Dengo, Carlos A., Exxon Exploration Company, Houston, Texas

Abstract: Managing Technology in Today’s Exploration Environment

Exploration companies are being challenged today by the need to manage increasing volumes of digital data sets, complex and integrated interpretation tools widely accessible on desktop computers, and the growth of information flow through global networks. The success of exploration companies not only depends on managing technology growth, but also in using it to competitively adapt to today’s business environment. Exxon’s approach to managing technology recognizes that people drive success and that technology is the tool to enable people to learn, create, and form effective exploration teams. To respond to the present challenges Exxon has been and is making significant changes to its technology management practices that include (1) utilizing technologies that add measurable value to business results with a combination of “best of breed” proprietary and vendor tools; (2) utilizing interpretation technologies that impact the greatest possible number of geoscientists, while maintaining a select tool set for specialist users; (3) developing best practices for key technical areas to maximize global experiences and gain full value from the technology set; (4) developing and implementing a worldwide geoscience computing system that provides a common environment everywhere, with applications that share the same database and data management systems; and (5) real-time skill development of geoscientists with flexibility to quickly form and deploy integrated teams to the priority business opportunities. Today, technology is allowing Exxon geoscientists to integrate their knowledge in ways that are yielding significant savings in time and cost while continuing to improve the quality of data. Exploration tasks that traditionally were done sequentially (seismic data acquisition through processing and interpretation) are beginning to be done in parallel. The time required to do these tasks will further collapse as we learn to maximize the use of technologies for real-time data analysis and globally integrate disciplines using virtual teams. 

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90934©1997-1998 AAPG International Distinguished Lecturers