RBDMS Directional Survey Import Tool Released

The Ground Water Protection Council (GWPC) recently released a new tool that will allow state agency users to collect and store survey data from horizontally and directionally drilled wells and view that data in two or three dimensions with third-party applications. This will facilitate faster and more accurate analysis of proposed drilling, injection, and hydraulic fracturing activities.

Horizontal and directional drilling operations are utilized to allow access to greater volumes of reservoir rock while minimizing the number of well pads required to access oil and gas resources.. These drilling practices introduce more complexity for state agencies when reviewing and approving applications to drill.

GWPC built the RBDMS Directional Survey Import Tool to provide state agencies with a more robust data set when reviewing these drilling activities. The tool provides a standard Electronic Data Delivery (EDD) format for operators to upload directional survey data to the state agency. It checks for errors and processes the data to create multiple latitude and longitude points along the wellbore path. These points are stored in a SQL-Server table in a geometry field. The application also creates line features from the points, which are also stored in a geometry field. gency users can then view the data using GIS software in two or three dimensions.

This tool can be used during the permitting process to ensure that the proposed wellbore is in a legal location and to assist in evaluations of potential collisions with existing wellbores. After a well is drilled, the tool can be used to compare the proposed wellbore with the actual wellbore.

Other uses of the tool involve UIC Area of Review (AOR) fracture stimulation evaluations. The tool can also be used when reviewing injection well applications to makes sure wellbores passing through the AOR near the proposed injector, have adequate mechanical integrity through  the injection zone. In addition, this tool can be used to review proposed hydraulic fracturing activities and identify nearby wells that may need to be remediated before the activities start.

The California Division of Oil, Gas, and Geothermal Resources is using this tool and a number of other states are in active discussion to install it as well. State agencies who are interested should contact GWPC. As with all RBDMS products, there is no charge for the software itself unless states wish to customize it.