News Release, Kansas Geological Survey, Oct. 18, 1995
According to Tim Carr, head of the Survey's petroleum research section, the grant will be used to develop an atlas of Kansas oil and gas data that will serve as a model for similar materials about other states in the northern Great Plains.
The atlas will include maps of the state's oil fields, cross sections of underground geology, data on the performance of oil reservoirs, and other information. "The atlas will include all the pertinent data individual operators use when they explore for oil or gas," said Carr.
While traditional published versions of the information will be available, the data will also be made available electronically. Maps and other data will be compiled using the Survey's geographic information system, then disseminated through the internet.
"Because the information will be available electronically, operators can manipulate the data in ways that suite their needs best. They can use the data to draw a cross section in the area they're particularly interested in, for example."
In addition to containing statewide information on oil and gas, the atlas will include detailed information for one recent, major oil discovery in the state, and one for a recent natural gas discovery.
"Users will be able to look at extremely detailed information for a major play, or series of wells, then use that information when exploring for new fields" said Carr. "But they can also obtain less-detailed, more general information about an oil or gas field, or data for the entire state. Either way, they will use this as a tool to find additional resources."