Shared Earth Modeling
The Shared Earth Model paradigm emerged in the mid-1990s to address the petroleum industry's need to integrate software tools from various sources into unified geo-modeling workflows.
The goal is to allow information to be easily transferred between applications within the workflow. Consortia such as Energistics and the OSDU Forum were established by oil producers and software providers to create data exchange standards ensuring interoperability. The RESQML, WITSML and PRODML standards are now widely accepted in industry, enabling simplified data exchange among modeling software applications from different sources. These exchange standards can also function as web services, enabling geo-modeling workflows composed of atomic services in the Cloud.
However, the Shared Earth Modeling paradigm extends beyond data and model exchange. It also seeks to define an integrated method for constructing subsurface resource representations involving the joint activities of multidisciplinary teams organized within a community of practice. This approach addresses several current needs of the industry:
- Modeling procedures now involve numerous professionals who should participate in the model building process regardless of location. At any lifecycle stage, earth models need to be shared over the internet by all specialists concerned. Shared Earth Models should be viewable and modifiable in “real time” so new information can be integrated on a daily basis.
- The model-building process must become more flexible to verify different interpretative hypotheses through multiple iterations. This requires the possibility of introducing partial modifications without completing all geo-modeling process steps.
- Flexibility should extend to geo-modeling workflow building. Modelers should dynamically specify the succession of elementary tasks required for model construction.
Much progress has been made in defining geo-data standards, but a significant challenge remains: enabling easy communication between specialists involved in geo-modeling tasks who each use specific concepts and vocabulary. Harmonizing this diversified knowledge at the semantic level requires not only exchange standards but actual knowledge models based on sound ontologies. Similar work is needed for achieving unified and consensual descriptions of the various geo-modeling tasks and activities.