Technology Transfer Activities

The world-wide-web and publish as-you-go design of the Digital Petroleum Atlas Project provides immediate and ongoing technology transfer activities. Based on increased usage statistics and informal industry feedback, the DPA model appears to provide an efficient method of technology transfer to the geographically dispersed high technology petroleum industry (Figure 3 and Appendix A). The pages that comprise the DPA are among the most visited on the Kansas Geological Survey web site and usage continues to grow (figures 3-5). Periodic email updates provided to interested operators and individuals have been well received. As part of technology transfer efforts, a formal talk and paper were prepared and presented to local and national meetings (Table 1; Buatois, et. al. 1998; Carr, et al. 1998; Buchanan and Carr, 1998). In addition, the Digital Petroleum Atlas Project has been integrated into the Internet for the Petroleum Professional Course. This is a popular course for oil and gas producers and is taught as part of the North Midcontinent part of Petroleum Technology Transfer Council (For example see online version of the Internet course at http://www.kgs.ku.edu/General/Tutorial/Internet/findex.html).

  • Canadian Society of Petroleum Geologists - Society of Economic Paleontologists and Mineralogists, Joint Convention, Calgary, June 1998
  • PTTC Workshops on Internet for the Petroleum Professional, Tyler, Texas, June 1998
  • PTTC Workshops on Internet for the Petroleum Professional, Kalamazoo, Michigan, August 1998
  • Workshops on Kansas Online Resources at Kansas Independent Oil and Gas Association (KIOGA), Wichita, Kansas, August 1998

Table 1. Presentations undertaken as part of third year of the Digital Petroleum Atlas Project.

Problems Encountered

The Digital Petroleum Atlas was designed to be a dynamic product with the constant addition of new information and ideas. Within this changing environment defined tasks of the year three DPA were completed. In using the DPA, oil and gas operators and the interested public proposed many of the ongoing changes and additions. The prototype DPA project was completed within budget and cost sharing was in excess of 20%.

Recommendations for Future Work

Results from the year three Digital Petroleum Atlas Project have significantly exceeded expectations. We continue to expand the breath and depth of plays, fields and reservoirs covered, enhance the included petroleum technology, expand the geographic coverage, and improve the navigation and technology for online access to continuously updated relational databases. Work to document procedures for construction of a generic digital petroleum atlas that could be replicated in other oil and gas producing areas of the United States.

Conclusions

As the third year of a longer-term effort, the Digital Petroleum Atlas (DPA) has developed a new methodology to provide efficient and timely access to the latest petroleum data and technology for the domestic oil and gas industry, public sector research organizations and local governmental units. The DPA provides real-time and cost-effective electronic publication of materials typically found in published paper oil and gas atlases. The latest technologies and information are continuously "published" electronically when individual project components are completed, reducing the lag and expense of transferring technology using traditional paper publication. Additional information and technology are constantly being added and older information updated to the DPA increasing its scope and detail. Active links, graphical user interfaces and relational database search mechanisms provide a published electronic product with which the operator can interact in ways that are impossible in a paper publication. Contained in the DPA are forms of publication that can only be displayed in an electronic environment (for example, animated exploration histories through time, and special queries). Through complete and flexible user access to technology, interpretative products and the underlying geologic and petroleum data, the DPA changes the relationship between interpretative result and data, between technology generation and application. Improved access to petroleum data and technology represents one of the best and cost-effective options that available for maintaining domestic production.

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