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GeoQuest has had two successes in the developing trend for
one-stop E&P software shopping. Fortum Petroleum AS (Oslo) and Santa Fe
Snyder have both awarded software contracts to the Schlumberger unit. Fortum has
operations in the North Sea, Russia and Middle East. Fortum’s Knud Nørve
stated "We are very satisfied with the service we received from GeoQuest
during a software application and support pilot. GeoQuest staff members are
dedicated and responsive”. Fortum Petroleum will have access to all of
GeoQuest's E&P software. GeoQuest will be working with Fortum's
geoscientists to develop workflow standards through data and software
integration. Fortum was formed by the merger of Neste and the IVO Group. Santa Fe Snyder Meanwhile, Santa Fe Snyder has signed a multiyear contract
naming GeoQuest as the “primary supplier” of geoscientific technology to
Santa Fe Snyder (SFS). Again, GeoQuest is to supply its full software suite and
will provide project conversion, training and workflow consulting. In addition
to its US domestic operations, SFS is present in South America, Southeast Asia
and West Africa. See this month’s PDM interview with SFS’ Doug Nester for
the rationale behind the software deal.
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In the great tradition of new IT toys, XML is
gathering steam at an alarming pace. But the same was true of many technologies
of the recent past which have failed to set the world on fire. Much press
comment (including ours!) has also tended to seek conspiracy and conflict in the
rise of new technology, and it is certainly true that neither Bill Gates nor
Larry Ellison would miss an opportunity to undermine each other’s efforts to
rule the world. For once though, there may be more conspiracy theorists than
conspiracies. XML really does seem to offer a (win)n all round. HTML, SGML XML has a venerable pedigree. When the US Navy
realized back in the ‘70s than to carry the full weight of documentation on a
battleship would sink it, it decided to develop a computerized way of
representing the information held in manuals. Thus was born the Standard
Generalized Markup Language. Over the years, this has developed into an ISO
standard, and has had a small, but enthusiastic following of developers who use
it to produce complex documentation and also to migrate databases. But in its
existence, SGML has seen no success like its ridiculously simple offspring HTML
– the language of the web. Whereas SGML is for eggheads, HTML really is for
dummies. explosive The explosive success of HTML suggested that it
might be possible to leverage the success of HTML’s simplicity with some more
of SGML’s complex features, with the objective of transparent data exchange.
The outcome, XML (for extensible markup language) differs from HTML in that it
can be extended - you can invent your own tags. Now this should ring some alarm
bells. If everyone starts to invent their own <well_location> <well_position>
<well_coordinate> tags, then chaos will quickly ensue. So something else
is required, yes you’ve got it, standards. nirvana? In e-commerce at large, several organizations
such as www.xml.org and the Microsoft-sponsored
www.biztalk.org are setting out to produce
tag definitions and data schemas which are set to have wide currency in the
business world. Likewise, other communities have their own XML flavors such as
SMIL for multimedia, MathML, ChemicalML. Browsers XML is also the big new thing in web browser
technology with both Internet Explorer and Netscape offering XML awareness in
their latest manifestations. In fact XML is probably already running on your PC
if you subscribe to any of the ‘push’ service providers such as CNN and
Reuters who both use the XML-based Internet Content Exchange protocol. WellLogML Closer to home POSC, INT and Oilware
Inc. have encapsulated the Canadian LAS log standard into WellLogML. This
illustrates a great opportunity to develop XML based protocols for data exchange
around our existing E&P standards. Although the need for cooperation between
the standards bodies remains, XML could provide a facilitator in those areas
where agreement on standards has proved difficulty to achieve. XML acts as a
buffer between data formats, and could become a sort of super-Geoshare
lingua-franca provided that it is deployed in an open manner. caveats To use the analogy of the HTML based web of today
assumes one rather important point. As you browse a web page, you can usually
switch your browser to view the page’s source in HTML. It is not just an open
standard, but is also open source code. Now if you buy an application that is
written in XML, but somehow manages to conceal its inner workings, by
encryption, or reference to an undisclosed schema, then this is not the same
thing at all. For XML to take off it must be specified and posted openly. It is
one thing for an IT shop to develop an XML based application for internal use,
quite another for the community at large to benefit from commonly accepted tag
definitions and schema which will allow business to business communication. Business? Before your eyes glaze over at the thought of B2B
and e-commerce let me give you a heads-up. Just as a business object can be
anything from a bank account to a well header, so can a B2B transaction
represent anything from a credit card purchase to a seismic trade. To achieve
the latter seamlessly, we need machine readable SEG formats, and XML could be
the way forward. conspiracy of the month Seems like there is a bit too much mother &
apple pie in this editorial so I will finish up with a conspiracy theory. How
about XML as a trojan horse for Microsoft’s attack on the ERP fiefdoms that
James Utzschneider talked about in last month’s PDM? Could it be that
Microsoft, by adopting an ’opener than thou’ attitude will force SAP and
others to lower the drawbridges to their castles. This would then preempt SAP or
Oracle from extending their field of influence too far over the desktop? Well
its only a (conspiracy) theory...
