30
APPLICATIONS OF GEOMATICS ENGINEERING TO GEOLOGICAL RESEARCH AND HYDROCARBON EXPLORATION Sunil Lalloo
APPLICATIONS OF GEOMATICS
ENGINEERING TO GEOLOGICAL
RESEARCH AND HYDROCARBON
EXPLORATION
Sunil Lalloo
OVERVIEW OF PRESENTATION
1 •Introduction to concepts
2
•Overview of tools and methodologies
3 •Useful resources
WHAT IS GEOMATICS?
The discipline of gathering, storing, manipulating
and managing spatially referenced data.
3
THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
4
Surveying – The art and science of measurement
Measurement of
Space
Measurement of
Value
Measurement of
Cost
Geomatics Valuation
Surveying
Quantity
Surveying
GEOMATICS - SUB-DISCIPLINES
Land Surveying (Geodetic, cadastral,
topographical, engineering, seismic)
Hydrographic Surveying (hydrography;
oceanography; bathymetry etc.)
Geoinformatics (GIS; Remote Sensing;
Photogrammetry; GNSS)
5
APPLICABILITY TO GEOLOGY
“The oil industry cannot exist without land
surveyors.. If you put a well in the wrong place, no
oilfield technology or amount of drilling will correct
that” – Alberta Land Surveyors’ Association
Positioning
Data capture
Mapping
Exploration
GEOMATICS IN THE OIL AND GAS LIFE-CYCLE
Explore Appraise Develop Produce Decommission
Seismic
surveys.
Rig Moves
Maps and
geo-
databases
Bathymetric
surveys
Maps and
geo-
databases
Precise
positioning
Pipe layout
Construction
support
Platform
surveys
Pipeline
inspection
Maps and
geo-
dabases
Pre and
as-left
surveys
Maps and
Geo-
databases
Whitecomb 2006
GEOMATICS TOOLS AND
METHODOLOGIES
GEOLOGICAL AND SEISMIC SURVEYING
Key methods – reflection seismology, seismic
refraction and seismic tomography.
Seismic surveys are “ultrasounds” of the earth.
Surveyors release compressed air into the water
to create short duration sound waves that reflect
off subsurface rock layers and are “heard” by
sensors being towed behind the vessel.
ELECTROMAGNETIC SURVEYING
This uses the principle of induction to measure
the electrical conductivity of the subsurface.
A primary alternating electric current of known
frequency and magnitude is passed through a
sending coil creating a primary magnetic field in
the space surrounding the coil, including
underground.
APPLICATIONS OF ELECTROMAGNETIC
SURVEYING
Finding voids and solution features in soil and
rock.
Locating abandoned mineshafts, crown holes and
subsistence features.
Identifying bedrock discontinuities
Defining former landfill sites
Mapping soil types and land drainage systems
HYDROGRAPHIC SURVEYING
the measurement and description of the physical
features of the oceans, seas, lakes, rivers, and
their adjoining coastal areas, with particular
reference to their use for navigation and
exploration.
Applications:
Marine construction, dredging, offshore oil
exploration and drilling.
14
BATHYMETRIC MAP
15
GEODETIC SURVEYING
Relates to the geometry of curved surfaces. Surveys
done over large areas where the curvature of the
earth's surface is taken into account.
16
GLOBAL NAVIGATION SATELLITE SYSTEMS
Satellite system used to pinpoint the geographic
location of a remote receiver.
Uses timing and positing to determine distances
and deflection.
Position of the receiver is then computed using
triangulation and trilateration.
Applications:
Precise positioning of off-shore features, platforms,
pipeline routes, navigation
REMOTE SENSING
Science of obtaining information about objects or
areas from a distance – typically from an aircraft
or satellite.
E.g. of satellites: LIDAR (Light detection and
ranging); LandSat (NASA); Synthetic Aperture
Radar (SAR)
Applications: Surveying and mapping of land and
ocean features; location and mapping of
hydrocarbon seepage; creation of digital elevation
models.
Source: ITC 2015
Use of DTM to investigate lithology Source: ITC 2015
GEOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION SYSTEMS
A GIS is a computer based system used for
capturing, storing, visualising, manipulating,
analyzing and managing spatially referenced
data.
Can be used to understand the complex
interrelationships of natural resources, physical
phenomena and human populations.
APPLICATIONS OF GIS IN THE OIL AND
GAS INDUSTRY
Data index maps.
Block ranking for decision making.
Land Management
Well planning
Field operations
Environmental monitoring
Pipeline routing and monitoring
Vessel tracking
Emergency Response
USEFUL RESOURCES
SOFTWARE
GeoCalc – compute coordinate transformations:
http://www.terramodel.net/geocalc.html
QGIS – GIS software: http://www.qgis.org/en/site/
PostgreSQL – Geo-database software:
http://www.postgresql.org/
TOOLS
Compute Solar declarations -
http://www.jgiesen.de/astro/astroJS/decEoT/index
.htm
Online coordinate transformations:
http://beta.ngs.noaa.gov/gtkweb/
Guide for the use of GNSS in the oil and gas
industry: http://www.ogp.org.uk/pubs/373-19.pdf
TRAINING
Online GIS Tutorials – ESRI Virtual Campus:
http://training.esri.com/gateway/index.cfm?fa=cat
alog.webcoursedetail&courseid=2500
Free GIS courses from Universities:
http://www.gislounge.com/learn-gis-for-free/
REFERENCES
American Petroleum Institute. 2014. “Seismic Surveying 101”. Cited [01-06-15].
http://www.api.org/~/media/Files/Oil-and-Natural-Gas/Exploration/Offshore/Seismic-
Survey-Factsheet.pdf
ITC. 2015. Remote Sensing and GIS Techniques applied to geological survey. Cited
[15-06-15]. https://www.itc.nl/ilwis/applications/application14.asp
Subsurface Geotechnical. 2015. Electromagnetic methods. Cited [18-06-15].
http://www.geophysical.biz/electromagnetic-method.htm
Subsurface Surveys. 2007 “Geophysical Methods”. Cited [18-06-15].
http://www.subsurfacesurveys.com/em.htm
Whitecomb, David. 2006. “An overview of Geomatics Involvement in the Offshore Oil
& Gas Industry”. In Hydrofest 2006. Robert Gordon University.
NEED MORE INFO?
Contact:
Sunil Lalloo
Department of Geomatics Engineering and Land
Management
Faculty of Engineering, UWI St. Augustine
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 662-2002 ext 83705
Mobile: +1 (868) 336-3245
