CAGC Column

2016 marks the third year of the downturn for seismic. As our industry struggles to survive so does the Association. We are pleased we still have support for both our Alberta Geophysical Seminar and our premier event Seismic in Motion (SIM). Both will be held in September.

In Alberta we are holding our annual Geophysical Seminar in Red Deer on September 14th and 15th – a fully packed agenda including AER, E&P and ACO; presentations on the general state of the upstream Oil and Gas Industry in Canada; and our Keynote Speaker Dave Yager. See our website for further information and the full agenda.

Late September marks our annual Seismic in Motion (SIM) field trip. Participants spend the day in the field observing the various aspects of seismic and have the opportunity to hear and see contractors performing seismic work. SIM is being offered September 27th and 28th. Location: outside of Calgary, AB. Cost: $300 (includes GST) per participant. Pick-up: Westin Hotel, downtown Calgary – 7:00 to 7:30 am. The day finishes at approximately 6:00 pm in the same spot. A hot lunch is provided. Good walking gear is required as there is some uphill and downhill walking. The CAGC will provide safety equipment, a safety coordinator and a tour guide for each group. This event fills up quickly so book spots early. It is open to Industry, Government and members of the public.

Once again for SIM we have teamed up with the CSEG Outreach Committee, CAPP and Enform to host 150 students from the Calgary Board of Education (CBE) system. We have broadened this to include students from SAIT, MRU and from the University of Calgary. This is an exciting partnership that produces an excellent opportunity for youth to see something of the Energy business, and to understand some of its intricacies. In addition we have hosted Industry folks, Oil Company Staff, Regulators, Interested Stakeholders, and the Media. The reviews have continued to be outstanding. For our efforts over the years we have seen the Partnership win the Mayor’s Award for Excellence for Educational Partnerships, as well as the CBE’s highest honour, The Lighthouse Award.

This year marks the thirteenth year of SIM. This event has been hosted in Alberta from 2004 through 2015 with the 2005 event in BC. It features all aspects of seismic – from surveying to line cutting, from drilling to recording, and features special demonstrations of shooting seismic and observing a helicopter long line rescue operation. This event is put on by the contractors and is supported by the Oil Companies in a truly cooperative manner. Such an event takes a great deal of time, effort and resources to put together.

Over the years we have put together videos of the event that run for about 15 minutes. One was fashioned as a Seismic 101 while another was set up to highlight our various occupations and training through Enform. Another was geared towards the youth attending the event. Yet another was focused on our environmental practices. They are available on YouTube (connect off our website) and are also offered free of charge through the CAGC. We have distributed this product amongst the Industry, Regulators and also to many Educational outlets. A number of our members have used this footage in their public stakeholder engagements.

SIM is characterized as a day out in the field. Seismic has become increasingly linear with various aspects separated by time and distance. Gone are the days when the office staff and/or even the geophysicists get out to the field to spend time observing operations. This opportunity presents itself as a benign version of seismic bringing all aspects to one location. In a safe, organized manner individuals are able to spend the day on the ground viewing demonstrations, interacting with contractors who do the work and have the field expertise, and gain a valuable understanding of the challenges involved in the operations themselves.

It is the type of field trip that holds interest for any type of personality. The demonstrations are quick, and move along seamlessly keeping the participant’s attention. As we have as many as two dozen contractors involved, participants have the opportunity to see many different aspects of the process, many different equipment types, and hear from many different individuals. The flavour of the day is variety. Whether the individual’s interest is piqued by hands-on learning, by visual learning or by listening to presenters, this field trip has them all.

We limit the number of participants on each day for reasons of transportation and safety. The event is generally fully subscribed so if you have interest we encourage you to register soon. Information and registration is available on our website – www.cagc.ca

Hope to see you out there.

From the Thursday Files:

Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success.
– HENRY FORD