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What is XML? XML, the Extensible Markup Language, defines a
universal standard for electronic data exchange. Described as “the ASCII of
the year 2000”, XML may be the solution to problems of heterogeneous databases
and data structures. XML specifies a rigorous, text-based manner of representing
the structure inherent in data, so that it can be authored and interpreted
unambiguously. Its’ simple, tag-based approach leverages developers'
familiarity of HTML, while providing a flexible, extensible mechanism that can
handle "digital assets" from highly structured database records to
unstructured documents and everything in between. W3C XML is an Internet Standard way of tagging data.
As a web-centric subset of the authoritative SGML ISO standard, XML is based on
a proven technology with a good track record. The Worldwide Web Consortium (W3C)
recommended the XML 1.0 standard in February 1998, and it is being widely and
rapidly adopted as a standard for document and data exchange in a variety of
markets. support XML is gaining wide industry support as well from
vendors including Oracle, IBM, Sun, Microsoft, Netscape, SAP and others, as a
platform and application-neutral format for exchanging information. XML is ‘extensible’
and has spawned several derivative standards, for defining schemas, presentation
style-sheets, hypertext links, API manipulation, and XML query language. XML vs. HTML The following example shows the difference
between XML and HTML and demonstrates the advantages of using XML for archiving,
transferring and querying data. The HTML in the snippet below uses tags to
present data in a row of a table. But there are many ambiguities. Is
"Document Engineering" the name of a book? A university course? A job
skill? one cannot be sure by looking at the data and tags on the HTML page. A
computer program cannot figure it out either. HTML code snippet <HTML> If we look at the analogous XML example below.
It's exactly the same data, but the tags indicate what information the data
represents, not how it should be displayed. It's clear to the user and to a
computer that "Document Engineering" is the Name of a Course, but it
says nothing about how it should be displayed. Simple XML Page <?xml version="1.0"?> So XML represents information content, while HTML
represents the presentation of that content. Style In order to present the above XML example on a
screen, one can transform it into its HTML equivalent using a program, or simply
a standard stylesheet language designed for that purpose, called XSL. The
advantage of using the latter is that it can be sent for interpretation on the
client side. Many different XSL sheets can be defined for a single XML fragment
and sent to different users according to their profiles and platform
configuration.
XML architecture The figure above illustrates what the future
information system architectures will look like. Here, the user has at his/her
disposal an HTML terminal or an XML one, used in client mode to browse
heterogeneous databases connected in a three-tier architecture to the internet. document database One database could be a document base, another
one could be a GIS, and a third one could be a relational or object database.
Each tool being used where it fits best. Currently, queries are dispatched to
databases in SQL or OQL, or another proprietary form. In the future, queries
will be sent in a unified manner in XQL, the XML Query language. Results are
generated, joined and assembled back in XML, then sent to a presentation server
which uses the future XSL style sheet language to transform XML data into HTML.
More info on XML from www.gca.org and www.oasis-open.org/cover.
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Following XoX’s technology sale to GeoQuest
(the XoX Shapes geometry engine is at the heart of GeoQuest’s Shared Earth
Model), XoX have developed a stand-alone PC-based tool, the ShapesProspector.
