– The possibility to contextualize, combine, search and filter and cross-reference data enables data-driven decision-making. 3D visualization secures a common understanding of the data and the context, says Ulf Vegard Jensen from InformatiQ.
The use of 3D tools in the oil and gas industry has been around for more than 30 years. These tools have become very advanced but are still not very accessible to all the roles involved in a project. Presenting complex datasets to a multidisciplinary group of domain experts is challenging – especially in oil and gas where the majority of the objects are below the subsurface and datasets are spread across several systems.
This was the motivation for InformatiQ to develop their GeologiQ 3D visualization tool, which works as a Field Digital Twin, or Field atlas. They were inspired by the possibilities of gaming and the idea that it must be possible to simplify access to the subsurface environment.
Game developers were then put together with domain experts in geology, reservoir, production, and drilling, and soon a prototype was available. The prototype visualized wells, surfaces, faults, and reservoir parameters on an iPad with high performance and an easy interface.
However, based on feedback from several users, a tool that simply did 3D visualization wasn’t enough (there is a limitation of how many times it is interesting to «fly» through a reservoir).
Therefore, a lot of additional information concerning wells, infrastructure, and geology was added so that the user could find all the data they needed while «flying around».
Today, GeologiQ has become a data mining tool that uses 3D to present results, and according to Jensen, it is being used on multiple fields on the Norwegian continental shelf.
– The customers use the tool for communication, collaboration, offset analysis, data search, and learning, and the user community spans from drilling supervisors and engineers to communication departments.
The tool is still being developed as more and more data sets are made available.
– Having data available fosters creativity. Ideas appear every day, and we get valuable feedback and proposals from our users. The technology used and the increasing amount of data available in the cloud makes it possible to rapidly test out and implement new solutions, Ulf Vegard Jensen concludes.
At the upcoming DIGEX 2023 conference on March 28 – 30th, Jensen will present the latest examples of how opportunities arise when new data becomes available.