Satellite imagery and the information derived from it are playing a greater role in the management of exploration and production operations as oil and gas companies increase activities in remote regions of the world.

DigitalGlobe, a commercial high-resolution earth observation and geospatial solutions company, acquired Spatial Energy earlier this year, and the company is seeing an increase in energy companies using satellite imagery to not only monitor exploration and access facilities but for emergency response and environmental monitoring as well as seismic and new well planning. A high-resolution image acquired prior to exploration and drilling activity serves as a baseline for other activities, including site modeling, facilities monitoring, environmental assessments and vegetation reclamation. Commercial satellites also have the ability to monitor for the illegal tapping of pipelines and pipeline oil spills.

In fact, satellite imagery significantly helps oil and gas companies reduce operating costs, facilitate sound decision-making and contribute to responsible development of this important resource through all of the phases of finding, producing and distributing it.

The oil and gas industry has used imagery and remote sensing to coarsely map areas for decades, but advances in digital technology and remote sensing applications since then have multiplied the value and applications for imagery throughout the oilfield lifespan.

Remote oil fields

One customer was in the process of developing a production facility in a very remote oil field in the Middle East where it was difficult to put people on the ground due to security and road infrastructure issues. Its biggest challenge was understanding the condition of the field, but it also needed information about the natural environment, existing infrastructure and potential hazards. A number of factors prohibited the acquisition of on-the-ground mapping and elevation data: limited access to the project area; health, safety, security and environment (HSSE) issues; and military and environmental legacies in the project area. A baseline dataset was needed, and with no recent mapping available, high-resolution satellite imagery was used to close the gaps.

The customer worked with DigitalGlobe to produce detailed maps and highly accurate digital elevation models using the satellite imagery. The imagery revealed that the oil field had a very low elevation, and its proximity to major rivers provided a risk of flooding. There also were many dykes in the area that needed to be studied and monitored since the integrity of dykes was key for flooding protection. Using 50-cm resolution satellite imagery and the key information pulled from it, including digital elevation models, the customer was able to identify 13 critical locations on the dykes that included breaches and weak points where water may flow through or beneath the dyke. This analysis enabled the customer to determine which dykes needed to be repaired.

Ultimately, the high-resolution satellite imagery and elevation models supported the site selection of a production facility at an elevation high enough to prevent flooding, supported the development of a new access route to the field and helped reduce field staff exposure on the ground. The customer continues to use satellite imagery to confirm the dykes are still in good repair and map routine flooding that occurs in the area to ensure the facility is not at risk.

Near-shore planning

Satellite imagery also can assist oil and gas companies with offshore planning. Analyzing high-resolution imagery and oil and gas maps helps companies build accurate surface models and avoid poorly suited areas. Spectral bandwidth allows surface characterization and identification of surface obstacles.

For example, one customer was planning to develop an offshore pipeline and port facility in the Middle East and needed bathymetry surveys conducted close to shore. Using sonar technology is often very expensive for creating a bathymetry map, particularly when it’s unknown where the port facility and pipeline should be developed. However, satellite imagery can look at a broader area of interest at a fraction of the cost to determine the most optimal area for development.

The customer decided to use imagery from DigitalGlobe’s WorldView-2 satellite, a high-resolution imaging satellite with eight-band technology, to see further into the water and support bathymetric studies around the globe. The bands also enable the satellite’s camera sensor to map the depth of the water.

Remote sensing of the shallow ocean floor has become much clearer as a result of the additional spectral bands, which include coastal blue. Researchers have shown that the combination of coastal blue with yellow and the more tightly focused green band can discriminate underwater features more efficiently with remarkable accuracy, agility and collection capacity.

The customer was able to map the terrain underwater and determine the most favorable area for producing its landing pipelines and building piers. It was able to rule out unreliable deep areas of the water and select an ideal area of terrain that didn’t drop off or have abrupt channels running through it. The customer continues to use satellite imagery and the information derived from it to monitor the construction of the offshore facility.

Seeing a better world

Petroleum companies also are using multispectral satellite imagery to monitor their environmental impact more rigorously. Multispectral imagery is essential for mapping land use and environmental impact. Periodic resurveying of oil fields, pipeline corridors and refineries is an efficient and accurate method for ensuring that environmental impact is limited to an absolute minimum. By measuring the length and width of the right of way through which seismic lines have been acquired, oil companies can document their impact on the local forests and vegetation.

Multidate imagery also is critical for oil and gas companies because the information is a time-stamped documentation of land status on a fixed date. Strategic use of periodically acquired imagery from orbiting satellites enhances technical analysis and the bottom line for all professionals involved in oilfield and regulatory operations. DigitalGlobe’s archive of more than 4 billion sq km (1.5 billion sq miles) of imagery helps companies look back in time for more than 13 years.

DigitalGlobe’s sixth satellite, WorldView-3, was recently launched in August and will soon offer an even sharper view of exploration and production operations and assets. Its 31-cm resolution makes it the highest resolution commercial satellite in the world, and it is the first commercial satellite with 16 high-resolution spectral bands that capture information in the visible, near-infrared and shortwave infrared regions of the electromagnetic spectrum.

Oil and gas companies are facing new challenges: how to explore cost-effectively in remote regions, especially those in developing nations with limited mapping data and infrastructure, and how to optimize existing production in already discovered oil and gas fields. These types of geospatial solutions continue to serve as a strong foundation for sound decision-making throughout the entire oil and gas life cycle.

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