(SP). SP allows geologists to create 3D earth models from well-log and seismic
interpretations using 2D and 3D modeling techniques. SP enables structural
models to be built for analysis and presentation purposes. SP runs on Windows
95/98/NT and handles structurally complex surfaces such as faults, salt domes
and lenses.
valid The new tool allows
consistent and geologically valid interpretations to be built around a central
3D-earth model and includes what are described as “excellent” presentation
capabilities. Well tops and grids can be imported and exported from and to any
format. Model creation and editing facilities are driven from a central 3D-model
repository of the subsurface structure. This 3D model captures not only fault
and other surface geometry, but also the topological relationships between them
that give rise to the zones, layers, and formations in geologic structures. The
model can be viewed in terms of the fault and horizon surfaces, or in terms of
the volumes.
zoom & pan The model can be rotated and zoomed
and surfaces can be painted attributed with color, transparency, translucency
and other graphical properties. A semi-transparent model cab be created that
reveals its interior. Solid models can be created from surfaces and grouped into
layers and fault blocks for analysis and presentations. Volumes are derived from
the 3D structural model and are updated automatically when any component of the
volume is edited. Presentations can be made with arbitrary slices, cutaway
sections, chair diagrams and others. XoX net revenues the first half of 1999
were up 9% to $1.5 million. More from www.xox.com.
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PDM - One time the big issue in E&P software was
interoperability. Why has Santa Fe Snyder (SFS) gone for an single supplier
solution to its E&P application portfolio? Nester - Subsequent to the merger between Snyder and Snata
Fe, we decided that a standardized environment was required throughout all
district offices from Denver to Kuala Lumpur. An explorationist should be able
to sit down at a workstation anywhere within the organization and fire up the
same software suite. PDM – What was the situation before the merger? Nester - Santa-Fe’s domestic operations were a Landmark
Shop, while both SF's international ops and Snyder were GeoQuest - so the choice
of GeoQuest was a 'majority decision’ to some extent. PDM – What other reasons were there for selecting
GeoQuest? Nester - Support was paramount as an international
company, SSF required on-site support that only GeoQuest could offer in SE Asia.
Right now both GeoQuest and Landmark are playing leapfrog, with one leading in
one field for a while, then the other innovating in some way. There is no clear
leader. But what interested us most was their long-term vision. We sat down with
the senior management of both Landmark and GeoQuest and asked where they would
be five years from now. We liked what we heard from GeoQuest best.
Schlumberger's background in data acquisition in both logging and seismics, and
future moves to real time data processing directions were key, with the ability
in the near future to integrate logging data into a workstation interpretation
in real time - a vision that resonated with SFS's. Currently such international
operations are hindered by the need to have specific personnel in specific
loactions. The advent of high capacity data links should change this. PDM - What happened to best of breed? Nester - We still will have a full suite of Landmark
applications which will serve to work on partner supplied data sets, and also
which will be used to test bed product enhancements from Landmark. PDM - What is the scope of the GQ software purchase? Will
you be using the PowerHouse data management solution? Nester - No we will have Finder in-house, and the full
suite of GeoFrame applications. PDM How important was the installed base of GeoQuest
products in your decision? Nester - That played a role, but more in minimizing the
data conversion issues. I believe that a good explorationist can switch from one
environment to the other quite easily, GeoQuest offers good training for the
switch-over. The deciding factor for us was GeoQuest’s vision of a future
exploration environment where information is exchanged in real time between all
disciplines and encompasses the entire exploration through development project
cycle.
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Fakespace has split its activity into two units -
Fakespace Labs (R&D) and Fakespace Systems - systems integration and
marketing. The Systems arm has also merged with Pyramid Systems - vendor of the
CAVE VR platform. More on VR in PDM Vol. 3 N° 10 and from www.fakespace.com.
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The POSC interoperability initiative has hitherto
focused interoperability through data exchange. Now the focus is on application
interaction, so that messages generated by one piece of software - such as a
seismic pick - can be shared with other vendor programs such as a well log
viewer. More on interop phase II from www.posc.org.
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Oilware has integrated XML into its EzTools
application architecture. DLIS, LIS, BIT, LAS, LBS, and other digital well log
data formats can now be converted directly to XML in the proposed WellLogML
format. EzTools now also uses XML internally to summarize the content of all
data scanned in preparation for conversion.
LAS The Canadian LAS (Log ASCII Standard) is a
simple, human readable format for well log data exchange. The arrival of the
Internet has created a demand for transferring and viewing well log data with
common, desk top, web based tools. By leveraging the work done on LAS with XML,
both of these goals can be reached.
