A digital trailblazer paves the way for others, creating a substantial impact and serving as a precursor to further digital innovation and value creation in the subsurface geoscience community.
At the Dig X Subsurface conference in Oslo this December, the Digital Trailblazer Award 2025 will celebrate such a pioneer.
We are proud to announce that Petter Dischington, Geoscientist at the Norwegian Offshore Directorate (Sodir), is one of this year’s nominees.
With a background that spans field geology, geophysical imaging, and digital transformation, Dischington has emerged as one of Sodir’s key driving forces for innovation. Before joining the Directorate, he worked with depth imaging at ION Geophysical in Houston, building detailed velocity models and leading imaging projects for complex subsurface environments.
He later complemented his technical expertise with a Master of Technology Management from NTNU, bridging the gap between geology, data, and leadership.
At Sodir, Dischington has played a pivotal role in shaping the Directorate’s digital agenda. As project coordinator for Sodir’s data management strategy, he has guided the organization toward a more data-driven future – facilitating cross-disciplinary collaboration, identifying data needs for digitalization and analytics, and ensuring that high-value data is shared in modern, accessible formats.
His ability to turn insight into implementation is perhaps best demonstrated through three initiatives:
- The Missed Pay Initiative, a groundbreaking effort to use machine learning on legacy well and seismic data to identify overlooked hydrocarbon zones. The project has unlocked new value from mature fields and demonstrated how AI can extend the life of the Norwegian Continental Shelf.
- AI Nina, a conversational AI assistant developed in collaboration with FabriqAI, allowing anyone to query public exploration data and reports in natural language. As one of the key initiators, Dischington helped ensure that the system was transparent, verifiable, and trustworthy – setting a new standard for how AI can make complex geological data both accessible and reliable.
- Digital transformation of the APA (Awards in predefined areas) process, improving efficiency and accessibility for both internal workflows and external users.
Beyond these contributions, Dischington has been an active voice in the broader digital subsurface community, serving several times on the Dig X Subsurface program committee and helping guide industry discussions on data and technology.
One colleague in the industry described him as someone who “makes all of us do what’s good for us”, reflecting his skill in encouraging the adoption of modern data formats, cloud-based workflows, and machine-learning-ready datasets.
Petter is widely recognized as diligent, warm, and level-headed, with an ability to inspire collaboration and push progress with quiet determination. He combines deep technical understanding with strategic foresight and a genuine passion for sharing knowledge – helping both industry and government embrace digital tools that create real value.
Petter Dischington embodies the spirit of a digital trailblazer: curious, constructive, and committed to making data work for the future of the Norwegian Continental Shelf.