Grapevine

News Release from Allied Seismic Limited

In recent years the seismic industry has seen the introduction of various new recording mediums. Allied Seismic has researched all new mediums and in their opinion, the CD ROM disc is an excellent replacement for the 9 track reel. CD ROM has a much smaller physical size with many times larger storage capacity.

CD ROM discs created by Allied Seismic meet both ISO 9660 format and SEG standards and therefore, are compatible with any user's hardware and software. Being a non-magnetic medium, CD ROM discs are ideal for long term archiving.

Any queries can be directed to Craig Maxwell or Jeff "Crow" Crowhurst at (403) 247-2167.

Seismic Image Software Release MESA Modelling and MESA Noise

Seismic Image Software Ltd. recently released MESA Modelling and MESA Noise, innovative 3-D survey design software created to facilitate oil and gas exploration efforts.

MESA Modelling and MESA Noise are part of the MESA family of products, state-of-the-art survey planning software developed in a joint venture between Seismic Image Software Ltd. of Calgary, Alberta, and Green Mountain Geophysics, Inc. of Boulder, Colorado. MESA products operate in a Windows environment with online help and are available for PC, Sun and RS/6000 platforms.

MESA Modelling allows the user to enter models in depth or time and analyze the geophysical parameters such as aliasing frequency, fresnel zone size, lateral and vertical resolution, and migration aperture. The flexibility in model parameter definition of P & S wave velocities, density and Poisson's ratio, enable the user to complete a thorough analysis prior to shooting the seismic program (both 2-D and 3-D programs). Models are easy-to-build using mouse or keyboard input. Displays are created with colour and fill assignments by horizon. Shots and CDP's can be based on theoretical or actual geometry.

MESA Noise enables the user to evaluate the source and receiver array responses with a variety of displays including radial or linear plots using dB or linear scales for horizontal or vertical responses. These responses are analyzed either individually or combined to allow the user to visualize the total effect from the arrays.

For further information contact Mike Galbraith, President, Seismic Image Software Ltd. (403) 233-2140 or Bud Pipe, President, Green Mountain Geophysics, Inc. (303) 444-6925

Call for Papers Geotechnica 1995

The 1995 geotechnica Congress, with its lecture programme, the International Trade Fair and Congress for Geosciences and Geotechnology from May 2nd - 5th, 1995, will be devoted to the "Geosciences and geotechnology in the field of tension between ecology and economics".

Qualified lecture proposals can be submitted to the AWS-Geschaftsstelle, Wissenschaftszentrum, Ahrstrabe 45, D53175, Bonn, by July 31st, 1994. The short versions in German or English should summarize the essential points and not exceed one typewritten page.

Around 600 exhibitors are expected at geotechnica 1995. As well, a large number of international participants are expected from the USA and Canada as well as from the European geocountries: the Netherlands, Great Britain, Switzerland and France. The fair will focus on geo-information systems, environmental services, surveying, space travel, laboratory and analysis technology.

PETROTECH-95

Oil & Natural Gas Corporation Limited, India is organising a four day International Petroleum Conference and Exhibition PETROTECH-95 in January/April 1995 at Dehradun, India. The theme of the Conference is "Competitive Edges in Petroleum Technology".

PETROTECH-95 shall cover all major scientific and technical aspects of the petroleum industry from exploration to down stream operations and also include some important aspects of natural gas, petrochemicals, petroleum economics and environmental matters. A technical/trade exhibition of the petroleum industry covering technology expertise, equipment and systems for oil, gas exploration and petroleum development will be staged in conjunction with the technical sessions, which shall be open to national and international oil companies.

More than 30 major International Oil Companies, 40 National Oil Companies and 500 International delegates are expected to participate in the forth coming PETROTECH- 95. Abstracts of 300 - 400 words may be submitted by July 31st, 1994 to Dr. Anil K. Garg, Convenor, c/o KDM Institute of Petroleum Exploration, 9, Kaulagarh Road, DEHRA DUN-248195, India.