INT
Oilware has been collaborating with POSC and Interactive Network Technologies (INT)
to develop a new digital well log data interchange format WellLogML. The new
format extends XML, and contains many new features. WellLogML is a sophisticated
specification with multidimensional array curves, arrays of parameters, run
merging and irregular depth samples.
IE5
Many tools are available such as Internet Explorer 5, for certifying that an XML
file conforms to both the syntax of XML and the semantics of WellLogML. Using
the Extensible Stylesheet Language (XSL), XML files can be transformed into
different XML files or into different formats altogether. The data can be loaded
into Oracle, Microsoft Access 2000, etc. and into desktop applications like
Microsoft Excel 2000, Internet Explorer 5. XSL allows XML files to be
transformed into HTML, RTF, or even very detailed graphical presentations.
XMLLog
Oilware’s log manipulation toolkit, EzTools can now convert a wide range of
formats into XMLLog, Oilware’s implementation of the WellLogML standard.
EzTools now uses XML in an internal control file to summarize the content of all
data scanned in preparation for conversion. Prior to format conversion, the
control file can be edited to select which logical data files, frame types, and
curves should be converted.
in Control
The control file can also be edited to change the output ASCII format being
created, perform units conversions, and to modify constant values, such as well
name, field name etc. The new XMLControl files open the door to a much larger
world than hitherto was possible! These files contain all of the information
derived from scanning a digital well log data set including file frame and curve
information, and well header data. Using available scanning modules, digital
well log formats can be summarized in XML format and this information is
immediately available to all other XML enabled software. XMLControl files can be
loaded into Excel, Access or Oracle. They can also be transformed into HTML
summaries, or even API log headers or to build a database - which can be
interactively searched over the Internet using XQL.
POSC
POSC is the custodian of the 80+ page WellLogML document and the related XML DTD
which is available at www.posc.org/ebiz.
More on EzTools and XMLLog from www.oilware.com.
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SGI Reality Center desk solutions are said to “enhance
insights and decisions and enable hands-on, intuitive interaction with data
sets, models, and simulations. Onyx2 graphics workstation provide “unsurpassed”
stereoscopic resolution and performance. cost-effective Offered at a cost-effective price, each desk is
transportable and fits into a lab or work environment. The top of the range SGI
Reality Center 2000D is built around the Fakespace ImmersaDesk R2, while the
entry level model 1000D Is designed for one or two users. More from www.sgi.com/realitycenter
and vr@sgi.corp.
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Hampton Data Services’ GeoSCOPE is a web-based E&P
document management system and GIS. GeoSCOPE was used by Ramco to evaluate a
large oilfield in remote Azerbaijan. Armed with scanners, field notebooks and
satellite phones, Russian speaking specialists performed on-site capture of the
legacy paper data which was then transmitted back to Ramco's London HQ on tape
and CD-ROM. Hampton’s MD Wally Jakubowicz told PDM "This is where
GeoSCOPE really comes into its own as the data can be loaded and made available
for analysis immediately. video The data base has moved around with technicians and
specialists adding their own layer of knowledge. We even added video footage of
the well site and other key locations to add to the completeness of the picture.
Video reports of meetings about the site can also be stored in GeoSCOPE”. future is XML Jamie Cruise, Hampton’s head of IT “We believe that
current data management systems are blighted by poor interoperability,
inflexibility and high maintenance costs. We are using web technology to build a
new generation of dynamic information systems. GeoSCOPE uses commodity internet
technologies and XML is the new paradigm for computer-to-computer
interoperability. XML allows us to generate appropriate log displays
automatically when viewing legacy log formats over the 'net from within GeoSCOPE.
More from www.hamptondata.com.
