Kansas Geological Survey, Open File Report 97-14

Digital Petroleum Atlas Annual Report 1996

As the first year of a longer-term effort, the prototype 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 continously ìpublishedî electronically when individual project components are completed, removing the lag and expense of transferring technology using traditional paper publication. Additional information and technology are constantly being added to the DPA to increase the scope and detail. Active links, graphical user interfaces and database search mechanisms provide a published 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). Improvement in data and technology access for the domestic petroleum industry represents one of the best and cost-effective options that is available for mitigating the continued decline in domestic production.

The one-year prototype DPA Project developed methodologies and computerized procedures to study, compile and "publish" a limited set of field and play studies concentrated in Kansas and to a lesser extent the Northern Mid-continent Region. As part of the one year DPA project, three Kansas field studies were completed (Arroyo, Gentzler and Big Bow).

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.