Value of Integrated Geophysics

As we approach the first anniversary of the Value of Integrated Geophysics Committee (VIG) it seemed prudent to update the CSEG membership on what we have accomplished to date and what we are working toward in the future.

The VIG grew out of conversations between Ron Larson and I in the spring of 2013. We were both concerned at the reduced prominence of geophysics and the geophysical method in the decision making process in the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin, and were discussing what could be done to reverse the trend. The decision was made that the CSEG should form a committee to educate the non-geophysical members; specifically the engineering and finance parts of our industry on the value geophysics can provide and simultaneously to promote to the geophysical community the methods and language to best communicate that value. The CSEG executive agreed and the VIG was initiated.

In early spring of 2013 our steering committee and a supporting resource committee were formed. At present the steering committee is; George Fairs as chair, Kurtis Wikel and Paul Anderson as CSEG Education liaison, Amanda Knowles as CSEG 2015 Symposium liaison, David Gray, John Duhault and Lee Hunt as members at large. At present the resource committee is; Alice Guest, Amy Fox, Charles Welsh, Doug Uffen, Joe Minten, Marian Hanna and Satinder Chopra. Shortly after the founding of the steering committee we created our guideline which states:

Value of Integrated Geophysics (VIG) Committee Guideline

The VIG committee was formed for the dual purpose of demonstrating the value of geophysics and the geophysical method to the engineering and business communities as well as promoting to the geophysical community the methods and language to best communicate that value.

The VIG Committee has two primary aspects the Steering Committee and the Resource Committee.

The steering committee is responsible for the overall guidance of this effort. It is also the communication and planning arm of this endeavour. Their responsibilities include but are not limited to:

1. Establishing lines of communication with Engineering and Business societies, their convention committees and publications in order to promote our message. This may include promotion of the CSEG Convention and Symposium, as well as advertising campaigns.
2. Directing the gathering and creation of papers, articles and case studies which best communicate our message to the various audiences we address.
3. Editing and reviewing papers to ensure the message is appropriately communicated.
4. Seek out new opportunities to promote our message.

The resource committee is the technical arm of this endeavour. It will be directed and assisted by members of the steering committee. Their responsibilities include but are not limited to:

1. Creating and finding the papers, case studies and articles aforementioned.
2. To pass on information, concepts and ideas to the steering committee.

In May 2013 we had our first VIG-oriented article, which was the inspiration for this monthly column, which started in the fall of 2013. The intent of these columns was to promote to the geophysical community the methods and language to best communicate the value of geophysics and to encourage thought and discussion on the value of geophysics. If you have not read all of the VIG columns prior to this I would encourage you to do so.

Late in the fall of 2013 the VIG entered into a series of meeting with the Intersociety Special Interest group (SIG) of the Calgary chapter of the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE). These meetings have provided great value for both the CSEG-VIG and the SPE-SIG. We have hosted SPE members at the 2014 CSEG Symposium and will do so again at the 2014 GeoConvention, these efforts have resulted in the booking a joint Calgary SPE / CSEG talk scheduled for the fall of 2014, with the speaker being the CSEG’s (and VIG’s) very own David Gray. We will continue to build upon these and other successes as we work toward a time when geophysical papers showcasing value from geophysics are presented at SPE conferences and engineering papers of relevance to CSEG and CSPG members are presented at the GeoConvention.

Late in the fall of 2013 the concept of a VIG book which would act as a quick and handy reference for CSEG members to access various articles, papers and columns which will provide tools, ideas and concepts for the promotion of value oriented geophysics was discussed and accepted by the VIG. We have a sub committee in place and the search for suitable materials continues.

One of our main goals was to create a course to educate non-geophysicists on how Geophysics can be used to generate real measurable value in today’s business environment. The course almost became a reality in the fall of 2013 when members of the VIG were to present a course on Geophysics for Engineers at the fall Canadian Society for Unconventional Resources (CSUR) conference, but the course was cancelled due to low registration numbers. Based upon our efforts in trying to put on the course we were able to forge some good relationships within CSUR. However our committee was not dissuaded from our plans and we now have a course focused on showing the value of geophysics scheduled in association with the 2014 CSEG DoodleTrain. With the relationships we have forged with SPE and CSUR we expect to have a good number of engineers in attendance.

The VIG and its members will continue to search for opportunities to promote value oriented geophysics to the members of the CSEG, and the members of any other group or organization which are involved in the decision making processes within the industries CSEG members work within.