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We omitted a key reference from last month’s
Microsoft-centric PDM, a book which explains COM and Microsoft’s strategy for
distributed applications and object technology. Despite the focused title “Distributed
Applications with COM and Visual Basic” is actually an excellent backgrounder
in object technology and related developments such as Microsoft Transaction
Server. COM <>
XML It is also instructive in our current study of XML, which
is conspicuously absent from the book, published in 1998. But by understanding
what COM is, you can see why Microsoft are keen on XML. COM was released with
OLE2 in 1993 and marketing mystique has led to considerable terminology overlap
with OLE and ActiveX which Pattison describes as “a new sexier term for the
Internet”. In reality, COM applications are restricted to networked computers
running Microsoft operating systems. Given that the vast majority of computers
that run the web are UNIX boxes, this is quite a handicap. Enter XML. Building an XML-based Application is currently only
available in French, but an English translation is in the offing. The book is
provides ample technical information on XML, and related technologies such as
XSL and CSS, but is also very aware of the marketplace. In fact the Application
of the title involves an XML EDI data exchange between a UNIX shop, deploying
Sun’s Java Project X and an all-Microsoft trading partner. This underscores
the ‘other’ key usage of XML - interoperability. Building an XML-based Application by JC Bernadac and F.
Knab (Eyrolles, 1999). Distributed Applications with COM and Visual Basic by T.
Pattison (Microsoft Press, 1998)
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SAP AG has just unveiled the underlying messaging
and Web collaboration technologies in the Internet-Business Framework, mySAP.com.
With extended Web messaging based on
Extensible Markup Language (XML), the Internet-Business Framework enables access
and open exchange of business messages, allowing companies to “take advantage
of Web collaboration opportunities” and to form “dynamic business
communities”. XML throughout The Internet-Business Framework is said to “fully
embrace XML on all architectural levels”. New WebFlow technology enables
collaborative business processes to take place between companies using SAP and
non-SAP components. WebFlow provides a fast and flexible way to drive end-to-end
collaborative Internet business processes within a single enterprise, with its
partners and among entire business communities. An XML-based metadata repository
hosts information about how to get the right message, in the right format, to
the right place and provides the relevant data structures for collaborative
Internet applications. Business Connector Within the Internet-Business Framework, XML-based
Web messaging is handled through the SAP Business Connector component, providing
secure and remote access to all business data and applications. Based on open
Internet communications standards, the SAP Business Connector uses hypertext
transfer protocol (HTTP) to exchange XML-based business documents over the
Internet and across company firewalls. In addition to supporting all SAP message
formats including Business Application Programming Interfaces (BAPIs), the SAP
Business Connector provides the openness and flexibility to comply with current
and future business semantic standards. flexible To provide a high level of collaborative
flexibility, the SAP Business Connector incorporates an easy-to-use graphical
tool that can convert and map between SAP message formats and XML-based business
messages. For partners that display information on simple Web pages, the SAP
Business Connector can, for example, retrieve catalog information such as prices
from a supplier's Web site and integrate the information with business
applications - automatically and in real time. knowledge sharing To allow knowledge sharing within a business
community, SAP will provide customers with an XML-based metadata repository
hosted on the mySAP.com Marketplace portal at http://www.mySAP.com
that contains
downloadable information about interfaces, mapping definitions and other
semantic integration requirements for complete business community messaging. To
help drive the broad and rapid adoption of business integration standards, SAP
participates in numerous standards bodies and supports content standardization
efforts including BizTalk, e-speak, Open Application Group, XML.ORG World Wide
Web Consortium (W3C) and of course COM for Energy. workflow Closely linked to the exchange of information
across company boundaries is the control of business processes across company
boundaries using WebFlow technology. With WebFlow, companies can publish events
and work items over the Web and, in turn, subscribe to external events and work
items coming from the Web. non-SAP WebFlow is based on a proven workflow engine and
allows a business community to create and share Web-based. WebFlow integrates
with external systems through tightly and loosely coupled connectors that can
share control of SAP and non-SAP components over the Internet. A graphical user
interface allows for creating and monitoring Web flows and simplifies the
deployment of collaborative business processes. The SAP Business Connector
allowing XML-based messaging is now available for download to customers of SAP.
More from www.mysap.com.
