Digital Data Integration for Hydrocarbon Exploration

Stuart E. Marsh, Joseph R. Francica

The efficient exploration for hydrocarbons will continue to be heavily dependent upon advanced computer technologies and techniques. These technologies provide an effective means of digitally integrating a variety of reconnaissance exploration tools designed to delineate surface phenomena related to hydrocarbon accumulations and more standard subsurface structural and isopach data. The interpretive technique of manually integrating data sets has been a vital but time-consuming part of geologic exploration for many years. Using the capabilities of specially designed computer systems and programs allows for the rapid and practical digital integration and evaluation of much new data. By analyzing and integrating the results from all available data in a more comprehensive fra ework, it is possible to more accurately describe the exploration applicability of reconnaissance tools and demonstrate their correlation with subsurface and production data.

Over the recent past, exploration personnel have used a variety of reconnaissance exploration tools designed to delineate surface or near-surface phenomena that may be related to hydrocarbon deposits or microseepage. These tools have included remote sensing and photogeology, visible and near-infrared spectroscopy, interstitial soil-gas geochemistry, ground and airborne spectral radiometrics, and potential field data. By digitally integrating results from these tools with digitized and rasterized surface information (i. e., soil, rock, and vegetation type), it is possible to determine correlations between these tools and to achieve a better understanding of the proper application of these techniques in a variety of geologic environments. Through the use of specially designed registrati n, data integration, and mapping software, we have also integrated the surface reconnaissance data with interpreted subsurface structural contour and isopach data. The display and analysis of these combined data sets have provided insight into the successful application of techniques designed to recognize surface phenomena related to hydrocarbons at depth.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #91038©1987 AAPG Annual Convention, Los Angeles, California, June 7-10, 1987.