Every one of us is a fan of having the ability to choose the path we want. Sure, having a surplus of options in any given direction can be overwhelming. However, we typically prefer to be able to have some say in the approach we take and the decisions we make. Better yet, we like to know what options we have before committing to any one of them.
Why should this be any different for Full Field Optimization and siting pipelines, roadways, and assets in the Oil and Gas industry?
The answer is that it does not have to be. For today's #MeetTheProduct post, I wanted to showcase one of my favorite features in our application, Integrated Geomancy. If you remember correctly, I introduced this same solution and all of its Feng Shui madness in the very first #MeetTheProduct post here. Since the purpose of that post was to provide an overview, it may not be evident what particular feature we are about to hoot and holler over. Can you guess?
Okay, fine. I will let you in on a little secret. It is scenarios.
Yes. You read that correctly.
I hope with all of that lead up, the reveal wasn't too overwhelming. It really is a useful feature and one that is often not a consideration in the planning process. In reference to Integrated Geomancy, the word scenarios refers to individual cases within a larger project where the user can apply specialized datasets, weighting schemes, and analysis options to generate results for those and only those circumstances without disrupting the underlying data or project as a whole.
This is the perfect way to test a hypothesis your team may have about the inclusion of these datasets or the placement of those pipelines without having to perform the entire initialization process - from loading data to applying weights to customizing settings - from scratch for each analysis. Applying multiple scenarios within a project gives you the options you desire, allowing you to have more than one result from which to choose - all in a fraction of the time it would typically take to produce a single result with standard optimization practices. The availability of more solutions also means you can better analyze the good and bad areas and placements within the construction area, melding solutions together to create a Franken-Field. Not a "scientific" term outside of Mary Shelley's universe, but you're picking up what I'm putting down, right?
To further drive this scenario sensation home, I wanted to visualize this process for you. Infographics make learning new things more fun, and they also allow you to see what goes into Integrated Geomancy and its multi-solution analysis. Without further ado, check out the Optimization Exploration below for a bigger picture of scenarios, their place in the planning process, and how the Integrated Geomancy application for ArcGIS and the Oil and Gas industry gets the job done.
Click on the image to view in larger detail.
Integrated Geomancy is an Add-In for ArcGIS that enables Oil and Gas professionals to better plan the placement and routes of assets like Pipeline Gathering Systems, Transmission Pipelines, Well Pad Sites, Access Roads, and more. The toolkit takes a comprehensive approach to the planning process, allowing teams to build a model of the area in which construction will take place - incorporating data like elevation, environmental zones, populated areas, etc. More information and examples of the application in use can be found at www.geomancy.io.