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The COM for Energy initiative (PDM Vol. 4 N° 2) is an
object lesson in how the marketing department sometimes gets overtaken by new
technology. Microsoft’s COM object model has seen several incarnations over
the years, and the term has been regularly abused by the marketers. We expect
that all will be revealed at the first COM for Energy public meeting to be held
in Houston on September 9th, meanwhile here is PDM’s best shot at
what the specification will involve…. Not COM! COM for Energy will not be a COM spec! We make this bold
statement in the light of Microsoft’s switch of tactics and its alignment on
XML as the preferred method for data exchange. What is most likely to emerge
from the initiative is a BizTalk - www.biztalk.org
- type specification based upon XML. confusion Bill Diggons (SAP and COM for Energy) told PDM that the
COM moniker was confusing, and that the initiative was contemplating a change of
name – perhaps to “Objects for Energy”. The scope of the initiative was
explained to PDM by Landmark’s John Lewis. The plan is to build on SAP’s
inventory/costs database and connect to drilling engineering during the design
of new wells. Casing availability is one target. Today the technical design of a
well is optimized, then procurement is initiated. The new plan is to have
synchronous data on materials and costs available during the design phase. BP
Amoco’s drilling engineers alter well casing design to take account of casing
inventory. not-for-profit Today this activity is intra-company, but tomorrow will
encompass procurement and true e-commerce. We queried Microsoft’s Scott
Fawcett as to how open the initiative would be, Scott confirmed “the (COM for
Energy) specifications are to be in the public domain, this is a not-for-profit
venture”.
Click here to comment on this article GX Technology Corp. Of Houston is claiming what
might be the largest ever 3D imaging project. Designed to evaluate several
hundred OCS blocks including those held by Texaco Anadarko’s survey will
target subsalt and salt related plays. Anadarko’s GOM exploration boss Bob
Lunn stated “We intend to make extensive use of prestack depth migration. The
best results are obtained when interpreters and analysts from both companies
work together to understand
the data and the geology.”
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XML is not exactly alone in competing for our
attentions. In the field of software interoperability alone we have heard
similar offerings from Landmark and Microsoft with the COM for UNIX initiative
of last year, CORBA is currently the preferred glue for Open Spirit and other
E&P initiatives. In IT at large, COM is a route to software interoperability
within in the Microsoft camp, but it is complicated, and applications need to
know a lot about each other's behavior and data models. CORBA plays a similar
role in the UNIX environment, and suffers from the same constraints. KISS principle XML is designed to operate on the KISS principle
- "keep it simple, stupid". The idea is to agree on a chunk of
exchangeable data - say an article code, description, cost and availability.
Note especially the agreement part - XML is extensible, and this is potentially
a dangerous thing. The danger should be avoided by agreement at the schema
level. Open an HTML document and you will see <!doctype html public "-//w3c//dtd
html 3.2//en" >.
This is a pointer to the definition of the
HTML language. It rarely changes, and so an application does not need to use
this information. Not so for XML. An Office 2000 Microsoft Word document saved
as html starts out with stuff like <html
xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office">. This
points to the extended XML schema containing the tag definitions for Office2000. SEG-Y slug-out Instead of a committee slugging it out over the actual
data format itself, agreement would be at the schema description level, with
accepted tag definitions. Different flavors of SEG-Y could then all be current,
with their own detailed schemas posted on the web. Now the interesting stuff
starts. Instead of struggling to understand how the details of a foreign SEG-Y
format slot together, you just load the tape, and press 'read'. push-button? The XML enabled SEG-Y reader then reads the URL address of
the schema, visits the website where the schema details are housed, downloads
the schema and uses it to read the tape. Of course this strategy would be no
good for reading untagged legacy SEG-Y. But there may be benefit in considering
such a strategy for remastering large volumes of old but standard data into a
new, highly portable XML based format. That at least is the theory. The key
point here is that the schemas must a) follow an accepted domain specific usage,
and b) must be public. If you are offered 'XML based' products which do not
follow these rules you may not be getting the full benefits of the standard.
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Petris Technology Inc. and Neuralog have agreed to develop
an adapter for NeuraSection and WINDS Enterprise. The adapter will provide
connectivity between Neuralog's cross section software and any other application
connected to WINDS Enterprise. This will allow for locating and loading well log
images and header information into NeuraSection. Enterprise WINDS Enterprise provides users with a synchronized GIS
and Text-based "front-end" search mechanism to all exploration data
within their enterprise. It uses "adapters" and a "spider"
to build and maintain a meta-data catalog of data contained in leading
application datastores such as Z&S Recall, Landmark's Open Explorer,
GeoShare and now NeuraSection. Data transfer can be initiated from one store to
another with on-the-fly reformatting.
