Divestco’s Approach in Mapping for Oil & Gas Exploration

Looking for oil and gas is big business in Western Canada, and like all important ventures it needs proper planning. A small investment in pre-planning in securing relevant maps, data, software, geomatics services and advice upfront helps avoid costly mistakes down the road. Divestco is a mid-sized exploration geo-services company based in Calgary that has been working in this market for over 15 years.

Although the range of services Divestco provides is extensive, its pre-built cartographic products have become an industry standard in the Western Canadian oil and gas industry, especially in the famous Alberta Oil Sands. Player Position Maps are very sought after, as they depict the lease area boundaries, the players operating, project infrastructure, and geology, to name a few. Divestco invests significant time and effort in constantly staying on top of the latest news releases, reports, and other data sources to keep these maps up to date. Another hot item is the Reverse Pipeline Routing Map, which illustrates how portions of the extensive pipeline network are connected to each other enabling identification and routing through various parts of the network. Other than off-the-shelf maps, Divestco also creates custom maps according to client specifications.

Divestco’s cartographic success is enabled by its management of extensive, current data including wells, pipelines, facilities, crown land, freehold land, land sales, environmental data, lease boundaries, right of way, etc. The data is maintained in custom geodatabases designed using PPDM (Public Petroleum Data Model), allowing the user to make sophisticated multi-join queries. Some of this data is sourced, and others are compiled by Divestco. The data can be purchased independently, or it can be incorporated with Divestco’s G&G software.

Divestco has over 25 different software packages for geophysical, geomatics, engineering, and land applications. These products are built with the end-user in mind, who is often a non-GIS professional. Thus the products are specialized for specific functional workflows for which they were intended. The associated relevant data is available as part of the purchase.

One popular software solution is Divestco’s GeoCarta, which is a customized ArcGIS extension. It is a map making tool with all relevant oil & gas data bundled in. It is more competitively priced than its competitors, Accumap and GeoScout, and the user has more control over managing their data, not being handcuffed into a closed system. Another product recently released is Divestco Glass, a new seismic interpretation software with an intuitive workflow for geophysicists who decide where the hydrocarbons are likely to be. Once again, this software is much more affordable than the competition.

Terry Steinkey, GIS & Mapping Team Leader at Divestco, shared secrets of good cartography. He emphasized that the cartographer should patiently listen and record all the client’s requirements directly. They should know exactly how and for what purpose the client intends to use the map. They should use standard fonts, symbology, legends, etc. Data should be prepared in ArcGIS layer files preserving the symbology, labelling, definition queries, fonts, etc. A budding cartographer should take the time to learn all the intricacies of Maplex for customized labelling. They should learn the art of presenting complex information in a simplified fashion. The hallmark of a good map is often just showing only the information required – no more and no less. Terry foresees a continued demand for knowledgeable cartographers in oil and gas exploration, especially in new shale oil/gas developments like those in North East British Columbia.

Visit www.DivestcoGeomatics.com to view these maps online.

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Divestco’s Value Proposition

Divestco provides innovative geoscience solutions to Energy and Service companies worldwide.  Our customers predominantly operate in geology, geophysics, land and engineering. We work with our customers to ensure they have the right solutions, at the right time, to help them make more informed decisions.

Commitment, innovation, accountability and agility form the cornerstone of our values and enable us to consistently provide reliable solutions and exceptional, personalized service in all of the core areas in which we operate.

Divestco provides Software & Data, Seismic Processing, Geomatics Services, Seismic Data & Brokerage, and Land Services.

Divestco is headquartered in Calgary and trades on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol “DVT”.