Advance Introduces ProMAX 3D Software

Advance Geophysical is pleased to announce the introduction of ProMAX 3D, the company's new processing software for 3D seismic data. ProMAX provides a single unified environment for processing 2D and 3D data. Its capabilities consist of over 270 2D/3D modules that include several one pass time and depth migrations, true 3D refraction and residual statics, geometry assignment and quality control, 3D data enhancement, and two new 3D velocity analysis packages. The software features new flexible 3D visualization tools so users can quickly analyze data. Wire frame surfaces, point clouds, and contour maps are just a few of the interactive capabilities that allow the user to graphically interrogate the added dimension and complexity of 3D data. For larger volume 3D surveys, ProMAX was designed with new techniques for efficient data I/O handling, tape to tape processing and tape and disk database management, all which take advantage of the emerging parallelization computing.

Advance Releases ProMAX Version 5.0

Advance Geophysical announces the release of version 5 of their ProMAX 2D seismic processing software. This latest release includes over seventy-two new modules and the enhancement to 51 existing programs. Among the new tools added are an interactive instrument test package and imaging technology that includes a prestack Kirchhoff depth migration and a prestack finite difference depth migration.

For further information on the latest release of ProMAX, contact Advance Geophysical Corporation (303) 779-8080.

SPT Petroleum New Ventures Survey Shows UK Most Favoured by Oil Companies for 1994

The popular Annual International New Ventures Survey by Simon Petroleum Technology (SPT) polls oil companies from all over the world and asks them to rate, in a confidential questionnaire, all countries outside North America in terms of their interest in exploration and production ventures for the forthcoming year. Responses from 87 companies, which will account in 1994 for an estimated 65% of total oil company global upstream spending, were received and collated to produce country rankings which place the United Kingdom at number one, displacing Indonesia which has occupied this position in the survey for the past five years.

The attractive fiscal regime offered by the UK to producers represents one of the lowest government "takes" in the world (33%) and along with the extensive infrastructure developed in the North Sea over the past 25 years, together render small and previously marginal projects as economic.

The 1994 Top Ten Countries in SPT's 1994 Survey are: 1) United Kingdom, 2) China, Indonesia, 3)Venezuela, 4) Algeria, 5) Argentina, 6) Vietnam, 7) Australia, 8) Yemen, 9) Colombia, 10) Libya.

China's initiatives in recent years to attract oil company investment have clearly met with considerable enthusiasm, evidenced by its rise in the rankings from 24th in 1992 to 2nd for 1994. Noticeably absent from the Top Ten is any republic of the former Soviet Union. Although Kazakhstan is attracting a good deal of interest, the huge range of potential projects in Russia remains a step too far for many companies while the country struggles to establish a sensible legal framework and fiscal conditions that will provide investors the measure of confidence and rates of return they need to trigger the substantial commitments so urgently required. Recent political developments are going to make it difficult for the economic reform process to progress rapidly, thereby providing further disincentives to western oil company investment.

While republics of the former Soviet Union flounder, on the other side of the world there has been a remarkable resurgence of interest in the principal petroleum countries of South America. All improve their positions in the rankings, with Venezuela improving to 3rd position. The potential for large reserves additions for oil companies from South America was never in question, but only in the past few years have political and economic changes resulted in the privatisation of state oil company assets, and the opening up generally of new exploration and production opportunities under more attractive investment terms.

52% of participants in the Survey say they plan an increase in E & P expenditure in 1994 over 1993, 30% a decrease with 18% remaining the same. Over 60% indicate that they are actively seeking new ventures in 1994. The Far East/Australasia is the most popular region followed by Latin America/Caribbean. Africa creates the least interest; only one country in 42 improves its position in the ranking from 1993.

SPT, the leading international upstream petroleum services and consulting company, carries out projects for new ventures, exploration, appraisal, development and production throughout the world. It conducts its Annual International New Ventures Survey as a service for its numerous oil company clients.