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Date Location Title Organizer Contact 21-22/9/99 London Knowledge Management in
Energy IBC Ltd. 44 171 637 4383 28-30/9/99 London POSC & POSC/CAESAR AGM
& meeting POSC, CAESAR 1 713 784 1880 4-6/10/99 Singapore ITOPIA ‘99 IT for Oil and
Petrochemicals Innovation Associates 65-321-9100 12-14/10/99 Nice CIMdata Europe ‘99 CIM Data Inc. 1 734 668 9922 18-19/10/99 Houston Internet Strategy for Oil
and Gas First Conferences 1 800 814 3459 26-28/10/99 Calgary PPDM Fall Conference &
AGM PPDM 1 403 660 7817 27-28/10/99 Houston Geonetix ‘99—Integrated
IT for Petroleum Pennwell 1 713 963 6252 1-5/11/99 Houston SEG Annual Conference &
Exhibition SEG 1 918 497 5557 15-16/11/99 Amsterdam Smart Petroleum Management First Conferences 44 171 400 9595
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David Archer, CEO of POSC has contributed his thoughts on the
emerging standard and its likely impact on E&P IT.
First of all, everyone is writing and talking about XML,
and all the hype cycle charts include XML. Can this be the "Next Big
Thing"? I believe that it will be, for the foreseeable future and in the
most positive sense. We cannot dismiss XML as just another passing fad. Java and
XML are the fundamental enabling technologies for today's Internet-based and
eBusiness-oriented world. Both provide portability, flexibility and the means to
implement a wide variety of applications directly on the Internet. exponential growth The exponential growth of the Internet was fueled by its
building blocks, HTTP and HTML. HTML consists of a very limited number of
well-defined tags that tell a browser how to render an .html file. Both the
content (the stuff between the tags) and the realization (the way it looks on
the screen) are bundled into the .html file. However, deciphering just what the
content means is virtually impossible since the tags are there for display, not
information sharing, purposes. too static The result has been fantastically successful, but it
didn't take long to realize that the HTTP/HTML situation was too static both for
interactive and application-to-application information exchange. Enter XML. Like
HTML, XML is part of the SGML family, not as static as HTML and not as complex
as SGML. XML is attractive for a number of reasons. Everyone is doing it, hence
there are already a large number of tools for constructing, parsing and
rendering XML-based documents. XML is document-oriented and permits the
construction of document models, with user-defined tags that represent the
content of the document independently of how it might be displayed. Document
display and perhaps more accurately, transformation is handled by the companion
XSL. XML enables application-to-application information exchange. Encoding
information in XML form makes it possible for applications to exchange
information directly and with understanding, a powerful enabler of eBusiness. schemas To such interchange, industry segments must agree on
standard terminology and information interfaces, in the form of XML DTDs,
schemas or equivalent so that applications can exchange information with
sufficient understanding to deal with the information. Such interchange is a
major growth area, with most growth in eBusiness in in Business-to-business
(B2B) commerce. $ 1 trillion IDC estimates that this will grow from $50billion in 1998
to over $1trillion by 2002. There is a rush to establish the registry or to be
the authority for XML interfaces see, for example, XML.org & Biztalk.org as
there is perceived value in being closely identified with and even controlling
the standards in certain domains. impact I believe that eBusiness concepts will have a huge impact
on all aspects of the E&P business, from connecting business and technical
information to exchanging data among technical systems. Again we find ourselves
at the same place we were many years ago, what will be the metadata and content
standards for the information that we must share? And how do we establish and
maintain these? POSC is moving rapidly in to this domain with activities to
define XML DTDs for standard well-log formats (see the WellLogML article on page
6). API We are also working with industry bodies such as API (the
PIDX group) and regulatory bodies (Minerals Management Service, Bureau of Land
Management, Texas Railroad Commission) to establish common DTDs and associated
interfaces for oil and gas regulatory reporting. As similar issues face
regulatory agencies and operators worldwide, we believe that this work will be
applicable on a global scale. opportunity This new environment provides an opportunity for us to
leverage the past work of these groups and to bring it into the Internet-fueled
world. And this world needs content and metadata standards more than ever
before. alphabet-soup All the above having been said, it's not XML alone that
will make a difference. But by effectively combining the alphabet soup of XML,
XSL, XLL, HTML with Java, HTTP and the rest of the Internet-related technologies
we can get well down the road of information sharing and interoperable systems
that we need for the new world of business. hype? So .. XML? Hype or Here-to-Stay? Emphatically, it's
here-to-stay, at least as an underlying piece of the interoperability puzzle. I
predict that eventually (less than a year) there will be less buzz around XML
itself with the focus more on using it as part of a family of information
exchange/sharing-oriented languages and as an information transfer medium, and
on reaching the agreements on how we might use it with eBusiness not eTechnology
as the driver.
