Multi-Scale Multidisciplinary Oilfield Data
Integration Using Geographic
Information Systems
By
Abdul Wahab Zaki Ali1
(1) King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia
The integration of oilfield data
becomes mandatory especially in
applications that require solutions based on multidisciplinary
data
. These
data
normally stored in various formats at different scales are difficult to combine
in one package. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) has proved to be very
successful in managing and analyzing multisource
data
. Today’s systems take
advantage of the high speed and processing power of computers to process large
data
sets and use state-of-the-art Object Relational Database Management
Systems, (ORDBMS) to store and retrieve information. GIS are employed to
integrate multi-scale multidisciplinary oilfield information. Regional and
sub-regional information including remote sensing imagery, geologic and
topographic maps, and surface structural maps are integrated with subsurface
information e.g. well-
data
, formation tops, seismic maps as well as high
resolution rock-based information (plug and core based description). The system
encompasses multi-scale information in one graphic user interface where the user
can leap from low-resolution regional or sub-regional to high-resolution
plug-based information. The raster processing engine of the GIS enables the
creation of the isopachs grids (maps) on the fly from formation top
data
. This
is only one
example
of many in map topology that GIS can provide for the
geologist. This application allows using GIS at all project stages from
field
mapping and
data
collection to
data
management and finally to 3D displays,
management, and analysis of
data
.