CartoBase Provides Data for Every Phase of Exploration and Production Operations

"There's a wealth of digital data waiting to be mined in CartoBase," said a Geologist at a Texas exploration and production company that has relied on WhiteStar to provide digital map data for nearly a decade. "CartoBase makes my digital mapping faster and more accurate, and it allows me to go into areas where I don't have any project data and create a map in minutes."

Among the first to purchase the Texas CartoBase product from WhiteStar, this Texas E&P company uses PETRA software to develop digital maps in every phase of its operations including exploration, drill site selection, logistics and production. The beauty of CartoBase, according to the company geologist, is that it includes data layers to support every one of those activities - all in one easy-to-use package covering the whole state.

CartoBase was an immediate hit among oil and gas operators when WhiteStar introduced it in late 2005. Part of the strong appeal is the subscription format of the product - each statewide CartoBase product contains up to 24 layers of seamless geospatial data which WhiteStar updates on a quarterly basis as part of the cost. For energy companies, this eliminates the need to spend lots of time and money trying to keep the large data file updated.

Content is the other major selling point of CartoBase. Each data set contains all of the digital map data required to build oil and gas prospect maps. The three base layers in every CartoBase offering are the Public Land Survey Grid, Pipeline Database, and Well Location File. Each layer contains location coordinates for the grid boundaries, pipelines and oil & gas wells, in addition to attribute data pertaining to them. Other layers vary by state but usually include TIGER cultural features, digital elevation models, transportation networks and geologic formation maps.

"When we first begin evaluating a prospect, I usually import the Public Land Survey (PLS) data and well spots into PETRA," said the Geologist, explaining that the company's landmen will research the lease holdings based on the PLS, and the geologists will examine the well production records and geologic data to determine where another well should be drilled.

If a potential drilling site is pinpointed, the geologist makes a few mouse clicks and imports contour maps, transportation networks, and pipeline locations from CartoBase. With those layers overlaid onscreen in PETRA, the geologist can start to answer some of the practical questions related to drilling on the site.

"It's really valuable to establish that the target drilling site is on level ground and not on the side of a mountain; that’Äôs where the contour maps help," he said. Then he looks at the transportation layer to determine of the site is accessible for drilling and production equipment. And the pipeline information lets him know if there is already a way to move the oil from site once it's pumped.

The nice thing about the CartoBase interface, added the geologist, is that it's easy to select just the layers, or parts of layers, he needs to import into the mapping software. He usually defines a geographic area by keying in latitude/longitude coordinates, choosing a map scale, and then selecting the three or four layers he wants to import, thus keeping file sizes to a minimum in PETRA.

"It's all drag and drop - within minutes I can be mapping locally, regionally or basin-wide," said the geologist.

This Texas E&P company says it has continued to buy digital mapping products from WhiteStar for 10 years because the data is always reliable and accurate. And perhaps even more importantly, the company geologist noted that even though the data is off-the-shelf, WhiteStar personnel have always been able to handle requests for customized data on short notice.

"WhiteStar is the first company I call for digital data," said the Geologist.