NATURAL RESOURCES
Case Study
Natural resources consulting
firm increases drilling success
rates with ArcGIS technology
VIASAT uncovers new patterns in the
earth’s surface
In early 2000, there was a significant natural gas discovery in New York that led
to a boom in hydrocarbon exploration. Shortly after this discovery, VIASAT GEO
Technologies, a natural resources consulting firm was commissioned to help target
hydrocarbon reservoirs. They leveraged Esri’s ArcGIS 3D Analyst to structurally analyze
surface and subsurface data and target promising areas for exploration. As a result, they
were able to create new structural maps that can be used to increase the success rate of
costly drilling activities both in New York and across the province of Québec.
Challenge
Hydrocarbon exploration is an expensive, high-risk
operation that involves searching for hydrocarbon deposits
like oil and gas beneath the earth’s surface. Though visible
surface features can provide evidence of hydrocarbon
generation, most exploration methods depend on highly
sophisticated technology to detect and determine the
presence of these deposits deep within the earth.
Through the support of the New York State Energy Research
and Development Authority (NYSERDA), VIASAT was tasked
with developing an integrated approach to hydrocarbon
exploration for the southern part of New York. In order to
complete the assignment, VIASAT needed to develop a
model that could structurally analyze surface and subsurface
data and target promising areas for exploration. This data
would then be used to optimize the planning of costly
seismic surveys – a process by which sound waves are used
to create a profile of an area’s substructure. Once a seismic
survey is completed and a prospect identified, exploration
wells are drilled to conclusively determine the presence or
absence of oil or gas.
1
Esri Canada | Natural resources consulting firm increases drilling success rates with ArcGIS technology
“3D Analyst provides a
simple method for viewing
surface and subsurface
data so that we can capture
information to identify areas
where hydrocarbons may
be trapped deep within the
earth.”
A shaded relief image map from New York
State showing gas production in 2005 and
relationship with interpreted geology.
A 3D snapshot of the hydrocarbon
exploration model developed for the
southern part of New York.
Michel Rheault
Vice-President, Earth Observation Business Development
VIASAT
Solution
Benefits
To build their hydrocarbon exploration model, VIASAT
customized an in-house process that effectively merged
surface and subsurface data. A variety of data sources
were incorporated to analyze the earth’s surface including
Landsat satellite imagery and a Digital Elevation Model
(DEM) that shows landform arrangements associated
with sub-surface geological features. The datasets were
orthorectified, mosaicked and processed through shaded
relief techniques to create a detailed representation of the
earth’s land cover. Next, they integrated airborne magnetic
data sources that monitor variations in the earth’s magnetic
field along with surface point measurements to identify
deep source basement faults geometry, (rocks that exist
below younger sedimentary rocks).
By creating a 3D hydrocarbon exploration model, VIASAT
was able to study data from 2-4 kilometers beneath the
earth’s surface and make connections between surface
landform patterns and deep sub-surface data. As a result,
they could identify connections between the earth’s land
cover and fractures deep within the earth’s crust that date
back over a billion years.
Using ArcGIS 3D Analyst – an extension of Esri’s Desktop
technology – VIASAT was able to achieve a threedimensional view of the hydrocarbon exploration model
showing spatial relationships between surface landform
patterns and deep sub-surface fault zones (which refer to
rock fractures) along with their potential control on sediment
deposition. ArcGIS was also leveraged to represent the
data in a series of lineament maps that highlighted fracture
patterns on the earth’s surface. Geologists used filtering
methods to highlight leads that would serve as target areas
for detailed seismic surveys.
Using Esri’s ArcGIS technology, VIASAT created lineamentbased structural maps that have uncovered new patterns
in the earth’s surface, never before identified on existing
geological maps. For example, VIASAT’s research
uncovered that piles of sculpted flat-lying rocks, previously
mistaken for surface fractures, likely extend deep beneath
the surface and crosscut porous rocks – information that is
critical to hydrocarbon exploration. The lineament-based
structural maps are now used on a regular basis to optimize
seismic survey planning and increase the success rates of
drilling activities.
Natural resources consulting firm increases drilling success rates with ArcGIS technology | Esri Canada 2
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