Abstract: New Canadian Well Identifier System

It’s 1965, and a new standard is being rolled out in the Canadian Petroleum industry.  Designed by industry, for industry and adopted as a standard by the Canadian Petroleum Association (CPA), it became know as the CPA UWI (unique well identifier).  The CPA UWI has stood the test of time for 54 years, that is a major accomplishment.  The industry knows and loves the UWI, with all its quirks and challenges. It has been the primary key that is used in so much of the industry, from hallway conversations to the primary keys that links the applications and databases together so we can track and report on our assets.  Like the vertical wells that dominated the industry during that era, much has changed and our way of identifying, tracking and managing our wells needs to be modernized.  We all love the muscle cars of the 60’s, some of the fashion, and probably none of the hairstyles, but how many of us are still using those in our everyday lives.  The UWI will live on, as an intelligent descriptor, and the primary identifier will be a new standard that fits today’s challenges.  Enter the Canadian Well Identifier System (CWIS).  Another identifier whose strength is that it was collaboratively designed by leading industry experts, for industry, and the work was facilitated by a standards organization (PPDM Association). There will be change management needed to implement this successfully, and it will take management vision to understand the advantages the CWIS brings.  All facets of the industry will need to be committed to the change, for the full positive impact to be realized.  Join us in the discovery of the strengths of the new CWIS, the road forward and what success might look like.  Change is hard, but look how far we have come from 1965, we’ve got this.