GIGs" Is Your Software Maintaining Integrity of Your Spatial Data? View Presentation [PDF]: —Brian Schostak, Shell Exploration and Production
GIGS (Geospatial Integrity of Geosciences Software) is a joint industry project which is studying the geodetic tools and processes in a variety of commercial geoscience software packages. Brian will provide an update on the GIGs project and present the work completed to date, including application selection, analysis criteria and project deliverables.

DMT—ArcGIS Server

Delivering Business Solutions Utilizing ArcGIS Server 9.3 and Silverlight View Presentation [PDF]

—Raymond Levey, EGI

The Energy and Geoscience Institute (EGI) is a not-for-profit organization doing research for Corporate Associate Members in all parts of the globe. As part of its activities for the last 30 years EGI has developed a global database of Research Reports, along with associated seismic, log and well data. The Institute realized that it needed to improve the dissemination of the data and information it had collected to its 70 plus member companies in a manner they could easily and conveniently consume.

EGI decided that a GIS based system would be the best method to logically organize and deliver their data and research reports. After a review of potential companies, EGI chose to partner with petroWEB to develop the new system. Based upon petroWEB's recommendations, ArcGIS Server 9.3 was chosen as the GIS technology and Microsoft Silverlight 2 was used to provide a richer browser experience. Early reviews of the system have been overwhelmingly positive and provided EGI with new opportunities to serve its clients.

The talk is a case study illustrating how ArcGIS Server 9.3 and Silverlight were leveraged to deliver a compelling user experience to EGI's Corporate Associate Program members.

EXP—Using GIS in Well & Base Production Management Decisions

Using ArcGIS To Streamline Well Planning View Presentation [PDF]

—Janyce Jaramillo, Shell Rocky Mountain Production and Exploration
—Colby Smith, New Century Software

In this session we will explore GIS solutions for on-shore well planning in a high volume, fast paced environment of field development. We will discuss and illustrate how ArcGIS simplifies the complex processes and data involved in well planning effort.

The well planning cycle is often a collaborative team effort that requires accurate and strategic well placement based on a number of variables, including drainage patterns, anti-collision control, state and federal regulations, competitor locations, and a vast array of environmental stipulations. By incorporating ArcGIS into this workflow, we greatly reduce the well planning lifecycle while increasing accuracy and ultimately, profitability.

Custom GIS tools were built to improve efficiency by eliminating multi-step processes, by directly accessing the OpenWorks data store, by organizing data into a centralized spatial database (SDE), and by creating a user-friendly interface to improve decision-making through visualization. We created a flexible environment that allows the well planning team to visualize current drilling progress in association with established and planned wells and to adjust future plans as current operating conditions change.

Finally, we leveraged the Z component in the data to enable 3d visualization in ArcScene. By taking advantage of existing ArcGIS tools, and customizing those tools where appropriate, we have successfully streamlined the process for the well planning team. What used to take months to plan has now been reduced to days.

DMT—Metadata

Spatial Enabled Documents By Linking GIS With Document Management Systems View Presentation [PDF]: —Jürgen Mischker, OMV Exploration and Production
—Jeff Hecht, GIS Technology, Inc.
In the past in OMV Exploration and Production (OMV E&P) GIS and the document management system (eDMS) were separate systems. Questions such as—"Do we have exploration studies stored in our eDMS for a specific area of interest? Do scanned paper logs exist for well X in our eDMS? In order to perform a lessons learned for drilling a new well, can we obtain all drilling reports from surrounding wells?"—were not be answered immediately. The linkage of these systems finally allows now a two-way analysis. The user can find all documents associated with a specific geographic feature, or alternatively, find where, spatially, within the GIS certain documents are associated. This linkage also allows the user to perform a spatial query to find multiple documents associated with multiple geographic features. The linkage was created by using the unique identifiers (e.g. UWI – unique well identifier) and the document class, which are mandatory metadata field of the eDMS. The eDMS and GIS can be managed independently of one another, and no changes were required in the work processes used to update either system. Thus, OMV E&P staff is now able to access documents also via a geographic interface, which allows spatial queries on a wide range of documents.

DMT—Spatial Analysis

Exploratory Spatial Data Analysis—Optimizing Interpolation of E&P Datasets View Presentation [PDF]

—Paola Peroni and Gareth Smith, Exprodat Consulting Ltd.

Geocientists are commonly faced with the problem of selecting the most appropriate interpolation algorithm when generating grids from point data. Often, the geoscientist will select the defaults provided in their E&P mapping tools without understanding the implications of their choices. GIS provides a rich set of tools for evaluating their data before making these decisions, and increasingly for generating the final interpolated data sets, especially for more regional analysis work, without having to switch to other E&P mapping applications. Choosing a suitable interpolation method for the type of phenomenon we are trying to model and for the specific distribution of our sampled population is not a matter of luck: we need to understand the spatial behavior of the phenomenon we are investigating. And we need to answer to some critical questions: Is the variable we are interpolating normally distributed? Are there directional components in our dataset? How much does proximity matter for the specific phenomenon we are modelling? How spatially dependent are values across the study area?

Exploratory Spatial Data Analysis(ESDA) is a group of techniques used to describe and visualize spatial distributions, to highlight patterns affecting the distribution of sampled values and to identify outliers or any non-typical values. In this paper we focus on the use of ESDA techniques available in ArcGIS Geostatistical Analyst and to guide the user in choosing a suitable interpolation method among the many available. Results of the ESDA are evaluated along with other considerations about the aim of the interpolation process itself as well as the distribution of sample locations and the type of phenomenon being studied. Examples used in this paper focus specifically on the type of datasets geoscientists may commonly encounter. A workflow aimed at guiding the user to choose among interpolation algorithms is also presented. Users can greatly benefit from the results of ESDA, particularly when these results are critically used to support the spatial modelling approach and to add value to the interpolation process itself, either within GIS or other E&P mapping applications.

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Technical Workshops

Managing Image Data on the ArcGIS Platform—Options and Recommended Approaches
—Peter Becker and Steve Kopp, ESRI
View Presentation [PDF]

ArcGIS 9.3 Geodetics Update and Geodetics LIST Issues
—Melita Kennedy, ESRI
View Presentation [PDF]

ArcGIS Explorer—Current Functionality and the Impending v900 Release
—Bernie Szukalski, ESRI
View Presentation [PDF]

Customising the APDM
—John Linehan, GISP; Enbridge Energy Company
View Presentation [PDF]

ESRI’s Mobile Solutions
—Damian Spangrud, Dal Hunter, Jian Lange, ESRI
View Presentation [PDF]

List Update—Geoprocessing, Raster and 3D Topics
—Steve Kopp and Peter Becker, ESRI
View Presentation [PDF]

ArcLogistics and Field Maintenance Optimization
—Ryan Coodey, Aera Energy
—Paul Ross, ESRI
View Presentation [PDF]

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