ArcGIS Coordinate Reference Systems for Petroleum

Get your positioning right first time

The emphasis in this course is on developing the ArcGIS for Desktop (ArcMap) skills you need to successfully manage coordinate reference system (CRS) issues by encouraging good practice within the oil and gas exploration and production (E&P) sector.

All spatial data is concerned with location on, above or below the surface of the earth and this ‘position’ is governed by the parameters of the CRS employed. If you do not manage CRSs correctly, your data could be incorrectly located increasing the potential for costly disasters and mistakes such as:

• Drilling in the wrong location
• Damage to existing infrastructure
• Incorrect positioning of geohazards
• Interpretation and modelling in wrong location
• Incorrect reserves calculation

Pre-requisites

Participants attending this course should have completed an introductory ArcGIS for Desktop course or already be familiar with ArcGIS for Desktop or equivalent mapping software. Although petroleum exploration and production sector knowledge is not required, this course is geared towards assisting participants apply the EPSG developed guidelines on the use of CRSs within the ArcGIS for Desktop environment.

Intended audience

Data management, IT, geoscience and other professionals and support staff who are going to be working with spatial datasets of varied coordinate reference systems and need to be able to acquire the relevant ArcGIS for Desktop skills and knowledge.

• Focuses on the application of CRSs for the E&P industry
• Uses industry standard ArcGIS for Desktop tools from Esri (ArcMap, ArcCatalog and ArcToolbox)
• One-day intensive course
• Instructor-led hands-on learning by ‘doing’
• Trainer demonstrations and course validation questions

Learning outcomes

1. Describe the geoid, ellipsoid and datum using OGP terminology
2. Employ the ArcGIS Define Projection tool to set the CRS for a given layer
3. Illustrate three projection surfaces, orientations and focal points used to describe projections
4. Discuss how the UTM projection system minimizes distortion within each zone
5. Independently establish distortion in map projections using Tissot’s Indicatrices
6. Operate the Feature and Raster Projection tools to undertake accurate coordinate transformations and conversions
7. Differentiate between coordinate transformations and coordinate conversions
8. Demonstrate accurate ‘on-the-fly’ projection using the Data Frame transformation settings
9. Calculate area and length fields using the Field Calculator in various linear units
10. Apply the EPSG registry and Areas of Use polygons to select the appropriate CRS and transformation for your project area