GeoQuest software successes (August 1999)
Both Santa Fe Snyder and Oslo-based Fortum Petroleum have opted for single-supplier solutions for E&P software.
The new Swiss army knife? (August 1999)
PDM's editor Neil McNaughton tries to sort out the hype from the facts and looks at the scope of XML as a new paradigm for interoperability. He is encouraged by the promise of XML as a quick fix to the problems of data interchange, but warns that only open, publicly available tags and data schemas will facilitate data exchange. Such schemas should be posted on public web-sites.
An XML primer (August 1999)
XML ‘Xspert’ Antoine Rizk has kindly supplied this introduction to the new language. You can check out the fruits of his labors on the Euroclid website http://www.euroclid.fr (you may like to have a French dictionary to hand).
<BODY>
<TABLE>
<TR>
<TD>Document engineering</TD>
<TD>DESS IDM</TD>
<TD>Antoine Rizk</TD>
</TR>
</TABLE>
</BODY>
</HTML>
<Course>
<Name>Document
Engineering</Name>
<Department>DESS IDM</Department>
<Teacher>
<Name>Antoine Rizk</Name>
</Teacher>
</Course>
ShapesProspector from XoX, Shared Earth Model on a PC (August 1999)
XoX's latest software ShapesProspector offers integrated, PC-based 2D/3D Earth Modeling.
PDM Interview, Doug Nester, Santa Fe Synder (August 1999)
PDM interviewed Doug Nester, VP international exploration with Santa Fe Snyder. We asked why SFS had elected for an all-GeoQuest solution to its upstream IT.
Fakespace merges with Pyramid (August 1999)
Fakespace, suppliers of virtual reality visualization hardware, have merged with erstwhile competitor Pyramid Systems, vendor of the CAVE.
POSC interop part II (August 1999)
POSC’s interop initiative has moved on from data-level integration as used in Open Spirit and is now focusing on application interaction.
Oilware’s XMLLog, web - enabled petrophysical data (August 1999)
DLIS, LIS, BIT, LAS, LBS, and other digital well log data formats can now be converted directly to XML in the proposed WellLogML format. EzTools is now using XML internally to summarize the content of all data scanned in preparation for conversion.
SGI - VR“in a cubicle” (August 1999)
Based on Fakespace’s ImmersaDesk, SGI’s new virtual reality center is designed for small workgroups.
Remote data capture with GeoSCOPE (August 1999)
Hampton's GeoSCOPE has allowed Ramco's engineers and geoscientists to analyze 30 years of data from Azerbaijan's largest onshore oilfield, Muradkhanli.
Books - COM & XML (August 1999)
PDM book reviews “Distributed Applications with COM and VB”, and “Building an XML-based application.”
XML core of SAP’s interop initiative (August 1999)
mySAP.com is the new B2B (business to business) solution from software giant SAP. The underlying technology? You’ve got it, XML.
COM for Energy?, XML for Energy?, BizTalk for Energy? (August 1999)
Technology moves so quickly these days that it can overtake the marketing department. PDM tries to guess what we'll see when they open the COM for Energy box.
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Biggest prestack yet? (August 1999)
Anadarko’s multi-block 3D depth imaging survey in the Gulf of Mexico will be processed by GX Technology.
XML and legacy data (August 1999)
PDM wonders if the plethoric SEG-Y standard formats could benefit from an XML treatment and concludes that while an SEGML flavor of XML might be an option for remastering, it is no panacea for legacy data.
Petris and Neuralog cooperate on cross section software (August 1999)
Neuralog’s cross section software to integrate Petris’ WINDS Enterprise.
Conferences (August 1999)
PDM recommends the following upcoming conferences
POSC & XML (August 1999)
POSC & XML