Data in Harmony: Use of Discovery Metadata, Taxonomy and Thesaurus in Saudi Aramco Exploration

Peter Attewell*, John Griffiths, and Abdulaziz Al-Moqbel
Saudi Aramco
*[email protected]

We describe the method used in Saudi Aramco Exploration to build and implement our standard set of generic discovery metadata elements, taxonomy and thesaurus. The goal of this work is to implement consistent metadata and to reduce exploration cycle time by enabling end-users to quickly find and retrieve data even when distributed across several databases and repositories. The data management group first developed a discovery metadata standard – the correct minimum set of attributes necessary to retrieve exploration data, which include well logs, seismic data, core samples, as well as geospatial data. We developed a thesaurus based on industry standards and modified to our requirements; this was used to generate a unique taxonomy for Saudi Aramco exploration. The taxonomy helped unstructured data content to be categorized and added further richness to metadata. The resulting data harmonization enabled geoscientists to share a common vocabulary at appropriate business levels, independent of organization and geographical location. Information on data access, versioning and content ownership were essential for inclusion to ensure proper protection and maintenance. The use of a standard discovery metadata enabled a centralized metadata catalogue for all exploration data types to be designed. Practical implementation involved continual user consultation and cooperative liaison with software developers and end-users. We will show examples of the significant value gained by sharing common metadata across a decentralized working environment, and implementing a thesaurus to enable rich metadata extraction capabilities.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90077©2008 GEO 2008 Middle East Conference and Exhibition, Manama, Bahrain