American Oil and Gas Reporter - November 2015 - 59

SpecialReport: Oil & Gas Computing

Using software as a service applications, even complex 3-D images are available through
the Internet on affordable platforms that let users easily interact with and manipulate subsurface views, such as producing formations and wellbore locations. Shown here is a Webbased 3-D visualization of multilateral wellbores on a seismic horizon structure map.

reducing interface complexities. Al-Yahya
points out that processing algorithms at
the front end of seismic analysis have
automated removing survey footprints
and tracking geologic feature. "Artifacts
introduced by sources and receivers during
acquisition are automatically removed,
substantially relieving the burden on interpreters who used to spend hours meticulously correcting the data," he notes.
"Geologic features are identified automatically, allowing interpreters to navigate
through dips, staying on a specific feature
even through complex geology."
These and other automated capabilities
save time and help interpreters avoid
mental fatigue. "If you spend all your
time picking features, there is no time or
energy left for analysis," Al-Yahya observes.
In geostatistical applications, generating
and evaluating multiple realizations used
to be a processing bottleneck. But processing time has been shortened dramatically by harnessing multiple central processing units, and ranking tools help in-

terpreters sift through hundreds of plausible
realizations looking for the most probable,
Al-Yahya continues.
"Interpreters focus their energies on
adding insight to the process and make
adjustments to the initial automated ranking. In this way, technology and interpreter
skills are both optimized, leading to improved reservoir characterization," he
concludes.

Software As A Service
Lower computing infrastructure costs
enables operators to measure well performance and manage facilities more efficiently, says Oscar Teoh, vice president
of operations at iStore. At the same time,
easy-to-adopt-and-use devices have become ubiquitous, and users are accustomed
to accessing applications using them.
This combination of new measures and
new access technologies has led to the
desire for software as a service (SaaS)
applications, he adds. SaaS apps are available over the Internet and simplify the
process of distributing access to data.

This new generation of applications
fosters collaboration, putting people literally on the same page for tasks ranging
from monitoring well performance to
forecasting and economics. "Every aspect
of operations can be improved with greater
access by people in the field and head
office," Teoh says. "Another side of this
is the crew change we have been going
through," he adds. "We need to build a
wider network of collaboration to keep
the expertise available."
One of the key concepts of SaaS is
that it brings the work to people, not the
people to work. "When you have this efficiency, the return on investment is high
because you do not need a full-time
expert. Instead, you have people that you
can federate as needed," explains Teoh.
SaaS also enables users to choose the
tool appropriate to them. "Tablets, desktops
and collaborative spaces are simply tools
that can be used for the right occasion,"
he says. "What used to be available on
specialized systems is now available on
common devices such as smart phones.
For example, 3-D images that used to
cost millions and require immersive visualization rooms now are available easily
through the Internet on affordable platforms that enable users to easily interact
with and manipulate subsurface views,
such as producing formations and wellbore
locations."
The best collaborative tools foster and
support two-way interaction, where users
can touch and move, poke and point, and
change data, says Teoh. Optimization in
the application enables this interactivity
by smartly caching data on the device
and selectively transmitting data. Individual workspaces allow users to create
and share their own views and edits without affecting the master version.
Standardization and data governance
are the underpinnings of effective collaboration. Enforcing rules of ownership and
validating data sources are essential to
ensuring that the right information is accessed by the right users. Data management
is a journey, not a destination, says Teoh.
SaaS applications harness the power of
the Internet using Web and data services
to connect distinct and different databases
collected for specific purposes.
"Using web technology, supervisory
control and data acquisition data, production data, regulatory reporting data
and other data sources can be brought
together in a collaborative space for strategic and tactical decision making," Teoh
NOVEMBER 2015 59

American Oil and Gas Reporter - November 2015

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of American Oil and Gas Reporter - November 2015