In a blog post this month, Chris Jepps (Exprodat) and Rich Priem (Priemere GeoTechnology) exhort upstream data specialists to ‘stop making basic positioning mistakes!’ This authoritative advice is based on the OGP’s geodetic awareness guidance note (Oil ITJ July 2007). OGP has published examples of geodetic errors that have led to wells being drilled in the wrong lease, missing targets and even intersecting adjacent boreholes.
Such errors stem from improper use of geodetic datums and coordinate reference systems. Jepps and Priem believe that many ArcGIS users in the petroleum industry are making these mistakes ‘on a regular basis.’ While ArcGIS includes tools for managing geodetic transformations, their application is up to the user. Enter the Geodetic Assistant, a free ArcGIS extension that checks for typical geo-gaffes. The Assistant alerts users when a coordinate transformation is ambiguous or wrong and suggests a fix. Read the Exprodat blog and download the Assistant.
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